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The safest alternatives to “you guys” are everyone (“Thanks, everyone”), all (“Hi all”), folks (friendly, especially in American English), team (for people you work with) and you all, or y’all in the American South. In writing, you can often just drop the group word: “Thanks for coming” works as well as “Thanks for coming, you guys.”
Which word fits depends on the setting. An office email, a classroom, a restaurant table and a group chat all call for something different, and English has several regional plural forms of “you” that are normal in one place and odd in another. This page gives a quick picker, the main alternatives with their tone and region, wording for common settings, the regional forms (y’all, youse, you lot, yinz, ye), a fair account of why some people avoid “you guys” while others are happy with it, grammar questions such as “you guys’s”, and a short practice set.
Quick picker
| Setting | Natural choices |
|---|---|
| Work email to a group | Hi all; Hi everyone; Hi team; Hello both (two people) |
| Starting a meeting | Morning, everyone; OK, everyone, let’s start; Thanks for joining, all |
| Formal speech or event | Good evening, everyone; Ladies and gentlemen; Distinguished guests; Friends and colleagues |
| Classroom | Everyone; Class; Folks; Year 9 / Grade 5 (by year group) |
| Customer service, restaurant | Hi there; Hello, everyone; What can I get for you?; How are you both today? |
| Friends | Everyone; Folks; Y’all; You lot (UK); People; Friends |
| Online audience | Hey everyone; Hi all; Welcome back, everybody |
The main alternatives
| Word | Tone | Where it is used | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| everyone / everybody | neutral; “everybody” slightly more casual | everywhere, any setting | “Thanks, everyone, that was a great session.” |
| all | neutral, brisk | mostly emails and messages | “Hi all, the report is attached.” |
| you all | neutral to friendly | widely in the US; also understood elsewhere | “Thank you all for your patience.” |
| y’all | friendly, informal | the American South and African American English; now spreading online | “Y’all want to grab dinner?” |
| folks | warm, relaxed | common in American English, also used in Britain | “Good morning, folks.” |
| team | friendly, work | people who actually work together | “Great job this week, team.” |
| people | casual, can sound impatient | teachers, coaches, managers | “OK, people, let’s focus.” |
| friends | warm | talks, community groups, young children’s classes | “Friends, thank you for coming tonight.” |
| you two / you both / you three | neutral, personal | small groups | “Are you two ready to order?” |
| you lot | informal, can sound blunt | British English | “What are you lot doing this weekend?” |
| gang / crew | playful, informal | friends, close teams | “Pizza’s here, gang.” |
By setting
Office email and messages
“Hi all” and “Hi everyone” are the standard openings for a group email in most English-speaking workplaces. “Hi team” works if the readers really are a team, and sounds strange to people from other departments or outside the company. For two people, “Hi both” (British) or “Hi Ana and Tom” (anywhere) is better than “Hi guys”.
- “Hi all, quick reminder that timesheets are due on Friday.”
- “Thanks, everyone, for the quick replies.”
- “Hi Ana and Tom, here are the notes from this morning.”
In a closing line, the group word can usually go: “Thanks for your help” is enough.
Meetings and presentations
- “Morning, everyone. Let’s get started.”
- “Thanks for joining, all. We have three things to cover.”
- “Any questions from the room?”
- Formal: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen” or “Good evening, everyone.” Many organizers now prefer “everyone”, “friends and colleagues” or “distinguished guests” for formal events.
Classroom
Teachers often address a whole class dozens of times a day, so the choice shows up quickly. Common options are “everyone”, “class”, “folks”, “friends” (especially with young children in the US), the year or grade (“Year 9, eyes this way”), or a team name for a group. Some schools ask staff to avoid “boys and girls” and “guys” as a policy; others leave it to the teacher.
- “Everyone, books away, please.”
- “Table three, you’re up next.”
- “Nice work today, folks.”
Customer service and restaurants
Staff often meet groups they know nothing about, so neutral words are the safest choice here. “How are you all doing tonight?”, “What can I get for you?” and “Are you ready to order?” all work without any group label. “Ladies” addressed to a group of women is meant politely but some customers find it dated or overfamiliar.
