"Looking forward to hearing from you": what it means, why it is hearing, and what to write instead.

Definition

"Looking forward to hearing from you" is a closing line for emails and letters that says, politely, that you expect a reply. It tells the reader three things at once: the message is over, a response is expected, and you will be glad to get one.

The dictionaries give the phrase its own entry. The Cambridge Dictionary lists a formal use of "look forward to" at the end of a letter, to say you hope to hear from or see someone soon, or that you expect something from them, and its example sentence is "I look forward to hearing from you."

The second half of the phrase has its own definition too. Oxford Learner's Dictionaries defines "hear from" as to receive a letter, email or phone call from somebody, and uses the same closing as its example. Cambridge gives a similar meaning: you get a letter, email or call from that person.

Put together, the phrase means, literally: I am pleased to think about your reply, and I expect to receive it. It is polite without being stiff, and it fits most professional email, from a client thread to an application.

It is also, in a lot of email, the line that stands in for a real request. A closing can be courteous and still leave the reader unsure what to send back, which is why this page covers what to write instead as well as how to use the phrase well.

The phrase belongs to a family of closings that signal expectation: "I look forward to hearing from you," "hope to hear from you soon," "I look forward to your reply," "we look forward to hearing from you." They differ in warmth and formality, not in meaning.

All of them assume the recipient already knows what to reply about. That one condition decides whether the phrase works, and most of the advice below comes back to it. The full set of sign-offs that follow the phrase is covered in how to end an email.

The grammar: hearing, not hear

The correct form is "looking forward to hearing from you." The error, "looking forward to hear from you," is an easy slip because "to" usually introduces an infinitive: "want to hear," "hope to hear," "plan to hear."

Cambridge's English Grammar Today states the rule directly: the "to" in look forward to is a preposition, so it is followed by a noun phrase or a verb in the -ing form. Its own wrong example is "looking forward to go," and the same logic rules out "looking forward to hear."

The Purdue OWL explains why the -ing form fits. A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and works as a noun, and one of the positions a noun can take in a sentence is the object of a preposition. "Hearing" is that noun here, the object of "to."

A quick test helps when you are unsure: replace the verb with a noun. "Looking forward to your reply" is clearly correct, so the slot after "to" takes a noun, and "hearing" fits it where "hear" does not.

Two more errors the dictionaries flag

Longman's dictionary adds a grammar note on the preposition itself. You say "I'm looking forward to your visit," not "looking forward for your visit" and not "looking forward your visit." Both slips can turn up in email closings too: "looking forward for your reply," "looking forward your response."

Cambridge adds a detail that matters in team emails. When the second verb has its own subject, use the object pronoun: "We are looking forward to him arriving next week," not "to he arriving." In a closing: "Looking forward to them confirming the date," or with a name, "looking forward to Dana sending the figures."

The same rule covers the rest of the family: "looking forward to working with you," "looking forward to meeting you," "looking forward to speaking with you." Whatever verb follows "look forward to," it takes -ing.

Formal vs casual: "I look forward to hearing from you" or "looking forward to hearing from you"

All the common versions are correct. They differ in register, and the right one depends on who you are writing to and how many emails you have already exchanged.

Cambridge notes that formal letters and emails use the present simple at the end: "I look forward to your reply," "I look forward to hearing from you soon." The continuous form, "I'm looking forward," sounds warmer and more spoken, so it suits people you have met.

"Hearing from you" or "hearing back from you"?

Both are correct. "Hearing back" adds the idea of a return message, so it fits best when you have asked something specific and the reader owes you an answer. "Hearing from you" is more general and works whether or not you asked a question.

Adding "soon"

Cambridge's own example closing is "I look forward to hearing from you soon." The word adds a light sense of timing without naming a date. If the timing matters, a date does the job better than "soon," because "soon" can mean tomorrow to you and next month to the reader.

Is "look forward to hearing from you" without "I" correct?

Yes, in informal writing. Dropping the subject is a shortcut many writers use in email closings, as in "Hope you are well." It reads as brisk, so keep it for people who already write to you that way, and use the full sentence for a first contact.

