Sorry Messages For A Friend: 35 Ways To Put It Right

Sorry messages for a friend

Friendships rarely end in an argument. They end in a gap that gets harder to cross the longer nobody says anything.

These messages cover the row, the letdown and the drift - including the hardest one, getting back in touch after months of nothing.

Cards to send it in

Blank inside, so it does not read like a printed verse.

You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) £3.87 Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him £3.87 I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Diet Coke Ever (Valentines Day Card) I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Diet Coke Ever (Valentines Day Card) £3.87 Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card) Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card) £3.87 Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad £3.87 Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) £3.87

Browse cards

After a falling out

  • I have been stubborn and I would rather have you than be right.
  • I said something I cannot defend, and I am not going to try.
  • I miss you more than I care about who started it.
  • I am sorry. Whenever you are ready, I am here.
  • I have replayed it enough times to know I was the problem.

For letting them down

  • I said I would be there and I was not. I am sorry.
  • You needed me and I was useless. I know it.
  • I am sorry I dropped the ball on something that mattered to you.
  • No excuse. I should have shown up.

After going quiet for months

  • I have started this message about nine times. Sorry for the silence.
  • No reason, no fallout - I just went quiet and I am sorry.
  • I have been rubbish at keeping in touch and I would like to fix that.
  • Long time. Entirely my fault. Are you free for a coffee?
  • This is late and I am hoping late is still allowed.

Light-hearted, when it is small

  • Sorry. I was being an idiot and I have now stopped.
  • I am formally withdrawing everything I said on Friday.
  • Consider this a written apology, suitable for framing.
  • I brought biscuits. That is the whole apology.

Browse cards

How to write it so it lands

  • Do not ask to be forgiven in the same message you apologise in.
  • Suggest one specific thing to do next. Vague offers to catch up go nowhere.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

How do you apologise to a friend you have hurt?

Name what you did, say you understand the effect, and do not follow it with an explanation. Then give them room to answer in their own time.

What do you say to a friend after months of no contact?

Keep it short and take the blame for the silence without dramatising it, then suggest something concrete - a coffee, a call, a date.

Is a card better than a text for an apology?

For anything serious, yes. A card takes effort, cannot be skim-read in a notification, and gives them time to respond when they are ready.

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