Are you saying “congratulations” correctly?
Most people say “congratulations” the moment someone shares good news. But not every piece of good news calls for it, and saying it at the wrong moment can feel a little off. So when exactly does it work? It all comes down to the occasion.
First, the grammar. "Congratulations" is always plural, so "congratulation" on its own is incorrect. And when you're congratulating someone on something specific, the standard preposition is "on.” If you want to get into the “on” vs “for” debate, we've covered that separately.
If you want to keep it casual, "congrats" works perfectly well in both spoken and written English and is widely understood.
"Congratulations" is for moments where someone has done something, earned something, or reached something. A new job, a promotion, a graduation, an engagement, a wedding, a new baby. These are all the right occasions.
Where it gets a little tricky is with happy occasions that aren't really achievements. Birthdays and New Year's are the most common examples. Since neither of those is something someone earned, "congratulations" feels a bit out of place. "Happy birthday" and "Happy New Year" are what you'd say instead.
Sometimes the good news belongs to someone who isn't in the conversation. A colleague mentions their sister just had a baby, or a friend tells you their dad just retired. In those cases, you'd use "congratulations to" rather than "congratulations on," since you're passing the message along rather than directing it at the person.
The words that seem the simplest are often the ones worth paying the most attention to. And for taking the time to get this one right, congrats.
We are committed to equity,
diversity, and inclusion.
We welcome students,
educators, users, researchers,
and employees from a diverse
set of backgrounds.
Our own backgrounds vary in
terms of socioeconomic status,
religion, race, ethnicity,
gender
identity, sexual orientation,
age, neurodiversity,
disability,
and nationality.
In short: Be you. Do you.
We love and embrace
what makes you you. 
Thank you for inviting us to assess
your web copy!
One of our copy analysts will take
a close look at your website and
get back to you right away.
We appreciate your trust.
