"In Regard To" Versus "In Regards To"

Jackie H. asked, "Is it correct to say 'In regards to...' or 'In regard to...'? I have used 'regards' for many years, and now my boss has informed me that it is incorrect to say 'regards.' Yet, I see and hear it all the time."

The correct phrase is "in regard to." You may be confused because "as regards" is another way to introduce a topic.

Many people believe both phrases are unnecessary business jargon. Better options, depending on the particular sentence, include "concerning," "regarding," "about," "in," and "with."

For example, this sentence is correct:

•  This letter is in regard to your message dated January 5. 

But this sentence is better:

•  This letter concerns your message dated January 5. 

And to me, this would be even better: 

• This letter is about the message you sent January 5.

You may, indeed, hear the plural—“in regards to”—all the time, but it rarely shows up in edited text such as the kind you find in a Google Books search. The Oxford English Dictionary calls it “regional and nonstandard.”

Examples of ‘In Regard To,’ ‘With Regard To,’ and ‘Regarding’

Here are some examples of how these words are used in the wild. 

I’ve done my best, in regard to people and to life, without precepts, but with a taste for justice. — Coco Chanel

"Because, he said, "I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you - especially when you are...

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