Is "looking forward to hearing from you" professional and polite?

Yes. It is polite, positive and accepted in professional emails at every level, from a job application to a note between colleagues. Grammarly's article on the phrase describes it as a polite, professional closing and calls it grammatically correct and widely accepted.

Its weakness is frequency, not tone. Grammarly makes the same point: when recipients see the same sign-off in every email, they tend to skim past it. On its own, the line can read as a template rather than a person.

In business communication, a closing does two jobs: it sets the tone of the relationship and it tells the reader what happens next. This page's view is that the phrase does the first job well and the second hardly at all, which is why it works best beside a clear request.

The fix for most of the cons is the same: keep the phrase, or an alternative, and attach one concrete detail. "I look forward to hearing from you about the budget by Friday" could only have been written to this reader, and it tells them exactly what to send.

Can it sound passive-aggressive?

Rarely on a first message. It can start to read that way on a second or third follow-up, when the earlier emails went unanswered and the line repeats unchanged. At that point a fresh reason to reply, or a polite closing-the-loop line, reads better than the same pleasantry again.

Punctuation and placement in the email

The phrase sits at the end of the body, before the sign-off and your name. The punctuation choices below are this page's recommendation for clean business email, not a rule from a style authority.

When it is a full line on its own, end it with a period, then put the sign-off on the next line: "Looking forward to hearing from you." then "Best regards," then your name. This is the clearest layout and the one used in the templates on this page.

When it runs straight into your name in a short message, a comma works: "Looking forward to hearing from you, Dana." Pick one style and keep it across a thread. Avoid an exclamation mark in formal email; it can read as more eager than you mean.

The last layout is the strongest version of the phrase: it keeps the courtesy and adds the request. "I look forward to hearing which date suits your team" is still polite, and it is also a call to action.

When "looking forward to hearing from you" works

The phrase works when the recipient already has a reason to respond and knows what the reply is. After a meeting, for example, when you have summarized what was agreed and the reader owes you a decision.

It also works in a follow-up where the earlier message made the request and this one is a reminder, and in a job application or cover letter, where the reply is the next step in a process the reader runs.

In customer service, the company is often waiting on information from the customer. In each case the request lives elsewhere in the message, and the phrase signals that you are waiting for it.

When it is too passive, and what it costs

The phrase asks for nothing in particular, and that is a problem in three situations. Grammarly's article names similar ones: cold outreach, time-sensitive messages, and requests that need specificity.

In cold email, the reader has not agreed to anything, so "looking forward to hearing from you" can read as presumptuous, or as the automatic last line of a template. Grammarly uses the same word, presumptive, for this case.

In any message with a deadline, the phrase hides the deadline. The reader cannot tell from it whether you need an answer today or this quarter, and the date is the one thing they need to plan their reply.

In formal correspondence such as contracts, complaints or notices, it is too soft. Those messages state what response is required and by when, and a pleasantry in that slot weakens the request.

The cost is the same each time. The recipient reaches the end of the email without a clear thing to do, because the closing is not a call to action. In this page's view, an email without a clear next step is the easiest kind to leave for later.

The guide to the call to action email covers how to phrase that request, and how to write a cold email covers the last line of a first touch.

How to use it in an email, a cover letter, after an interview and on LinkedIn

The phrase changes job depending on the channel. In business email it is a closing line; in a cover letter it is the expected formal close; after an interview it is a polite nod to the employer's timeline; on LinkedIn it is usually too long for the format.

In a business email

Put the phrase in the closing, after the content and after the specific request. An email that states what you need, gives a date, and then ends with "I look forward to hearing from you" reads as organized and polite. One that ends with the phrase and no request reads as finished but vague.

The subject line sets up the same request from the other end. The page on professional email subject lines covers how to name the ask before the reader opens the message.

In a cover letter or job application

Here the formal version is the expected close: "Thank you for the opportunity to apply. I look forward to hearing from you." The reader runs the process and knows what the reply would be, so the phrase does not need a request beside it.

