How to reply to a text

One-word replies and openers

• How to reply to “k”

  Fine, busy or annoyed? How to read one letter, and when it’s worth checking in.

• How to respond to “haha” or “lol”

  When a laugh ends the topic, and how to add something new instead of explaining the joke.

• How to respond to “hey”

  Answer “hey,” “heyyy” and “hey.” with a hook instead of handing the job back.

• How to respond to “wyd”

  Midnight “wyd” is not afternoon “wyd.” Replies for doing nothing, flirting or making a plan.

• How to respond to “wsg” (and “what’s up”)

  Why “nm wbu” stalls, and greetings that give them something to grab.

Status updates

• How to respond to “i’m busy”

  Busy-busy or a soft no, and a short reply that doesn’t chase.

• How to respond to “i’m bored”

  They picked you to entertain them. Games, flirts and plans.

• How to respond to a “good morning” text

  Turn a daily ritual into a conversation, plus what to send back at night.

• How to respond to “u up?”

  Talk, set terms or shut it down, and how to answer it the next morning.

Feelings in the chat

• How to respond to “you’re cute”

  Flirt back, get flustered, or say thanks and nothing more.

• How to respond to “i like you”

  Yes, no, not sure, or “like like?” Fast, honest answers.

• How to respond to “i miss you”

  From a partner, a friend or an ex, including how to answer without saying it back.

• How to respond to a rejection text

  One kind line after “i’m not interested,” and the replies that make it worse.

Plans and dates

• What to text after getting their number

  Name, callback, tease. Plus what to do with “who is this?”

• How to respond to “we should hang out sometime”

  Turn “sometime” into Thursday, or decline kindly.

• What to text after a first date

  For a date that went well, one you’re unsure about and one you didn’t enjoy.

Silence and short replies

• What to text after being left on read

  How long to wait, the one double text worth sending, and when to stop.

• How to text a dry texter

  Questions that get more than “lol,” and how to tell texting style from interest.

• How to respond when someone ghosts you and comes back

  Make them explain, set terms, or don’t answer at all.

• What to say when you forgot to text back

  Quick fixes for a day late, and what a week of silence needs.

How to use these replies

Every person and message in this library is made up by Pretake. Read the replies for the move, not the exact words: a callback, a tease, a plan, a clean exit. Swap in details that are true for you. If a line would make you cringe saying it out loud, it isn’t your line.

A few things hold on almost every page:

• Answer what they actually asked before you add anything.
• Give them something easy to reply to: a question, an opinion, a plan.
• Don’t send a paragraph back to a one-word text.
• Take a clear no the first time.

For bigger conversations

Some texts are less about wit and more about getting something hard said well. These guides go deeper:

• How to ask someone out over text
• How to tell someone you’re not interested after a date
• What to text your ex, and when not to send it
• How to respond to “we need to talk”
• All conversation guides