7 Other Ways to Say "Sorry to Bother You" in an Email (2024)

Do you want to apologize for taking up someone’s time with a matter? Well, “sorry to bother you” works but it is overused in emails.

Luckily, this article will help you find another way to say “sorry to bother you”!

There are plenty of better and more formal options out there to replace “sorry to bother you.” Some of the best ones that we’ll share are:

• Sorry to be a bother
• Sorry to burden you/your staff with this
• I apologize for the repeated request
• Sorry to be bothersome
• Sorry to be troublesome
• Sorry to bring this up again
• Forgive me for the interruption

In the rest of the article, we’ll show you how to use each of these other ways to say “sorry to bother you.” After all, they’re best used in different contexts. So, keep reading to find out how to keep your emails interesting!

1. Sorry to Be a Bother

“Sorry to be a bother” is a great alternative to “sorry to bother you,” as we simply swap the order of the original phrase around slightly.

Hence, “sorry to be a bother” works in the same way as “sorry to bother you” and it is a great professional alternative.

We can use “bother” as an adjective here to describe ourselves as a person who is wasting someone else’s time.

Moreover, this alternative works well when we’re trying to apologize for potentially wasting someone’s time. If we think the task is below them, or we think we could have solved it ourselves but can’t figure it out, “bother” works really well.

Finally, here’s how you might use it in your emails:

2. Sorry to Burden You/Your Staff With This

When you’re looking for another way to say “sorry to bother you,” the phrase “sorry to burden you with this” is a great synonym to use in your emails.

“Burden” is a great and formal word to replace “bother.” It shows that we appreciate the person we’re asking for help might already have a large workload, and we’re only adding to the problem. However, we would still appreciate their help.

We can use a few different pronouns here based on the person or people we’re directing the email toward.

Lastly, here are a few email samples showing you how to use it appropriately:

3. I Apologize for the Repeated Request

Sometimes, we might also want to change “sorry” into another form. This could keep our emails a little more unique and less samey.

“I apologize for the repeated request” works when we want to try a different route and use “apologize” instead of “sorry.”

Hence, if you’re looking for a professional way to say “sorry to bother you,” this is a great alternative!

The “repeated request” shows that we’ve already asked for help, but we haven’t received it yet. It’s a polite way to raise a formal complaint about something.

Here are a few email samples to show you how to implement this phrase:

4. Sorry to Be Bothersome

We could even change the verb “bother” into an adjective. It’s less common, but it works well in many cases.

“Sorry to be bothersome” works when we want to describe ourselves as “bothersome.”

Moreover, we use this to show that we understand our request might be annoying, but we still need someone’s help with it, nonetheless.

Lastly, you can use this in your formal emails as follows:

5. Sorry to Be Troublesome

We could try a different adjective like “troublesome” if we use “bother” or “bothersome” too much in our writing as well.

In general, “sorry to be troublesome” works in the same way as “sorry to be bothersome.” This is because “troublesome” and “bothersome” are synonymous.

Hence, we can this nice way to say “sorry to bother you” to show that we respect the other person’s time, and we don’t mean to waste it.

Here are some email samples to show how you can use it:

6. Sorry to Bring This Up Again

Now, let’s look at “bring this up” as a phrasal verb. This polite way to say “sorry to bother you” works when we’ve already raised an issue.

If we’ve already raised an issue to someone, “sorry to bring this up again” is a polite way to raise it again.

It works best when the person hasn’t directly addressed our issue, and we’re still experiencing it. It’s another good way to raise a formal and polite complaint.

Moreover, while not an outright complaint, saying something like this lets the recipient of our email know that we’re not overly pleased with the issue. When left unresolved, an issue can be difficult to work around, especially if we’ve already drawn attention to it.

Here’s how you can use it in your formal emails:

7. Forgive Me for the Interruption

“Forgive me for the interruption” is a formal way to say “sorry to bother you.” You can generally use it in a professional email to say sorry for annoying someone. After all, it’s effective when they’re busy.

It’s useful because it avoids saying “sorry.” Instead, it shows you what to say professionally instead of “sorry,” allowing you to explore more options and mix up your business tone in an email.

It’s also a great option to include in place of “sorry to bother you.” After all, it allows you to be respectful and polite when emailing a boss or someone you don’t want to disappoint.

Here are some email examples to show you how it works:

Is It Correct to Say “Sorry to Bother You”?

“Sorry to bother you” is a correct phrase to use in your emails. Hence, you only need to use the synonyms we’ve provided if you’re starting to get bored using the same phrase over and over again.

When you say “sorry to bother you,” it means that you’re sorry to waste somebody’s time with something they might not have time for.

It could be related to something we’ve already discussed before or something that we think isn’t worth their time.

There are some different variations of this phrase, which you can include in your emails without concern:

• Sorry to bug you
• Sorry for bothering you
• Sorry to keep bothering you
• Sorry to bother you again

Each of these phrases is correct. However, “sorry to bug you” is more informal than the other variations.

Moreover, “sorry to keep bothering you” and “sorry to bother you again” imply that you’ve already asked the person for help. By including “keep” or “again,” you’re being extra polite, as you make it clear that you know you’ve already taken a lot of that person’s time.

In summary, “sorry to bother you” and its variations are proper phrases to use in your emails.

In case you would like to see how to say “sorry to bother you” in an email, here’s how to go about it:

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