A light detail can make it less generic: "I look forward to hearing from you about the next step," or "about the interview schedule." Avoid "looking forward to working with you" in a cover letter; nothing has been agreed yet.

After an interview

Grammarly lists post-interview thank-you emails among the situations where the phrase fits. Thank the interviewer for the opportunity and for something specific from the conversation, restate your interest in one sentence, then close. The follow-up email after an interview page has the full structure.

In a LinkedIn message

LinkedIn messages are short, and a formal closing can look out of place in a chat window. In an active thread, "Looking forward to it" or a direct question reads more naturally. The LinkedIn follow up message page covers the closings that fit that channel.

On behalf of a company or team

Grammarly notes that "We look forward to hearing from you" is the version to use when writing on behalf of a company, team or organization. It fits recruiting emails, customer service replies, partner updates and any message signed by a department rather than a person.

Alternatives to "looking forward to hearing from you," by situation

Many lists of alternatives offer synonyms. The useful alternatives are not only synonyms; they are closings that say what the recipient should do, a call to action in place of a pleasantry, and they are specific about the response you need. They fall into four groups.

The formal entries in the table, "Your prompt response would be greatly appreciated," "I await your feedback" and "Please keep me informed," are the ones Grammarly suggests for formal contexts. The tone labels, the use cases and the other lines are this page's suggestions.

Looking forward to hearing from you synonyms, sorted by goal

Synonym lists group the same phrases in different ways. The grouping that helps most when you are writing is by goal: what you want the reader to do after the last line. The examples below were written for this page.

What the good alternatives share is that each one adds something the original does not: a date, a topic, a person, or a format for the response. A polite closing that adds one fact reads as a person; one that adds nothing reads as a template, however professional the words.

Another way to say "I look forward to"

Sometimes the problem is not the whole closing but the verb. You want to keep the idea of expecting a reply and change the wording, because the same three words have appeared in every email of the thread.

Cambridge defines "look forward to" as feeling pleased and excited about something that is going to happen, and Longman uses almost the same words. The alternatives below swap that feeling for a slightly different one: eagerness, interest, anticipation or plain expectation. The examples in the table were written for this page.

The options sit on a scale of excitement. "Can't wait" shows the most enthusiasm and belongs in casual messages; "eagerly awaiting" shows anticipation in a formal register; "I await" shows almost none.

Choose the level of excitement the rest of the email already has, so the closing does not change the tone at the last line.

The same grammar point applies to some of these and not to others. "Eager to," "keen to," "hope to" and "would love to" are followed by the base form: "eager to hear." Only "look forward to" takes the -ing form, because only there is "to" a preposition.

The practical rule is to pick one of these words, not three. "Very excited and eager to hear your thoughts" stacks the enthusiasm and says nothing new; "Keen to hear your thoughts on the pricing page" picks one word and adds a fact.

Other ways to say "I look forward to it": meetings, calls and projects

A close cousin of the closing is the reply "I look forward to it," sent when someone proposes a meeting, a call or a project.

If you need another way to say I look forward to it, the cards below give ten, each with an explanation of the tone, a scenario and an example written for this page.

For a professional tone, the safest examples are the ones that confirm a plan: a date, a meeting, or the next step of a project. They show enthusiasm through the detail rather than through the adjective.

Words that show excitement, such as "excited," "thrilled" or "can't wait," fit colleagues and project teams who already write that way. With a new client, a calm line plus one fact usually shows enough enthusiasm and keeps the professional tone.

When the meeting is still weeks away, "I look forward to our upcoming meeting on the 14th" keeps the date in view without pressure. The wait is part of the message: naming the date tells the other side you have planned for it.

The same rule holds here as in the closing: an example that names the meeting, the date or the project shows more enthusiasm than an adjective does. "Excited for Tuesday's review" beats "so excited," and it confirms the plan at the same time.

Reply, response, feedback: the nouns these closings use

Many alternatives swap "hearing from you" for a noun: your reply, your response, your feedback, your thoughts, your input. Each noun asks for a slightly different thing, and choosing the right one makes the closing more specific at no cost.

