respond by letter vs reply by letter

Both 'respond by letter' and 'reply by letter' are correct and commonly used phrases in English. They both mean to answer or react to something in writing. The choice between 'respond' and 'reply' is a matter of personal preference or style, as they are synonyms in this context.

Last updated: April 04, 2024 • 271 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"respond by letter"

This phrase means to answer or react to something in writing. It is a formal and polite way to indicate that a written response is expected.

Examples:

Please respond by letter if you have any further questions.
He decided to respond by letter to the formal invitation.

Show examples from the web [+]

You don't have to respond by letter.
I was at the Conference of Presidents meeting which took the decision that there was no substance to the allegations being presented, and that it was right that President Barroso should respond by letter.
Respond to the letter by prof.
The last letter by BAV dated 10 October 2000 responds to a letter by ELAS of 21 September 2000, in which the latter announced that it had withdrawn the advertisement containing the reference to 13%.
You failed to respond to my letters.
I hope that the President of the Commission responds to my letter in this regard.
I will understand if you choose not to respond to this letter.
A short time afterward, when Mrs. Hübner did not respond to my letters, I had a German friend telephone her.
Upon request, an extension of the deadline to respond to the Letter of Facts was granted until 22 September 2006.
I am glad to continue to respond to your letters concerning Bulgaria and Romania and the progress made in these two countries.
John Paul II will respond with a long letter to Father Giussani, dated February 22.
I also rejected the contention that Visa had insufficient time to respond properly to the Letter of Facts.
Mr. Hadac did not respond either to this letter or to my response to his complaint.
Sincerely, William McGaughey cc: Ranee Holmboe, Boundary Waters Bank Mr. Hadac did not respond either to this letter or to my response to his complaint.
I rise not about the substance of the letter but to ask whether it is normal practice for the Commission to respond to letters from Members in this way and whether it is acceptable that there should be a ten-week delay.
Did the people from that makeover show finally respond to your letter?
However, when he decided to specialize in urology in Europe, he broke the engagement and did not respond to her letters.
Barberi decided to respond to this letter in the mistaken belief that it represented the views of the entire faculty of Oxford University.
In particular, KorAm Bank and Citibank failed to respond to deficiency letters concerning their response to the questionnaire and, therefore, to provide necessary information.
The parties were given two weeks to respond to the Letter of Facts.

Alternatives:

reply by letter
answer by letter
write back
correspond by letter
communicate by letter

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"reply by letter"

This phrase means to answer or react to something in writing. It is a common and straightforward way to indicate that a written response is expected.

Examples:

Please reply by letter if you are interested in the job offer.
She always prefers to reply by letter rather than email.

Show examples from the web [+]

(34) SIDE sent its reply to the Commission by letter dated 12 August 2002. The French authorities sent their reply by letter dated 17 September 2002.
On 30 January 2004, the Commission sent France a request for additional information concerning in particular the scope of the sale of Alstom's T&B unit, to which it received a reply by letter dated 16 February 2004.
Germany submitted its reply by letter dated 29 May 2002, which was registered as received on the same day.
The Portuguese authorities submitted their observations by letters dated 11 and 13 January 2005. They supplemented their reply by letter of 24 May 2006.
The German authorities submitted their reply by letter dated 9 April 2010.
After several requests for extension of the time limit for submitting the information requested, France submitted a partial reply by letter dated 21 December 2007.
The French authorities, which were to meet the Commission's services on 17 July 2002, also asked for an extension for their reply by letter dated 10 July 2002.
The Commission forwarded these comments to the Czech Republic, which was given the opportunity to reply; the Commission received the reply by letter dated 12 May 2011.
The United Kingdom submitted its reply by letter dated 30 June 2014. In addition, it submitted observations on the Opening Decision on 1 October 2013, 31 October 2013 and 28 February 2014.

Alternatives:

respond by letter
answer by letter
write back
correspond by letter
communicate by letter

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respond by letter vs reply by letter