By Email vs. Via Email vs. Through Email vs. Per Email
For the communication medium, “by email” and “via email” are directly supported standard choices. “Through” can describe using a channel or means, while bare “per email” normally does not mean the medium: business English uses “as per” to mean according to something.
Use “by email” or “via email” for the medium. “Through email” can emphasize the channel or process. Use “as per the email” only when you mean “according to the email,” not “sent by email.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| identify email as the communication medium | by email / via email | both are natural medium expressions |
| emphasize email as the channel or process | through email | possible when the process/channel is salient |
| mean “according to the email” | as per the email / per the email in styles that accept it | do not use “per email” merely to mean “by email” |
Quick tests
Meaning test
Do you simply mean that something was sent or communicated using email?
If yes: Prefer “by email” or “via email.”
If no: Use “through email” for a channel/process emphasis; reserve “per/as per the email” for an “according to” meaning.
Caveat: “Per” choices are style-sensitive; avoid treating business shorthand as a universal grammar rule.
Examples
Please send the signed copy by email.
“By email” identifies the medium directly.
We received the confirmation via email.
“Via email” also identifies the medium.
As per the email, the deadline is Friday.
Here “as per” means “according to,” not “sent by email.”
Further guidance
By And Via
Cambridge directly gives “by email” for how someone communicates and defines “via” as using a machine or system to send or receive something.
Per Boundary
Cambridge defines ordinary “per” mainly as “for each” and records formal “as per” as “according to”; therefore “per email” should not be treated as a general substitute for “by email.”
Through
“Through” can mean by or using a person, process, or means, so “through email” is possible when the channel or process itself is being emphasized.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- By — English Grammar Today (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Deadline use of by meaning not later than a stated time
- Per — English meaning (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Meanings and grammatical uses of “per”
- Via — English meaning (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Dictionary meaning of via as using a machine, system, or person to send or receive something
- Through — English meaning (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Dictionary meaning of through as by or using a person, process, or means