- “Hi there, welcome in. Table for four?”
- “How are you both today?”
- “Can I get you all anything else?”
Friends and family
Among friends, “you guys” is very common in American English, and many people use it without thinking about gender at all. If you want another word, “everyone”, “y’all”, “folks”, “you lot” (UK) and “gang” all sound natural. With family, names are often warmer: “Love you both”, “Dinner’s ready, kids”.
Online: videos, streams and posts
“Hey everyone”, “Hi all” and “Welcome back, everybody” are the usual openings for a general audience. Many creators also invent a name for their audience, which is one way to sound friendly without a gendered word.
Regional plural “you”
Standard English has no separate plural form of “you”, so speakers in different places have filled the gap. These forms are normal in their regions and in casual speech, but most are not used in formal writing.
| Form | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| y’all | Southern United States; African American English across the US | Spelled y’all (from you all), not “ya’ll”. “All y’all” stresses every person in the group. |
| you guys | widespread in American English, also heard in Canada, Britain and elsewhere | Informal; used for mixed groups. |
| youse / yous | Ireland, Scotland, parts of northern England (such as Liverpool and Tyneside), Australia, New Zealand, and in the US around New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia | Informal and regional; usually seen as nonstandard. |
| you lot | Britain | Informal; can be friendly or sound bossy depending on tone. |
| yinz | Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania | Strongly local; a well-known marker of Pittsburgh speech. |
| ye | Ireland | An older plural “you” that survives in Irish English. |
Using another region’s form can sound like an imitation. A Londoner saying “y’all” to colleagues may come across as joking. If you are not from the area, “everyone” or “you all” is safer.
Why some people avoid “you guys” (and others do not)
“Guy” began as a name. After Guy Fawkes’ failed plot to blow up the English Parliament in 1605, effigies of him were burned every 5 November, and those figures came to be called “guys”. By the 19th century “guy” meant an oddly dressed person in Britain, and in American English it came to mean simply “a man”. In the 20th century the plural “you guys” spread as a casual way to address any group, including groups of women. Dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster note that the plural “guys” is used for people of either sex.
That history is where the disagreement comes from:
- Those who avoid it point out that the singular “a guy” still means a man, so calling a mixed group or a group of women “guys” treats male as the default. Some women and some non-binary people say they feel left out by it, and a number of companies, universities and style guides now suggest alternatives in formal or customer-facing settings.
- Those who keep it say that in the plural, “you guys” has become as gender-neutral in practice as “hey, you”, that many women use it freely with each other, and that no single replacement is as natural in casual American speech.
Both views are widely held, and usage varies by age, region and workplace. A practical approach: in formal writing, customer service, teaching and anywhere you do not know your audience, choose a neutral word such as “everyone”. With friends, follow the habits of the group.
Grammar questions
- “You guys’s” or “your guys'”? Both are heard in casual American speech (“Is this your guys’ car?”), and neither is accepted in standard writing. In writing, use “your” (“Is this your car?”) or rephrase: “Does this car belong to one of you?”
- “You guys” vs “those guys”: “you guys” addresses the people you are talking to; “those guys” refers to other people: “Are you guys coming?” / “Are those guys coming with us?” “Those you guys” is not English.
- Y’all is plural. It addresses two or more people; “all y’all” stresses every person in the group: “I made enough for all y’all.”
- “Hi all” or “Hi, all”? Strictly, a comma separates a greeting from the name or group addressed (“Hi, all”), but most people leave it out in emails, and both are accepted.
- Everyone takes a singular verb: “Everyone is here”, but “their” is normal for the pronoun: “Everyone has their ticket.”
