Have you replied to an email with “well received” to show that you approve of the previous message? Well, you might be wondering whether it’s appropriate to do so.
This article will look into another way to say “well received” that might look better in formal contexts. We’ll also share some informal options to help you in all situations!
Other Ways to Say “Well Received”
- Understood
- Makes sense
- Received well
- Agreed
- Approved
- Accepted
- Suitable
- Meets requirements
- Received
- Sufficient
- Acceptable
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- “Well received” means you have received an email and approved the contents.
- Try the simple “understood” in formal contexts, showing you understand what you’ve just read.
- “Makes sense” is much better informally as it shows you approve of someone’s message.
“Well received” doesn’t just show you how to confirm an email was received. It also shows you approve of the email contents. Let’s explore some of the best options in formal and informal contexts to find out more.
We’ve also included a section about whether “well received” is correct and what it means. So, check it out at the end of the article.
Understood (Formal)
“Understood” is a formal and snappy way to show that you agree with someone’s message. It shows you have received whatever they have sent you and approve of it.
It’s common to reply with “understood” in formal contexts when agreeing to do jobs for your boss. If your boss asks you to do a task in a specific manner, you can say “understood” to show that you fully understand what they’re asking of you.
“Well received” works better when you say something like “your message is well received.” Instead, “understood” is a simple one-word variation that gets to the point quickly.
Both are suitable in formal writing, but “understood” gives you a chance to sound more concise.
Let’s go through these examples to learn more about it:
Dear David,
Understood. I’ll still have the work on your desk by Tuesday.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Hi Ginny,
Understood. I was unaware that you’d changed how we do these things.
All the best,
Richard
Makes Sense (Informal)
“Makes sense” is a suitable informal synonym for “well received.” It shows that you get something, allowing you to approve or agree with someone’s previous message.
You should try to use this one when talking to friends since it shows that they’ve said something you can’t argue with.
For example, they might have set up a plan to meet you on Tuesday because it’s the most suitable day for both of you. “Makes sense” works here because it shows that you do not disagree with their logic.
“Makes sense” is not as good formally as “well received.” You should stick with “well received” if writing formal emails or messages to coworkers or bosses.
Here are some examples showing you how to use “makes sense”:
Well, that makes sense to me because we should explore these options together.
Makes sense. But do you have any ideas that might help us figure something else out too?
Is It Correct to Say “Well Received”?
“Well received” is grammatically correct and shows you accept or approve of a message.
You may use it in formal writing to show that you appreciate someone’s message or the context of it:
- Well received and understood, so thank you.
You may also find a variation of the phrase like the following:
- Well received with thanks.
“With thanks” is somewhat redundant. Of course, it shows that you appreciate the message you received. However, you can imply this already when saying “well received.”
There are also some instances where a hyphen might be appropriate. You should hyphenate “well-received” when it’s a compound adjective.
- It was a well-received message, so we went with it.
- He gave a well-received speech, but we couldn’t take him on.
If “well-received” modifies a noun, you should include a hyphen between the words.
If no noun comes after “well received,” you do not need to hyphenate it.
It’s easy enough to remember. Just look for the noun in the sentence before deciding whether a hyphen is required.
However, you should bookmark this page to give you tips if you forget in the future! We’re always here to help.