If you’ve made a mistake and hurt a friend, it can be very tough to reach out and begin making amends. An apology letter to the friend you hurt can be an excellent first step in repairing the relationship.
Your message should include exactly what you did to hurt your friend, how you feel about it, and an explanation of how much you value their friendship.
If you need some help writing an apology letter to a friend you hurt, take a look at these tips and examples to get you started.
5 Key points to bear in mind when writing an apology letter to a friend
Before you begin writing an apology letter to a friend you hurt, consider the following tips.
01 An apology letter for a misunderstanding
To my dear friend,
I’m sorry for the way things went last week. We’re both strong-minded people, so you know sometimes our egos can get the better of us. In this case, mine got the better of me, and I lost control.
When you tried to correct me, I thought you were trying to confront me, and I got overly defensive. I didn’t realize you were just trying to look out for me. This whole thing is a complete misunderstanding.
I’m sorry for shouting at you and for being so angry. You’re a good person, and you should not be treated like that by anyone. Especially your friends. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, and I swear to you that something like this will never happen again.
If you want to talk about what happened, we could meet up for coffee one of these days. I would love to fix things between us and get back to where we were before this terrible misunderstanding happened.
My sincerest apologies,
Michael
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02 An apology letter to a friend you hurt through a betrayal
Dear Anna,
I know you’re super mad at me right now, but please read this letter. I can’t muster the strength to say it to your face, so I hope this will work.
I just wanted to say that I am sorry for betraying you. You have always been a great friend to me, and you don’t deserve this, nor do I deserve you.
I should not have even been texting your boyfriend in the first place, let alone meeting up with him. I wasn’t thinking straight, and I was completely out of line in thinking that you would be okay with that, or that it was even appropriate.
I’m sorry I was reckless and got so drunk, and I’m sorry that I tried to kiss him. He’s an amazing guy for not letting it happen, and for telling you right away.
I don’t know what I was thinking, but all I know is that I’m really sorry and that I’ll never ever do something like that again to you or anyone else.
I understand if you never want to talk to me or be friends with me again, but I need you to know that I regret hurting my best friend in the world. You have always had my back, and I have failed you miserably.
I’m so sorry, Anna.
Love,
Karlie
03 An apology letter to a friend you hurt in a big fight
To Eric,
I realize that I am the last person that you want to talk to right now, but please hear me out.
The reason I haven’t come over to your house to apologize in person is that I know you wouldn’t even open the door. So, this apology letter is the only real way to let you know how I feel.
Eric, I am sorry for the fight we had last week. I wasn’t even angry at you. I was angry at my girlfriend for choosing another guy. You were trying to console me, but I felt like you were telling me to just get over it, and I just lost it.
I pushed you and, when you were trying to walk away from the situation, I still punched you anyway. You only hit me back because you were trying to defend yourself. I’m not mad, and I know the fault is entirely my own.
I’m sorry I got you suspended. I realize that started it, and I will talk to Principal Jenkins to see about removing it from your file. I didn’t say anything last week because I was just too angry and in my own head, but now I know that I was completely in the wrong.
You don’t have to be best friends with me again. I get that I crossed a line. But I just wish you could find a way to forgive me.
What I did to you is eating me alive because you did not deserve that. When we get back to school, I will apologize for what I did in front of everyone.
I hope this will at least make you feel better about what happened.
Sorry again,
Jacob
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04 An apology letter to a friend you hurt by being rude or impolite
Dear Maggie,
I’m sorry I was so rude to you earlier. You were only trying to help, and I was behaving like an ungrateful child.
The truth is, I’ve been going through a lot lately with the divorce and worrying about the kids. It has, admittedly, made me distant and angry. I ignored your texts and calls because I was overwhelmed.
When you came over unannounced, I shouldn’t have reacted like that. I had been hoping for some alone time that day, and it just didn’t work out. People just kept needing things from me, and I was already on edge. All this anger and frustration accumulated, and I took it out on you.
I said a lot of things out of anger that I didn’t mean. I’m not going to list them because of the fact that I even said them bothers me. Just know that I regret every single thing, and I wish I could take back every harsh word.
If you want to talk, you can come over anytime. Hopefully, we can make amends.
Love,
Karen
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05 An apology letter to a friend you hurt through hurtful words
Hi Ashley, I know it’s been a while since we’ve spoken and you might find this weird, but I wrote this apology letter to let you know how much I regret everything that went down between us.
The last time we saw each other, things escalated so fast, and we were at each other’s throats. You said some things that hurt me, and I did the same. I just want to take responsibility for what I said and let you know that I am deeply sorry.
No one deserves to be called fat or ugly. You are a beautiful woman, and I only said those things because I was upset and was aiming to hurt your feelings. It was wrong.
Please accept this letter so that we can move on and be friends again. I miss you, and I have so much to tell you.
Conclusion
When you use these examples to write an apology letter to a friend you hurt, they are bound to forgive you. This is because these are genuine and from the heart, and will show that you are genuinely sorry.