127 Ways to Say Goodbye in English (with Pronunciation Audio)
- Alex
- Oct 22
- 15 min read
Updated: 9 hours ago
Level: intermediate (B1) / pre-advanced (B2)
127 Ways to Say Goodbye in English (With Pronunciation Audio)
"Hi" and "bye" are two of the first words you learn when you start studying a new language. They help you connect with people and give others an impression of how close and comfortable you feel with them. After all, you probably don't greet your boss in the same way you greet your best friend. This is because there are formal, neutral, and informal ways to say "hi" and "bye."
In this post, we'll focus on how to end conversations—on the many ways you can say "goodbye" in English. You'll learn how to sound professional, how to sound friendly, and how to sound neutral but respectful. Finally, you'll get a chance to hear these words in action, so make sure you listen to the attached audio to practice your pronunciation.
Let's start with the two words you probably already know.
When to Say "Goodbye" and "Bye" in English
"Goodbye" (pronunciation: gud-BAI) is a slightly formal way to end a conversation. It's common in formal messages, as in "Goodbye, Jack. It was nice meeting you." You'll also hear it when people want to sound respectful. For example, if you're ending a conversation with your boyfriend's or girlfriend's parents after meeting them for the first time, you might say, "Goodbye, Mister and Misses Gonzalez. Thank you again for dinner."
As you can see, "goodbye" can sound a little serious.
The truth is, in most situations, English speakers end conversations with the word "bye" (pronunciation: BAI), especially when speaking with friends, colleagues, and family members. So, unless you want to sound a little formal or professional, "bye" is usually your best choice.
Finally, if you want to sound more playful, you can say "bye-bye." This is more childlike and affectionate than simply saying "bye," and it is quite common among friends, family members, and colleagues. The most casual and playful pronunciation of "bye-bye" is "buh-bye" (pronunciation: buh-BAI). You can say this to a young child who is going to school, but you can say it to a friend when they're leaving your house after a dinner party as well. As always, your tone and your closeness to the other person is important.
Now, let's move on to other ways to say goodbye in most social situations.
"Goodbyes" For Everyday Situations
These are things you can say to your colleagues at the end of a workday, or to your friends or family members after a nice lunch. You will also hear many of them in some professional settings; for instance, when you go to the bank, or when you end a phone conversation with your internet company. These goodbyes feel common and friendly.
You can also link goodbye messages. For example, you can say, "Bye! Have a nice weekend!" or "Good night! Take care of yourself!" (This is true for every phrase on this page!)
Other Ways to Say "See You Later"
When you know you will see someone again in the near future, you can say, "See you later." There are many kinds of "see you" goodbye messages. These goodbyes are usually for people you know well, but many of them are possible in professional settings as well.
You will notice that many of these goodbyes use either "See you" or "Talk to you." "See you" implies the physical presence of someone the next time you see them. "Talk to you" just means you will speak to the person, perhaps via text or email, though you might speak in person as well.
In natural connected speech, "see you" is usually said as "see ya," as in "See ya tomorrow." "Talk to you" is usually said as "talk t'ya," as in "Talk t'ya soon."
Have a Good One! Casual Partings
These are not slang, but they are much more relaxed than standard, everyday goodbyes. You use these goodbyes with people you know well or with people that you feel comfortable with. The truth is, some people are just friendlier than others, and they might use these with people they have just met because it's just part of their nature to be social and friendly. This is actually the case with all goodbyes, but this is a good time to mention it.
Other Ways to Say "I'm Leaving"
Before you give someone a real goodbye, it's common to say that you need to leave. There are many ways to do this. This list includes neutral and casual ways to say, "I'm leaving" or "I have to leave."
Note that "gotta" is used in a few of these goodbyes. This is the shortened, relaxed speech form of "have got to." If you don't like using "gotta," say "need to," "have to," or "have got to" instead, as in, "I have to go," and remember that saying "need to," "have to," or "have got to" is more neutral than "gotta," which is very relaxed and casual.
Slang Ways to Say "Bye"
Use these if you want to sound like a cool teenager or twenty-something saying goodbye, but be careful! Not all of them are used by young people today, and some of them might not be used next month. This list includes goodbyes that have stood the test of time, and a couple which might not survive another decade. This is just the nature of slang.
Break a Leg! Positive Wishes for Specific Occasions
These are goodbye wishes for specific occasions such as vacations, illnesses, exams, or when someone is going out for the evening. These are all incredibly common and useful. Learn them so that you will know what to say the next time one of these situations happens. Some are more general than others and can apply to multiple situations.
Cheerio! Old-Fashioned Farewells
These goodbyes are not used as much today, but they are still understood. They can sound a bit serious, poetic, and formal. It is possible to use some of them in respectful and formal ways today, especially "Farewell" and "So long," but the majority are used in a humorous way today. The final four in particular, "Cheerio," "Ta-ta," "Pip-pip," and "Toodaloo," are not used seriously 99% of the time. People who do not have a British accent often try to use a British accent when they say these.
Just one final note here: "Pip-pip" and "cheerio" are often combined into the cute goodbye combination of "Pip-pip! Cheerio!"
Later, Gator! Fun Ways to Say "Bye" to Kids
These are playful and funny ways to say goodbye to children, but you can use them in a childish and playful way with adults as well. Most of them use animals, and they all rhyme, which is something that is pleasant for the ear, regardless of a person's age! If you ever spend time with children, try some of these and see how they react.
Professional Email Sign-Offs
Email communication has a formula. That formula usually ends with one of these messages. These are some of the most common ways that people end emails today.
I didn't include "sincerely" and "yours truly" on this list because they are incredibly rare in most email communication today.
TTYL: Popular Texting and Online Messaging Sign-Offs
These are abbreviations that English speakers use all the time to say goodbye in different ways when they are texting with their friends or sending messages to their work colleagues or family members. These text abbreviations are essential for digital communication in English. Remember that communication evolves over time, so there might be new abbreviations in the future. For now, these have been used for at least twenty five years.
Important note! Most people don't care if you use uppercase or lowercase letters for these abbreviations. Ones like BRB and TTYL should technically use uppercase, but people type them as brb and ttyl as well. Don't worry about this aspect too much.
Time to Say Goodbye!
Thank you for exploring these 127 ways to say goodbye in English. I hope you feel more confident and comfortable, and thanks to the audio and pronunciation guides on this page, you can also pronounce every goodbye correctly.
Until next time, so long and farewell!
If you would like to see me discuss this topic in another way, here is a video lesson.
When you have finished watching the video, do the quiz to test your knowledge.
Finally, if you enjoy my resources, please consider supporting me by getting one of my books. They are available in PDF, e-book, and physical formats. Until next time, keep learning and keep practicing!
