10 Better Ways To Say “Thank You For Taking The Time”

It is always a good practice to show appreciation for any effort that another has made for us. The expression “thank you for taking the time,” is a common way to express this sentiment. Here we discuss this expression and provide 10 alternative phrases that mean the same thing.

The preferred version to use instead of “thank you for taking the time,” would be “thank you for dedicating your time.” This phrase conveys the same sentiment as the former one but is a bit more formal and professional sounding.

Thank You For Dedicating Your Time

The expression “thank you for dedicating your time,” shows that you are appreciative of any time or effort that another person made to assist you in any way or to provide you with something. It is very formal and professional sounding and would be appropriate in a business setting.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word “dedicate” as “to give all of your energy, time, etc.” Therefore, using this phrase in an email would suggest that whatever the other person did for you involved a large commitment of their time and energy.

Here are two examples that show how it could be used in an email.

• Dear Joseph,
• Thank you for dedicating your time to recruiting a large number of people to help with our fundraiser. You know how important this cause is to me and your extreme efforts to help have not gone unnoticed.
• Kind regards,
• Juliet

• Dear Mrs. Childs,
• I really want to wholeheartedly thank you for dedicating your time to making sure that our wedding venue was decorated exactly to our specifications. The attention to detail truly made our day even more special!
• All the best,
• Jessica Travers

Thank You So Very Much

Use “thank you so very much,” if you are unsure how much time the activity or information for which you are giving thanks took to do or provide. This phrase could be appropriate for something that was a very low effort but you still want to show appreciation.

For example, you could use this reply in an email where someone sends you a file or a quick reply to a question that you had asked. Here are some examples that show this usage.

It is a bit more formal than just saying “thank you,” and shows that you are greatly appreciative of the other person’s action.

• Hi Bob,
• Thank you so very much for getting me the answer to that question so quickly. I was feeling stumped with how I should respond to the client and you saved the day!
• Thanks again,
• Jim

• Thomas,
• Thank you so very much for sending me that file again. I thought I had saved a copy last time but couldn’t seem to find it anywhere.
• Best,
• Jennifer

Thank You For Your Effort

The expression “thank you for your effort,” is one that also implies some bit of work or commitment was involved in completing the request. It is a less formal way of saying “thank you for dedicating your time,” but is still suitable for professional emails.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines “effort” as “physical or mental activity needed to achieve something.” Based on this definition, you can see that this expression would be appropriate if someone had assisted with a type of physical labor.

Here are some examples of this phrase in an email context.

• Mr. Patterson,
• I want to thank you for your effort in working with us to clean up the trash from the riverbank last Saturday. People like you definitely help to make our community a better place for everyone.
• Kind regards,
• Tanya Winters

• Hi Joyce,
• Thank you for your effort in trying to help us figure out what paperwork we were missing to process the application. I know that it was a lot of work to look through all of those forms. Your attention to detail will not go unnoticed!
• All the best,
• Matthew

Please Accept My Deepest Gratitude

The phrase “please accept my deepest gratitude” is a very formal way of expressing thanks. It should be used when the intention of the email or communication is to express thanks for something another person did for you during an important event in your life.

It suggests a strong feeling of appreciation and is tied to emotion.

For example, this phrase would be appropriate if you were thanking someone for sending flowers for a funeral or for receiving a thoughtful wedding gift. It would not be as appropriate to use to thank a colleague for sending over a file.

Here are some examples.

• Claire,
• Please accept my deepest gratitude for the meals that you kindly sent over while my husband was sick. It really helped to ease the burden during this difficult time in our lives.
• With Love,
• Samantha

• Melissa and Joe,
• Please accept my deepest gratitude for making the trip to California to attend our wedding last month. I know that it was quite a long distance for you to go and having you there with us made the day even more special.
• Love,
• Jenna and Simon

Many Thanks

“Many thanks” is a quick way of expressing appreciation for something that another person has done. It is informal and appropriate for use among family, friends, and other close acquaintances. In certain circumstances, it could be appropriate in a business email as well.

