Want to up your Apology Game? Check these out!

No matter who you are we have all been guilty of dishing out a "non" apology, apology! Want to become more self aware? Want to catch yourself before you hurt your loved one, a friend or a coworker! This list is awesome!

Here’s a list of non-apologies paired with more appropriate, accountable apologies:

1. Non-apology: "I'm sorry if you were offended."

   • Appropriate apology: "I realize my words were hurtful, and I apologize for offending you."

2. Non-apology: "I'm sorry you feel that way."

   • Appropriate apology: "I’m sorry my actions made you feel that way. That wasn’t my intention, and I will do better."

3. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but..."

   • Appropriate apology: "I’m sorry for what I did. I understand it was wrong, and I’ll work on changing that behavior."

4. Non-apology: "I’m sorry you took it the wrong way."

   • Appropriate apology: "I can see how my words were unclear, and I apologize for the confusion and any hurt caused."

5. Non-apology: "I'm sorry you think I did something wrong."

   • Appropriate apology: "I see now that what I did hurt you. I’m sorry for my actions, and I’ll try to be more thoughtful in the future."

6. Non-apology: "I’m sorry you misunderstood me."

   • Appropriate apology: "I didn’t communicate clearly, and I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. Let me try to explain it better."

7. Non-apology: "I guess I could apologize if that’s what you want."

   • Appropriate apology: "I realize I hurt you, and I want to apologize. I’m sorry for my actions."

8. Non-apology: "I’m sorry you’re upset, but I didn’t do anything wrong."

   • Appropriate apology: "I understand that my actions upset you, and I’m truly sorry for that. Let’s talk about how I can avoid doing that in the future."

9. Non-apology: "I didn’t mean to hurt you, so there’s nothing to apologize for."

   • Appropriate apology: "Even though I didn’t intend to hurt you, I did, and for that I’m truly sorry."

10. Non-apology: "I apologize that you feel bad."

    • Appropriate apology: "I apologize for my actions that caused you to feel this way. I regret causing you pain."

11. Non-apology: "I’m sorry this happened, but there’s nothing I could’ve done."

    • Appropriate apology: "I’m sorry for what happened, and I’ll try to take responsibility and prevent it from happening again."

12. Non-apology: "Sorry, I was just joking."

    • Appropriate apology: "I’m sorry. My joke was inappropriate, and I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings."

13. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but you’re overreacting."

    • Appropriate apology: "I can see this situation is upsetting to you, and I apologize for contributing to that."

14. Non-apology: "It wasn’t my intention to hurt you, but if I did, sorry."

    • Appropriate apology: "Regardless of my intention, I hurt you, and I apologize. I’ll be more careful in the future."

15. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but you did this to me first."

    • Appropriate apology: "I’m sorry for my part in this. Let’s focus on how we can resolve this together."

16. Non-apology: "I already said I’m sorry, what more do you want?"

    • Appropriate apology: "I apologized earlier, but I want to make sure I fully understand how I can make things right."

17. Non-apology: "I’m sorry you’re taking this so personally."

    • Appropriate apology: "I didn’t realize how personally this would affect you. I’m sorry for not being more considerate."

18. Non-apology: "I’m sorry you can’t handle the truth."

    • Appropriate apology: "I’m sorry if the way I delivered the message hurt you. I’ll be more thoughtful in the future."

19. Non-apology: "I’m sorry if you were hurt, but I was just being honest."

    • Appropriate apology: "I should have expressed myself more kindly. I’m sorry for hurting you, and I’ll work on that."

20. Non-apology: "I apologize for whatever you think I did wrong."

    • Appropriate apology: "I realize my actions hurt you, and I’m sorry for that. Let’s discuss how I can make things right."

21. Non-apology: "I’m sorry you’re so sensitive."

    • Appropriate apology: "I didn’t consider how my words would affect you, and I apologize for being insensitive."

22. Non-apology: "Sorry, but I didn’t mean it that way."

    • Appropriate apology: "I see now how my words came across, and I’m truly sorry for any misunderstanding."

23. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but you’re blowing this out of proportion."

    • Appropriate apology: "I didn’t realize this meant so much to you, and I apologize for not taking your feelings seriously."

24. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but it’s not that big of a deal."

