Revealed: Phrases people really hate to see in their inbox

People are checking their email in more places than just the office. Photo / 123RF

Checking your email can be tiresome on its own - but it's often made worse by people who use the same words or phrases over and over.

A new study from software company Adobe has nailed down exactly which phrases annoy people the most.

Researchers surveyed more than 1000 white-collar workers and discovered that the most hated email phrase is: "Not sure if you saw my last email ..."

That phrase provoked the ire of 25 per cent of respondents who took part in the survey, followed by "per my last email" at 13 per cent.

The third most annoying phrase people use via email for work was "per our conversation" at 11 per cent.

Aside from avoiding these phrases, Adobe also provided some helpful etiquette tips on how not to drive other email users crazy.

About 45 per cent of users said they were most peeved by people who send emails too often, while a third said they were annoyed when they received recommendations for products that didn't match their interests.

Twenty-two per cent said they didn't want to receive offers or coupons that had already expired.

Finally, 17 per cent of respondents said they hated when the sender spelled their name incorrectly.

Researchers also discovered that email use is on the rise. People spent about 2.5 hours each weekday in the US checking their inbox - an increase of 17 per cent year-over-year, according to Adobe.

And people are checking their email in more places than just the office.

About 60 per cent of people check their personal email while watching TV, 40 per cent scroll through their inbox on the toilet and another 14 per cent check it while driving.