How to Say “Sorry for the Late Response” the Right Way (with Examples!)

We've all been there—fallen behind on our inboxes and ended up needing to send a “sorry for the late response” message. 

You might think our hyper-connected world has made it easier to stay on top of getting back to people. But if anything, this increased availability has only caused the volume of correspondence we receive to explode and people’s expectations for how quickly we’ll reply to skyrocket—making it that much harder to keep up.

So hey, it happens. Sometimes life gets in the way of your responsiveness—maybe you had a hectic week at work or a chaotic afternoon at home, or maybe you simply forgot. You've lapsed on an important email chain or never responded to an invite out for coffee. Any response you send at this point is definitely late. 

Now, you're stuck wondering how to write that late email apology—and we’ve got you covered. Here’s how to say “sorry for my late answer” over email (if you even need to).

Why apologizing for a late response matters

Even if your intentions were good, silence can come across as careless or disrespectful. Apologizing helps:

• Maintain strong relationships with colleagues, clients, and friends

• Show accountability and professionalism

• Keep communication flowing and reduce awkwardness or tension

Should you apologize for the delayed response? It depends 

First things first: Should you even send apologies for the delayed response? Well, maybe. 

If it's a situation where you know you dropped the ball on something big or your lack of communication negatively affected your company's reputation or relationship with a client, an apology is probably in order. 

But sometimes our delay didn’t cause any harm and our “sorry” is a learned instinct. Women are conditioned to be accommodating and placating, so we often ask for forgiveness and apologize too much. We might feel obligated to be available at all times, even when we are incapable of doing so for normal, human reasons. 

So, before you send a reply with an apology for the delay, ask yourself if it truly took you too long to get back to someone. 

What counts as “too long” will depend on the situation and the person you’re emailing with. For example, if you forgot to respond to something time-sensitive from your boss, the acceptable window for answering is much smaller than, say, an unsolicited request from someone outside your company who you’ve never worked with before. 

Also, remind yourself that you have your own priorities—and they may be different from the priorities of whoever sent you the email. How high a priority was this response really? Were you obligated to respond at all? 

Ultimately, though, you might not need to address the delay at all. If you feel like you do, consider substituting a "Thank you for your patience," where you would normally apologize for your own delay. This small change can transform your relationship with your inbox, your timeliness, and your sense of humanity in an output-driven work culture that can feel consuming.

Read this next: Stop Over-Apologizing at Work: What to Say Instead

How to say “sorry for the late response” the right way

If you've determined the situation does warrant an apology, there are several things you should keep in mind. 

Acknowledge and apologize for the delay

Your apology doesn’t need to stretch out for lines and lines or paragraphs and paragraphs. You put off sending an email, you didn’t destroy a precious artifact or fail to give Taylor her scarf back. 

Here are options of what you can say in the beginning of your email to keep it concise:

• My apologies for the delayed response.

• I'm sorry for not answering this earlier.

• Sorry for not getting back to you sooner.

• I’m sorry for the delay.

• Sorry for the late reply.

• Please excuse my delayed response.

• So sorry for the late response.

• I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner.

• Thank you for your patience. 

• Thanks for the reminder.

• Thanks for re-upping this in my inbox.

Give a brief explanation—if you want to

If you’re comfortable sharing, feel free to include a brief reason. It can be as vague as a “hectic week” or “personal reasons.” Whatever the situation, resist the urge to elaborate too much. It can be uncomfortable for the other person when you're too apologetic or overly descriptive. 

Remember, it's not the end of the world. Don't make your apology and its justification the focus of the entire message. And unless you have a close relationship outside of a professional setting, spare them the details. 

Offer your response clearly

After apologizing, get right to the point of your original message. Don’t make them dig through paragraphs to find what they needed from you.

(Another good option is to say what matters most first, then end with a brief apology—like “Also, I'm really sorry that I didn't respond earlier” for closer relationships, or “I apologize for the delayed response” for a more formal tone.)

Reaffirm your commitment

Especially in professional settings, make it clear that you're still engaged and that the delay doesn’t reflect a lack of care.

10 ways to say “Sorry for the late response” (without sounding awkward)

We’ve all missed an email (or five). Whether it’s a client, a colleague, or your college group, these examples will help you apologize for a delayed response and get the conversation back on track like a pro.

Example #1: Replying to a work colleague

Hi Jenna,

I’m sorry for the late response—this email got buried during a hectic week. I appreciate your patience.

To answer your question: Yes, I’m happy to review the deck before Wednesday’s meeting. I’ll send my edits by tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks again for your understanding!

