As much as emojis help you decode someone’s texts, the tone doesn’t always come through as intended when it comes to their words. It can leave you scratching your head when you can’t determine if your crush is flirting or just being nice. If you need a few tips, here are the texting habits of a guy who likes you to make things easier.
- He makes it clear he’d rather talk to you in person. While texting is fun, if a guy likes you, he’ll want to take things to the next step. So, he’ll make comments about how he wishes you were with him or suggest meeting up face-to-face or even having a phone call.
- He responds quickly. Unless he’s still playing games, he isn’t going to wait for certain lengths of time before replying, so he doesn’t seem too into you. A mature guy who likes you will make sure to text you back pretty soon.
- He keeps the conversation going. If there’s a lull in the conversation, he’ll find a way to keep it going because he likes you.
- He gives thoughtful responses. Even if he’s shy, the texting habits of a guy who likes you will not be lacking. He’s not going to reply with one-word answers or emojis; he responds with fully thought-out answers.
- He shares things he thinks you’ll like. You might not have been speaking that day, but he’ll send you something like a meme or the link to a podcast episode because it reminded him of you or he thought you would like it.
- He communicates. He’s not going to be able to speak to you all day every day, but he won’t leave you hanging. If you’re having a conversation, but he needs to do something, he’ll let you know so you don’t think he’s ignoring you. And he’ll be sure to reply to you later.
- He’s flirty. Unlike speaking to a friend, the texting habits of a guy who likes you are playful and flirty. He’ll find ways to compliment you, make you laugh, and will use emojis your friends typically wouldn’t – like the winking face emoji or heart eyes.
- He remembers things you told him. He actually reads what you text him and will ask you follow-up questions the next time you speak. Maybe you casually mentioned you had a bad day at work; the next day, he’ll ask if your day was better.
- He initiates the conversations. A guy who likes you will often reach out and initiate a conversation because he can’t wait to speak to you.
Texting habits of a guy who doesn’t like you
provided by iStock
- You start all the conversations. To be blunt, if he doesn’t like you, he’s probably not all that keen on speaking to you. So, if a guy never texts you first, he’s probably not into you. If he messages you to let you know he’s super busy or has a lot going on but still wants to talk to you soon, that’s a different story. Otherwise, it’s not looking good.
- He doesn’t always reply. Some people are a bit forgetful. Maybe he was planning to a message afterward and then forgot. But, if he just seems to ignore a lot of your messages and doesn’t even acknowledge that you sent them in the first place, he probably doesn’t like you. The more often this happens, the more he’s likely to be hoping that you’ll just take the hint so that he can avoid confrontation.
- He takes a long time to reply. Sure, he might be thinking of the right thing to say, but if he always takes a long time to reply, then he might see speaking to you as a chore and is only replying at all to be polite. Again, this is not the case if he lets you know that he wants to chat but he’s super busy. Of course, that can only carry you so far…
- He gives cold, short answers. Even when and if he replies, he doesn’t say much. He uses cold language, almost no emojis, and rarely replies with more than a single sentence. It’s clear he just wants the conversation to go.
- He doesn’t ask anything. He might reply to you, but the texting habits of a guy who likes you will involve asking questions because he wants to get to know you and keep the conversation going. So, if you’re always asking him things about himself, but he doesn’t do the same, it’s because he doesn’t care and doesn’t want the conversation to go on longer than it needs to. If he’s going to ask something, it might be for pictures, which is a major turn-off.
- He doesn’t want to take things further. He has no intention of speaking to you in person or hanging out, so he’ll never so much as hint at this when texting. It would be nice if he’d just tell you that so you could stop wasting your time, but don’t hold your breath for that.
How to engage a guy you like via text
- Don’t play games. You’re not in middle school, so don’t act like it. When he texts you, don’t try to wait him out for hours or days. Don’t try to make him jealous by acting as if you have so many other options. Playing hard to get and being a jerk are not going to get you anywhere and sets a really bad precedent.
- Match his energy. It feels awkward texting someone and using lots of emojis, and warm language, only to get replies that read like an email from a work colleague. So, if he’s playful, match his energy so he knows you like him too. Your texting habits with a guy you like should mirror the way you want him to message you.
- Use warm flirty language and lots of emojis. Some guys can be a little oblivious when a woman likes them, so you need to make it pretty clear. Flirt with him; use cheeky emojis in your text messages. If he’s still not taking the hint, you might just have to tell him you like him straight-up.
- Don’t always leave it to him to start the conversations. It’s nice that a guy puts in the effort, but relationships are a team effort. Make sure to hit him up first every now and then so he knows you definitely enjoy speaking to him. Set texting habits with this guy so that he knows you like him and are willing to pull your weight.
- Ask him questions. Make sure you’re not talking about yourself all the time. Take an interest in what’s going on in his life and find things to bond over. (These are some good questions to ask your crush to spark a connection, by the way.) He’ll appreciate that you want to know about him and will feel more comfortable opening up the more often you ask.
- Try to move beyond texting. If you’re getting on really well, you might want to take things further. Again, guys can be a little oblivious sometimes, so it might be up to you to suggest a phone call or hanging out in person. You don’t want to get stuck in a texting loop, so make sure you move it into real life as soon as possible.