Other Ways to Say Sorry for Bothering You

On this page14 sections

1. "Sorry to bother you" or "sorry for bothering you"?
2. Quick picker
3. Before you ask: polite openers
4. In emails
5. After someone has helped: thanks instead of sorry
6. When an apology is right
7. On the phone or in a message app
8. In customer service
9. Casual versions for friends
10. Full examples
11. Tone tips
12. Common mistakes
13. Practice
14. Quick answers

Good other ways to say “sorry for bothering you” are Sorry to bother you, Sorry to interrupt, I hope I’m not disturbing you, Thank you for your time, I appreciate your patience, Sorry for the trouble and Thanks for bearing with me. Use the “sorry to…” forms before you ask for something, and the “sorry for…” or thank-you forms after someone has helped. In work emails, replacing the apology with thanks often sounds more confident: “Thank you for taking the time to look at this” instead of “Sorry for bothering you with this.”

“Sorry to bother you” or “sorry for bothering you”?

In practice many people use them loosely, but the pattern above is what sounds most natural.

Quick picker

Before you ask: polite openers

• Sorry to bother you, but… – the classic. “Sorry to bother you, but do you know where the printer paper is?”
• Sorry to interrupt. – when someone is talking or concentrating. “Sorry to interrupt, but the client is on the phone.”
• I hope I’m not disturbing you. – polite and a little formal; good for a phone call. “Hello, Dr Patel, I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
• Have you got a minute? / Do you have a moment? – lets the person say no. “Have you got a minute to look at this?”
• Excuse me – for strangers. “Excuse me, is this seat taken?”
• I know you’re busy, but… – acknowledges their time. “I know you’re busy, but could you check one figure for me?”
• Sorry to trouble you. – a little more formal and British. “Sorry to trouble you, but your car lights are on.”
• Is this a good time? – for calls. “Hi, it’s Maria. Is this a good time?”

In emails

An apology at the start of an email can make a reasonable request sound like an imposition. These openers are polite without putting yourself down:

• “I hope you don’t mind me reaching out.” – for a first contact.
• “I’m reaching out because…” – neutral; gets straight to the point.
• “I’ll keep this brief.” – shows respect for their time.
• “I wanted to check one thing with you.” – for a small question.
• “Just following up on my email from last week.” – a polite reminder, no apology needed.
• “Apologies for the follow-up, but this is time-sensitive.” – when you really must chase.
• “Please excuse the intrusion.” – formal, for contacting someone you don’t know, such as an author or senior executive.

And at the end:

• “Thank you for your time.”
• “Thanks in advance for your help.” (Some readers find “thanks in advance” pushy, because it assumes a yes. “Thank you for considering this” is softer.)
• “I appreciate you looking into this.”
• “No rush – whenever you have a moment.” – only if it really isn’t urgent.

For closing lines in more detail, see other ways to say “let me know if you have any questions”.

After someone has helped: thanks instead of sorry

Replacing “sorry” with “thank you” changes the focus from your inconvenience to their kindness. Compare:

See also other ways to say “thank you for your patience”.

When an apology is right

Sometimes you really did inconvenience someone, and a clear apology is better than thanks:

• “Sorry for the trouble.” – when you caused extra work. “Sorry for the trouble – I sent the wrong file.”
• “Sorry for the inconvenience.” – common in customer service; can sound cold if it is the only thing you say. Add what you are doing about it.
• “I apologise for the disruption.” – formal, for noise, building work or a changed plan.
• “Sorry to call so late / early.” – when the time itself was the problem.
• “Sorry for the flood of messages.” – when you sent many in a row.
• “I’m sorry I’ve had to chase you on this.” – polite but firm, when someone hasn’t replied.

On the phone or in a message app

Phone calls and instant messages interrupt people more than email, because they demand attention now. A good opener gives the other person a quick way to say “not now”:

• “Hi, it’s Dev. Is now a good time, or shall I call back later?”
• “Sorry to call out of the blue – have you got five minutes?” (“Out of the blue” means unexpectedly.)
• “No need to reply tonight, but when you get a chance…” – useful for messages sent outside working hours.
• “Sorry for the late message – this can wait until tomorrow.”
• “Hope I’m not catching you at a bad time.” – warm and natural on a call.

On workplace chat tools, a single message with the full question is kinder than “Hi” followed by a wait. “Hi Sara – quick question about the budget: is the travel line per person or total?” lets the person answer when they are ready.

