Let me show you 29 different ways to say goodbye in English.
You don’t need to only use goodbye when saying goodbye to someone.
There are many other ways to say goodbye in English — and I would like to show you how to say it right here.
Use this guide in conjunction with my other articles here:
41 Ways to Say HELLO in English
How to say Thank You in English
Are you ready? Let’s dive right in!
Common Ways to Say Goodbye
Goodbye
We should probably start with the most well-known word — and that is GOODBYE.
It is simple, but…
Not many native English speakers say it!
Because there are so many other ways to say GOODBYE in English for other situations.
Bye
This is probably the most commonly used word for saying GOODBYE in English.
It is short and simple. And we can use it in every situation. You can say it to anyone!
Say BYE to friends, to family, your neighbours. You can also say it to your teacher, your boss. And you could say it to the President of America.
It is more casual than saying GOODBYE but you can use it in ANY situation.
You are leaving your friends after a day out — you wave to them and call out BYE!
You leave the classroom and nod to your teacher — BYE!
You are on your way to school and give your Mum a hug on the way out — BYE MUM!
Use it everywhere and for everyone.
Bye Bye
This is a more cute way of saying GOODBYE. It is more informal than BYE.
Often we use this for young children or babies. But adults use it too.
People say BYE BYE if they know each other very well. You should not use it at work with your co-workers or your boss.
Only use it with friends.
See You Later
Another very common way to say GOODBYE is SEE YOU LATER.
Sometimes people might try to avoid saying just BYE, as it sounds too short and curt. Maybe a little impolite.
But SEE YOU LATER has a friendlier tone to it.
When native speakers use this phrase, they usually abbreviate the YOU to a very short sound. Sometimes people say YA.
SEE YA LATER!
And other times, the YOU just sounds very short…
SEE Y’LATER!
This is very common and is used in all kinds of situations — with friends, family, co-workers or with people we don’t know very well.
See You Soon
This is the same meaning as SEE YOU LATER.
People often say it like this:
SEE Y’SOON!
Talk To You Later
This is another common phrase similar to SEE YOU LATER.
You can use it in any situation.
See You
People sometimes just say SEE YOU!
This is a shortened version of SEE YOU LATER. You can use it with friends, family and co-workers.
Native English speakers usually say SEE YA not SEE YOU.
Laters
This is a phrase that was very common in the 90s in the UK. Maybe a little out of date now.
It is a shorter version of SEE YOU LATER.
It is more informal though, and maybe best used with friends and people you know well.
Cheerio
This is a very British way of saying GOODBYE.
It is friendly and polite and we can use it in all situations.
Formal Ways to Say Goodbye
Goodbye
We seldom use the word GOODBYE to say goodbye.
The reason for this is that it sounds too formal. It is more common to say BYE or SEE YOU LATER — this sounds more friendly.
You can use the word GOODBYE to end formal meetings like interviews or in business situations.
Have a Good Day/Have a Nice Day
This is something you will often hear in America.
American people like to end a conversation or meeting by saying HAVE A GOOD DAY. You can use it in almost every situation unless in very formal circumstances.
If it’s a Friday, you can say: HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND.
It was nice seeing you again/Nice to see you again
We usually use this phrase with people we know well. Friends, family or colleagues. But we should use it for people we don’t see every day.
It would be strange to say to your best friend — NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN. Because it implies you rarely see them.
Use this phrase for people you have not seen for some time.
I look forward to our next meeting
You can use this expression in business meetings. If you say this, you are letting the other person know you are saying goodbye, but you also hope to see them again — and continue doing business with them in the future.
It says that you want to maintain contact with the other person.
Until ….
You might say:
Until tomorrow
Until next week
Until our next meeting
It lets the other person know you will meet them again on a prearranged date.
Goodnight
If you are saying GOODBYE to someone and it is late in the evening, you can say GOODNIGHT.
Maybe you have just finished eating dinner with a business associate. You can say GOODNIGHT instead of GOODBYE.
Please note: The expressions GOOD MORNING, GOOD AFTERNOON and GOOD EVENING are greetings. These are ways of saying HELLO.
Farewell
This is very formal and a little old-fashioned.
It means GOODBYE and take care of travelling home.
Informal Ways to Say Goodbye
I’ve got to get going or I must be going
This is like an introduction to saying goodbye.
Maybe you are with some friends and you need to leave. You might start off by saying WELL… And then say: I MUST BE GOING.
You can also say:
I’VE GOT TO GET GOING
I’VE GOT TO GO
GOTTA GO
GOTTA GET GOING
By saying this, you are letting people know you need to leave and you want to say GOODBYE.
Take It Easy
This is a very common phrase that you can use in any informal situation.
There are two meanings to this phrase, so let’s be clear about what they are.
Someone might say it to an angry person. In this context, it means calm down and stop being angry.
But when you use it to say GOODBYE it means don’t work so hard, relax and enjoy life.
It’s a phrase that younger people might use with each other.
Take Care
You can use this with anyone you know — friends, family, classmates, work colleagues.
If you say this when saying GOODBYE, it means that you are showing great care to the other person.
It is very casual and informal.
I’m Off
This means that you are leaving.
It is very informal, so you can really only use this phrase with close friends and family. If you use it with people you don’t know so well, they may think you are being too abrupt. It can come across as being rude.
So only use it with people you know very well.
See You Later
You can use this with people you know well.
It’s a way of saying GOODBYE that means you will meet again soon. Maybe later that day, or the next day.
Similar expressions are: See you soon, See you in a bit, See you in a little while.
Later, Laters, Catch You Later
These phrases may be a little old-fashioned these days.
A very casual way of saying GOODBYE.
It just means that you will see or meet the person later.
I’m Out Of Here
Also very casual. It means that you are leaving right now!
You should only use this phrase with friends and family and people you know very well.
I Gotta Get Going
This also means that you are leaving right now.
Only to be used with friends and family.
Gotta is a short way of saying GOT TO — I’ve got to get going.
People may also say:
Gotta get going
Gotta shoot off
I gotta hit the road
Gotta head off/out
I gotta take off
They all mean the same thing.
Bye For Now
A casual way of saying GOODBYE that means you will meet again very soon. You will only be apart for a short time.
Keep In Touch
We might use this with friends and family that we don’t see all the time. It means STAY IN CONTACT with me.
When we say KEEP IN TOUCH, we are saying that we want the other person to keep in contact with us.
We can also say: STAY IN TOUCH.
Talk To You Later
This is a way of saying that we will definitely see the other person again.
By using the word LATER, there is the assumption that you will both meet again soon.
This is informal, but you can use it in a professional environment too with people you know well.
See You Next Time
This is like the phrase above. It is like saying: We will definitely meet again, but I don’t know when.
You can use this phrase with anyone you know well — friends, family, or people at work.
Have A Good One
This is a way of saying GOODBYE which means Have a good day/evening/weekend.
It is very casual and you should only use it with people you know very well.
Conclusion
There you have it.
29 ways for you to say GOODBYE without actually saying goodbye every time.
There are ways for you to say GOODBYE in any situation — with friends, family, work colleagues, business associates and in an interview setting.
Practice them today and start using them in your day-to-day life immediately.
The more you use them, the more you will remember them and use them all the time.
Best of luck — and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