    • Appropriate apology: "I understand now that this is important to you, and I apologize for downplaying it."

25. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but I’m only human."

    • Appropriate apology: "I made a mistake, and I’m sorry for how it affected you. I’ll work on improving that behavior."

26. Non-apology: "I’m sorry you’re mad, but that’s on you."

    • Appropriate apology: "I’m sorry I made you angry. Let’s figure out a way to resolve this."

27. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but I’m stressed too."

    • Appropriate apology: "I let my stress affect how I treated you, and I apologize. That’s no excuse for my behavior."

28. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t have put me in that position."

    • Appropriate apology: "I shouldn’t have reacted that way, and I’m sorry for my actions. I’ll take responsibility for my behavior."

29. Non-apology: "Sorry, but it’s your fault I reacted that way."

    • Appropriate apology: "Regardless of the situation, my reaction was wrong, and I apologize."

30. Non-apology: "I’m sorry you’re upset, but you know how I am."

    • Appropriate apology: "I know I have a tendency to react this way, but that doesn’t excuse my behavior. I’m sorry for upsetting you."

31. Non-apology: "I said I was sorry, why are we still talking about this?"

    • Appropriate apology: "I understand there’s still hurt here, and I’m willing to talk more about how I can make it right."

32. Non-apology: "Sorry, but that’s just how things are."

    • Appropriate apology: "I’m sorry for my part in this situation. I’ll see what I can do to improve things."

33. Non-apology: "I’m sorry if you think I’m at fault, but I did nothing wrong."

    • Appropriate apology: "I now realize my actions caused harm, and for that, I’m truly sorry."

34. Non-apology: "I’m sorry I made you feel that way, but it wasn’t my fault."

    • Appropriate apology: "I apologize for making you feel hurt, and I’ll work on taking more responsibility in the future."

35. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but you’re making me the bad guy."

    • Appropriate apology: "I apologize for my actions, and I’m not trying to avoid accountability for what happened."

36. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about it now."

    • Appropriate apology: "I’m sorry for what happened, and even though I can’t change the past, I’m committed to making things right moving forward."

37. Non-apology: "I apologize if you took it the wrong way."

    • Appropriate apology: "I apologize for the confusion caused by my words, and I’ll do better to communicate more clearly."

38. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but let’s just agree to disagree."

    • Appropriate apology: "I understand we don’t see eye to eye, but I apologize for any harm caused by my words or actions."

39. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but this is just who I am."

    • Appropriate apology: "I can be set in my ways, but that’s no excuse for hurting you. I apologize for my behavior."

40. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s fair to blame me."

    • Appropriate apology: "I understand that my actions affected you, and I apologize for that, regardless of fairness."

41. Non-apology: "I’m sorry you’re angry, but I’m just being myself."

    • Appropriate apology: "I’m sorry my behavior upset you. I’ll be more mindful of how my actions affect others."

42. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but you made me do it."

    • Appropriate apology: "I take full responsibility for my actions, and I apologize for blaming you."

43. Non-apology: "Sorry, but it’s just how things are."

    • Appropriate apology: "I apologize for contributing to the situation. I’ll do my part to make improvements."

44. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more I can do."

    • Appropriate apology: "I’m sorry for what happened, and I’ll do what I can to find a solution."

45. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but it’s not entirely my fault."

    • Appropriate apology: "I recognize my part in this and apologize for my role in what went wrong."

46. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but it’s just the way things are."

    • Appropriate apology: "I’m sorry for my part in this situation. I’ll do my best to make things better."

47. Non-apology: "I’m sorry, but you know I didn’t mean it like that."

    • Appropriate apology: "I understand my words hurt you, and I’m sorry for how they came across."

48. Non-apology: "I’m sorry I offended you, but you’re being too sensitive."

    • Appropriate apology: "I apologize for offending you, and I’ll be more careful with my words in the future."

49. Non-apology: "I’m sorry you misinterpreted what I said."

    • Appropriate apology: "I didn’t communicate clearly, and I’m sorry for the misunderstanding."

50. Non-apology: "I’m sorry you didn’t hear me."

• Appropriate apology: "I realize I wasn’t clear enough, and I apologize for not making sure you understood."

Let me know in the comments if you have used one of these.... and how it affected the conversation!