In customer service

Staff often need to interrupt customers (to ask for details, or to call back), and customers often feel they are bothering staff. Both sides can use these:

• Staff: “Sorry to keep you, I just need to confirm your postcode.”
• Staff: “Thank you for holding – I appreciate your patience.”
• Customer: “Sorry to bother you again – I called earlier about my order.”
• Customer: “Thanks for your help; I know it’s been a long call.”
• Customer, in a shop: “Sorry, when you have a moment, could you check whether this comes in a larger size?” Adding “when you have a moment” shows you can see they are busy.

Casual versions for friends

• “Sorry to pester you!” – “pester” means bother repeatedly; it is playful between friends.
• “Sorry for spamming you.” – after sending lots of messages.
• “Sorry, me again!” – for a second question soon after the first.
• “Sorry to be a pain, but…” – informal, self-deprecating. Fine with friends; avoid it at work, where it makes your request sound unreasonable.
• “Quick one -“ – signals a short question. “Quick one – what time does the film start?”

For jokey versions, see funny ways to say sorry.

Full examples

Interrupting a colleague

“Sorry to interrupt, Jen. Have you got two minutes? I just need you to check one number before I send the report.”

Emailing a professor

“Dear Professor Ahmed,
I hope you don’t mind me writing. I’m a second-year student in your Tuesday seminar, and I wanted to ask whether the essay deadline includes the bibliography. Thank you for your time.
Kind regards,
Tom Wells”

Following up

“Hi Marco, just following up on my email from Monday about the venue booking. If you need anything else from me, let me know. Thanks!”

Calling a neighbour

“Hi, it’s Lucy from number 12 – sorry to bother you. I think one of your parcels was delivered to us by mistake.”

After a long phone call for help

“Thank you so much for walking me through all that. I really appreciate your patience.”

Tone tips

• Don’t over-apologise. “So sorry to bother you, I’m really sorry, this is probably a silly question” weakens a perfectly reasonable request. One polite opener is enough.
• Be specific about what you need. A clear question respects someone’s time more than any apology.
• Think about the relationship. With your manager or a client, a short opener (“Do you have a moment?”) is more professional than repeated sorries. With a stranger, “Excuse me” or “Sorry to bother you” is polite and expected.
• Some cultures expect more apology than others. In British English, “sorry” is very common as a polite opener and does not imply real guilt. In some workplaces, frequent “sorry” can be read as a lack of confidence. Know your reader.

Common mistakes

• “Sorry for disturb you.” After “for”, use the -ing form: “Sorry for disturbing you.” Or “Sorry to disturb you.”
• “Sorry to bothering you.” After “to”, use the base form: “Sorry to bother you.”
• “Sorry for the disturbance” for a simple question. “Disturbance” suggests noise or real disruption; for a question, “Sorry to interrupt” fits better.
• “I’m sorry to bother you, but I have a doubt.” In much of the world this is normal, but in British and American English “doubt” means uncertainty about whether something is true. Use “I have a question.”
• Apologising for doing your job. “Sorry to bother you, but the invoice is overdue” is fine; “So sorry to bother you about this, I hate to ask…” undermines a legitimate request.

Practice

Choose a better phrase for each situation.

1. You need to interrupt your manager’s conversation because a client is waiting.
2. You are sending a second reminder about an unpaid invoice.
3. A colleague spent an hour helping you fix a spreadsheet.
4. You are emailing an author you have never met.
5. You’ve sent a friend six messages in a row.

Suggested answers: 1. “Sorry to interrupt – the client has arrived.” 2. “Just following up on the invoice below, which is now two weeks overdue.” 3. “Thank you so much for your time – I really appreciate it.” 4. “I hope you don’t mind me writing to you.” 5. “Sorry for spamming you!”

Quick answers

How do you say “sorry for bothering you” professionally?

Use “Thank you for your time” after help, or “I hope you don’t mind me reaching out” before a request.

Is “sorry to bother you” rude?

No, it is polite. It only becomes a problem when overused, which can make you sound unsure.

What can I say instead of “sorry for the inconvenience”?

“Thank you for your patience”, “I apologise for the disruption”, or a specific fix: “I’ve resent the correct file.”

What’s a formal way to say sorry for bothering you?

“Please excuse the intrusion” or “I apologise for taking up your time.” For a related phrase, see other ways to say “sorry to keep you waiting”.