wrote a letter to him vs wrote him a letter

Both phrases are correct and are commonly used in English. They have the same meaning but differ in word order. The choice between the phrases depends on personal preference or the emphasis the speaker wants to express.

Explained by Miss E.
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: February 25, 2025 • 6200 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"wrote a letter to him "

This phrase follows the typical word order of subject-verb-object-prepositional phrase. It is a clear and straightforward way to express the action of writing a letter to someone.

Examples:

She wrote a letter to him last week.
I will write a letter to him tomorrow.
They have written a letter to him before.

Show examples from the web [+]

Jun 28, 2011 ... I wrote a letter to him. (him = object of 'to'; to him = prep. object, aka oblique object ) I wrote him a letter. , and the lack of it: He suggested me to ...
Jan 14, 2015 ... A little girl from Whittier whose father passed away wrote a letter to him on the sides of a star-shaped balloon and then released it into the sky.
Wallace described its contents in Wallace 1905, 1: 363: I wrote a letter to him [CD ] in which I said that I hoped the idea would be as new to him as it was to me, ...
Mar 20, 2015 ... The widow of the man whose life was portrayed in the film 'American Sniper' wrote a letter to him on their 13th wedding anniversary. Taya Kyle ...

Alternatives:

sent a letter to him
composed a letter to him
drafted a letter to him

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"wrote him a letter"

This phrase has a different word order where the indirect object (him) comes before the direct object (a letter). It is also a valid and common way to express the action of writing a letter to someone.

Examples:

He wrote him a letter last month.
She will write him a letter next week.
They have written him a letter before.

Show examples from the web [+]

Jan 8, 2015 ... I Wrote Him a Letter. About six weeks ago I met and began dating a very sweet, intelligent, and humble man. He is divorced and has children ...
Can I wrote him. take the place of I wrote him a letter. and/or I wrote to him. ? Can one omit the preposition to ? Can one omit the (what I think is) the direct object ...
I think 'I wrote him' is short for 'I wrote him a letter/email', because you wouldn't say 'I write to him a letter'. Jim Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:45 am GMT.
Feb 27, 2015 ... Pope Invites Artist Who Wrote Him A Letter to Be Baptized at Easter in St. Peter's. Helena Lobato tells the story of the Pope Francis' invitation.

Alternatives:

sent him a letter
composed him a letter
drafted him a letter

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wrote a letter to him vs wrote him a letter

"wrote a letter to him "

"wrote him a letter"

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