"Prompt," "timely" and "at your earliest convenience" add urgency to any of these. Use them sparingly: "Please respond at your earliest convenience" is polite on paper but, in this page's view, reads as stiff in a friendly thread, and a date is clearer.

"Looking forward to hearing from you" vs "looking forward to working with you"

The two closings are often swapped, and they expect different things. "Looking forward to hearing from you" expects a reply to something you asked.

"Looking forward to working with you" expects a collaboration that has already been agreed: a signed deal, an accepted offer, a project with a start date. Used before anything is agreed, it reads as presumptuous; used after, it is the right line.

A simple rule separates them. If the next thing you need from the reader is a message, use "hearing from you." If the next thing is the work itself, and they have already said yes, use "working with you." Both take the -ing form after "to."

The rest of the family: seeing, meeting, speaking, receiving

The same structure carries other closings, each for a different next step. Cambridge's grammar page gives "We look forward to receiving payment for the services detailed above" as a formal example, which shows how far the pattern stretches beyond replies.

Choose the one that names the actual next step. If a call is already booked, "looking forward to speaking with you on Tuesday" is more accurate than "hearing from you," and it confirms the time in the same line.

How to respond to "looking forward to hearing from you"

When someone ends an email with the phrase, they are waiting for your answer, so the best response is the answer itself. Reply to the request in the message, and you have responded to the closing too.

If you cannot answer yet, say when you will: "Thanks for this. I need to check with finance and will come back to you by Thursday." That keeps the conversation open and tells the sender what to expect.

If the email needs no real reply, a short acknowledgment is enough: "Thanks, received. I will be in touch once the team has reviewed it." There is no need to echo the phrase back with "Looking forward to hearing from you too."

If you are not the right person, say so and point them on: "Thanks for reaching out. This sits with our operations lead, and I have copied her here." The page on follow up email after no response covers the sender's side when no reply comes.

Three full closings you can copy

A closing is more than the last line. In professional email it is usually three parts: a thank-you or a reference to what happened, the specific request, and the sign-off. The templates below were written for this page: two use the phrase after the request, and one does without it.

Eight closings in context

Each of these examples shows the last two lines of an email: the sentence that carries the request, and the closing. The examples were written for this page. Where the phrase appears, it follows a request rather than replacing one.

Common mistakes

These are the mistakes that turn a polite closing into a weak one.

• "To hear" instead of "to hearing," or "forward for" instead of "forward to."
• Using the phrase as the only request in the email.
• Adding it after a question, so the email has two closings.
• Using it in a cold email, where it can read as presumptuous or as a template.
• Repeating it unchanged in three follow-ups in a row, after the first two went unanswered.
• Writing "looking forward to working with you" before anything is agreed.
• Stacking closings, as in "Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks in advance. Best regards," which is three lines doing the work of one.
• Switching to a stiff "I await your response" at the end of a casual thread.
• Writing "soon" when you actually need a date.

Most of these come from the same habit: treating the closing as a formality rather than part of the message. The opening has the same problem in reverse, and the email greetings entry covers that end of the email.

In a sequence

In the 10-day cadence, no touch ends with "looking forward to hearing from you." Every touch ends with the one question it was written to ask; see the sales follow-up email template for those closings.

The follow-up below delivers what was promised on a call and ends with a question the reader can answer in a line, which is the closing that does the phrase's job and more.

Subject: Re: the ramp checklist

Hi {{firstName}},

Sending the 30-day ramp checklist I mentioned on Tuesday, attached. Week two is the part I would expect your team to adapt first, since that is where a new rep starts sending their own follow-ups.

Is week two the part you would want to change, or is the bottleneck earlier for your team? A one-line answer is enough and I will send the matching version.

{{senderName}}

Frequently asked questions

Cite this definition

Jeluvi, "Looking forward to hearing from you", B2B sales glossary, https://jeluvi.com/glossary/looking-forward-to-hearing-from-you/, last checked Oct 1, 2026.