Best,
Alexis

Example #2: Following up with a client after a delay

Dear Mr. Morales,

Apologies for the delayed response—I realize your message was time-sensitive, and I regret not getting back to you sooner.

Attached is the revised proposal, and I’d be happy to schedule a call to walk through the updates. Please let me know a time that works for you.

Thank you for your patience.

Best regards,
Renee

Example #3: Reconnecting with a personal friend

Hey Taylor,

Sorry for the radio silence—I meant to reply last week and totally dropped the ball. Thanks for checking in!

I’d love to catch up soon. Are you free for coffee this weekend?

Hope all is well!

Samantha

Example #4: Responding to your boss

Hi Michelle,

Apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I’ve reviewed the timeline and we’re still on track to hit our targets.

I’ll share the updated project brief by EOD today. Please let me know if you’d like to hop on a quick call to review.

Thanks,
Marissa

Example #5: Following up with a recruiter

Hi Olivia,

Thank you so much for reaching out, and my apologies for the delayed reply!

I’m still very interested in the [Job Title] role at [Company], and I’d love to schedule a time to speak further. I’m available this Thursday or Friday afternoon—please let me know what works best for you.

Looking forward to connecting!

Best,
Devin

Example #6. Quick Slack follow-up with a teammate

Hey! Sorry for the delay—I saw your message earlier and forgot to circle back.

Yes, I’m all set for the meeting. I’ll bring the slide updates and be there 5 minutes early.

Thanks for checking in!

Example #7: Following up with a mentor after a delay

Hi Dr. Chen,

I apologize for the late reply, and I appreciate your thoughtful message. Your advice meant a lot, and I’ve already started revising my approach to the project based on your input.

I’d love to schedule a follow-up chat if you have time next week.

Warmly,
Casey

Example #8: Apologizing to a client as a freelancer

Hi Erica,

I’m really sorry for the delay—I know your project is on a tight timeline. I’ve finished the edits, and the updated file is attached here.

Please let me know if you need any revisions, and again, I appreciate your patience!

Best,
Dana

Example #9: Apologizing for delays in customer support

Hi Danielle,

I sincerely apologize for the delayed response. We’ve been working through a higher-than-usual volume of support requests, but I want to make sure your concern is addressed.

I’ve reviewed your issue and escalated it to our technical team. You can expect a resolution within the next 24–48 hours.

Thanks for your understanding!

Best regards,
 Louise
 Customer Experience Specialist

Example #10: Apologizing for a late follow-up after networking

Hi Priya,

I hope you’ve been well! I apologize for the delayed reply—I meant to follow up after our event, but things got away from me.

I really enjoyed our conversation and would still love to grab coffee or chat more about your work at [Company]. Let me know if you’re available sometime next week.

Best,
Jordan

Bonus tips for avoiding late email replies

We’re all dealing with a thousand different tasks, priorities, challenges, and responsibilities—and any of them can cause us to forget to respond to an email. But building productive correspondence habits will help you avoid late replies altogether—or at least cut down on them.

Turn on email notifications 

This is an easy one, but it can make a world of difference. If you're concerned about responding to emails on time, make sure you have downloaded whatever email app you use on your phone and turned on push notifications as well as desktop notifications on your computer. 

And don’t worry—most phones now let you adjust how and when you get which notifications, so you can still maintain your work-life balance. 

Mark messages as unread if you can't respond right away 

Similarly, having unread messages can be a helpful visual way to keep the messages you haven't responded to on your radar so you don't forget about them. So, if you opened an email and realized that you won't be able to respond to it right away, mark it as unread again.

Star and categorize messages according to importance 

Make use of the different ways your email carrier lets you star, flag, and categorize messages. Organize your inbox by creating different markers for different areas of your life—work, home, a particular friend group, a specific project you're working on—and categorize emails as you get them. This way, you can make sure you don't miss something urgent pertaining to a topic you know is time-sensitive or high-priority. 

Set reminders for yourself

Avoiding a late reply can be as simple as setting whatever kind of reminders are most effective for you. Maybe you designate two or three windows of time a day on your calendar (with event reminders) to catch up on emails, or maybe you receive an email and can't respond right away, so you set a reminder on your phone to get back to it at a certain time. 

Turn on an automatic vacation responder

If you know you’re going to be away from work or your email for a while, turn on an auto-response to let people know how long you’re going to be away and when they can expect a reply. 

Cut yourself some slack

Everyone knows what it's like to forget to respond to a message. Just remember, you don't necessarily owe the world your constant availability. Try to take a little pressure off of yourself when it comes to keeping up with your inbox. 

Yes, try to stay on top of things—for your own peace of mind and for the good of your professional and personal relationships. But if you do miss something, take it in stride, own up to your mistake, and move forward.