Words easy to misjudge
| Choice | Problem | Better |
|---|---|---|
| “Dear Sirs” to a company | Assumes all readers are men; old-fashioned. | “Dear Sir or Madam”, or the team or person’s name |
| “Hi team” to clients | They are not your team. | “Hi all” or names |
| “OK, people!” | Can sound impatient or bossy. | “OK, everyone” |
| “ya’ll” | Apostrophe in the wrong place. | “y’all” |
| “youse” in a formal email | Regional, nonstandard. | “you all” or “everyone” |
| “Hello, ladies” to a mixed table | Leaves people out; can sound overfamiliar even to women. | “Hello, everyone” |
| “Dear valued customers” in a friendly newsletter | Stiff and impersonal. | “Hi everyone” or “Hello from all of us at…” |
Rewriting everyday “you guys” sentences
Most uses of “you guys” come in a few fixed phrases. Here is how each can be said another way, with a note on where the new version fits.
| With “you guys” | Alternatives | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Thanks, you guys! | Thanks, everyone! / Thank you all! / Thanks, team! | any setting; “team” at work |
| You guys are the best. | You’re all the best. / You’re the best, all of you. | friends, close colleagues |
| Love you guys. | Love you all. / Love you both. / Love y’all. | family and friends |
| What are you guys doing tonight? | What are you all doing tonight? / What’s everyone doing tonight? | friends |
| See you guys tomorrow. | See you all tomorrow. / See everyone tomorrow. / See you tomorrow. | work, school, friends |
| Are you guys ready? | Is everyone ready? / Are you all set? / Ready, folks? | meetings, classes, tours |
| Hey guys, quick question. | Hi all, quick question. / Hi everyone, quick question. | work chat and email |
| You guys did great. | You all did great. / Great work, everyone. / Well done, team. | work, coaching, teaching |
| Can I get you guys anything? | Can I get you anything? / Can I get anyone anything else? | restaurants, shops, hosting |
Notice how often the simplest fix is to drop the group word or use “all”. “Thank you all” and “see you all” sound natural in every English-speaking country and in almost any setting.
Model openings
Team email: “Hi all, thanks for getting your numbers in so quickly this week. Two things before Friday: the client call has moved to 3 pm, and the shared folder now has the final slides.”
Classroom: “Morning, everyone. Bags under the desks, please. Today we’re finishing the poems we started on Monday, so get your drafts out.”
Tour guide: “Welcome, everyone, and thanks for joining the walking tour. If you can all hear me at the back, give me a wave.”
Toast at a family dinner: “I just want to say thank you all for coming. It means a lot to have everyone in one room again.”
None of these uses a special word for the group. “Everyone” and “all” do the job, and the rest of the sentence carries the warmth.
Practice
Pick the best option for each situation.
- An email to six colleagues in different departments. (Hi team / Hi all)
- A server greeting a couple at a table. (Hey guys / How are you both tonight?)
- A teacher getting the attention of a class. (Everyone, eyes this way / Yinz, eyes this way)
- A formal awards dinner. (Hey folks / Good evening, everyone)
- Correct the spelling: “Are ya’ll coming?”
- Rewrite for formal writing: “Is this your guys’ report?”
- Where is “yinz” used?
- Which is more neutral at work: “OK, people” or “OK, everyone”?
Answers: 1 Hi all; 2 How are you both tonight?; 3 Everyone, eyes this way; 4 Good evening, everyone; 5 “Are y’all coming?”; 6 “Is this your report?” (or “Is this report yours?”); 7 Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania; 8 “OK, everyone”.
Quick answers
What is a gender-neutral word for “you guys”?
“Everyone”, “all”, “folks”, “you all” and “team” (for coworkers) are the most common. In the American South, “y’all” is the natural choice.
Is “you guys” offensive?
Most people do not find it offensive, and it is very common in casual American English. Some people find it non-inclusive because “guy” in the singular means a man. In formal or customer-facing settings, a neutral word avoids the question.
What can I say instead of “you guys” to a group of women?
“Everyone”, “all”, “folks”, “friends” or “y’all”. “Ladies” is polite to some ears and dated to others; “girls” for adult women can sound patronizing in many settings.
Is “Hi all” rude?
No. It is a standard, slightly brisk opening for group emails. “Hi everyone” is a little warmer.
Is “y’all” correct English?
It is standard in Southern American speech and widely understood, but it is informal. In formal writing, use “you” or “you all”.
For more greetings, see other ways to say hello, funny ways to say hello and alternatives to “I hope this email finds you well”. For idioms and other figures of speech in everyday English, see the figurative language guide.