Yep is a casual yes, the way yes often sounds in everyday speech. The variant yup means the same. It's a short, friendly answer for chats and conversations with friends, family or colleagues you're on informal terms with.
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yep / yup; yep, + short answer (I did / it is / all done); yep, sure
- Are you still at the office? — Yep, I'm leaving in ten minutes.
- Did you book the tickets? — Yup, all done, we're in row five.
- Yep, that's the café I was telling you about last week.
What changed
First versionDear Mr Evans, yep, I can come to the interview on Tuesday at 10 am.
RevisionDear Mr Evans, yes, I can come to the interview on Tuesday at 10 am.
Yep is a very casual yes, and in an email to a recruiter you only know through correspondence, it sounds too offhand. Change one word: yep to yes. The rest of the sentence is already polite.
If something is offered by a waiter or a host rather than a friend, yep sounds careless. The polite reply to an offer is yes, please: Would you like some more tea? — Yes, please. In IELTS Speaking, a bare yep won't do either: say yes and carry on with your answer, for example Yes, I do, mostly at weekends.
Your turn
Can I borrow your charger for a minute? — ___, it's in the front pocket of my bag.
Show the answer
Yep — Your friend asks to borrow the charger, and you say yes and tell them where it is. That's ordinary agreement, so yep fits. Yes, please is how you accept something offered to you: Want a coffee? — Yes, please. Nobody is offering you anything here; you're the one giving permission, so please doesn't belong.
A friend asks in a chat whether you're ready for tomorrow's trip. Reply with yep and say what you've already done: packed, bought the tickets or something else.
Yep, I've packed my bag and printed the train tickets.
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