The expression is basically saying that you would like to thank the person over and over again many times. These examples show some context where you might use it

• Lauren,
• Many thanks for the flowers that you sent over to me last week for my birthday! They really put a smile on my face when I got them.
• Hope to see you soon,
• Allison

• Eric,
• Many thanks for attending my presentation the other evening. It was great to see some familiar faces in the audience during this big moment for me.
• Keep in touch,
• Gary

Thanks In Advance

Use the expression “thanks in advance” if you want to express gratitude or appreciation for something that the person has not yet done. In this case, you either know that they will do the action or are hopeful that they will do it.

This phrase is often used in business emails when the requestor anticipates that their request will be fulfilled by the recipient. It is also a subtle way of suggesting to the other person how important it is that they perform the action for you.

Here are some examples.

• Mr. Harrison,
• I have a question regarding the process for taking paid time off as I’m looking to book my annual vacation soon. Can you direct me toward the proper steps I need to take? Thanks in advance for your help. I look forward to hearing back from you.
• Kind regards,
• John Elliot

• Steve,
• Can you make these changes to the report and get it back to me by tomorrow evening so it is ready for my meeting on Wednesday? Thanks in advance for your help, please let me know if you have any questions.
• Bob

I’m So Grateful

The phrase “I’m so grateful,” is most often used when expressing an appreciation for some sort of kindness that another person has done. It is similar to the phrase “please accept my deepest gratitude,” but it is far less formal.

See how in these examples, the phrase indicates that the person feels a particular emotion of joy towards the person who shared their kindness.

• Dear Jada,
• I’m so grateful for all the help that you gave me in getting the house ready for the estate sale. I would have been much too overwhelmed to handle everything myself.
• Talk to you soon,
• Bethany

• Dear Parents,
• I’m so grateful to have had all of your delightful children in my class this year. They have been such a joy to teach and I wish them all the best as they move up to the next grade.
• Best wishes,
• Mrs. Dixon

Thank You For Your Attention

“Thank you for your attention” can be used as a way to show that you know special care was taken in completing your request. It can also be used in a similar way as “thank you in advance,” to imply that you know the person will attend to the manner.

Here is an example of it being used in each way.

• Ethan,
• Thank you for your attention to detail with the report that you put together the other day. The clients thought it had all of the information they needed to make their decision.
• Kind regards,
• Rick

• Maryann,
• I’ve got 12 people coming into town for the meeting next Friday. Will you make sure that they all have hotel rooms booked and transportation available for when they arrive? Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
• Kind regards,
• Brian

Thanks For Everything You’ve Done

The expression “thanks for everything you’ve done,” suggests that you are appreciative of more than one thing that the individual has done for you during a short period of time. It would apply to multiple things done for a specific event, project, etc.

Here are some examples.

• Mr. Klein,
• Thank you for everything you’ve done to help with the smooth sale of our house recently. It was great to have your knowledge and expertise to guide us during this life-changing time.
• All the best,
• The Thompsons

• Sarah,
• I want to personally thank you for everything you’ve done to coordinate the sales conference last month. Everyone said that it was one of the best ones that they’ve attended so far!
• Touch base soon,
• Janet

Thank You For Your Prompt Reply

The phrase “thank you for your prompt reply,” is appropriate for times when the other person has not performed a specific action but instead has provided information or an answer to a question. You want to let the person know that you appreciate them getting back to you so quickly.

You would not use this expression for any other circumstance where information was not given or an answer was not provided. The examples below show some context.

• Dear Steven,
• Thank you for your prompt reply to my inquiry about the open job position. I would certainly like to meet with you for an interview at your earliest convenience. My schedule is open.
• Kind regards,
• Madison Smart

• Stacie,
• Thank you for your prompt reply about the payment that I submitted yesterday afternoon. It wasn’t showing up properly on my account and I was afraid that it hadn’t gone through.
• Regards,
• Christina

Is It Appropriate To Say “Thank You For Taking The Time” In An Email?

“Thank you for taking the time,” is perfectly appropriate to use in an email. It can be used in both business and personal settings. You should reserve its use for times where you know that some specific time was taken out of the other person’s day to complete your request.

For simpler requests that did not take a measurable chunk of time to complete, several of the other options here might be a better fit.

In addition, if you would like to be more formal in your response or emphasize the emotion you feel, a phrase like “please accept my deepest gratitude,” might be more appropriate.

Always consider your audience, the tone you want to convey, and the context of your message when deciding which expression to use to show appreciation.