I am a native English speaker from England, but I've noticed that "Dear" has died out from emails and then letters. I am trying to write a semi-formal thank-you card, but I don't know whether to put "Dear" or "Hi". (Probably doesn't matter, but don't want to start by sounding weird!) In an email or a letter I'd put "Hi" to the recipient, but a card somehow seems more formal.
As far as I can tell from Google, it is only in America or in emails that people are getting in tizwoz about the connotations of "Dear"; discussions of any sort of letter on UK websites all have "Dear" as standard without questioning it. Is that correct?
Best Answer
If you are sending a thank-you card, then it is perfectly OK to be informal and you can say pretty much whatever you like so long as it is polite.
If you know the person only by their surname, then maybe you should be a little more formal. Start with "Dear Mr. Jones," and end with "Yours sincerely, your name".