How to Respond to “Hey”? Text, Tinder, Guy or Girl

“Hey” is a very popular message sent by text or dating apps, such as Tinder or Bumble. If someone says “hey,” what is a good way to reply? How to respond to “hey”?

The simplest way to respond to “hey” is to say “hey” back. If you want to meet or date the person, you could say something more such as “How are you?”

Before responding to a “Hey” message, you have to consider the sender of the text and the status of your relationship. If you don’t send the right response, you could be giving the other person a wrong signal.

Read on to learn more about how to respond to hey, including 33 different examples of what to respond with.

How to Respond to Hey

The simplest way to respond to “hey” is to say “hey” back. If you want to meet or date the person, you could say something more such as “How are you?” or “What’s up.

First of all, “Hey” is not the best way to start a conversation by text message or on a dating app such as Tinder or Bumble. But then, it depends on who sent you that text. If it is your crush, then appropriate or not, you are just happy to receive it. But if it was sent by someone you barely know, then that could be a rude way to start a conversation.

So, your relationship with the sender of the text will largely determine the tone of your response.

Whichever type of relationship you have with the text sender, below are 7 different ways to respond to “Hey.”

1. Respond with “Hey”

How to respond to hey on Bumble? How to respond to hey on Tinder “Hey” is one of the most common messages on dating apps or when texting. Responding with another “Hey” will put the ball on his or her court. Someone who texts “Hey” on Bumble or Tinder is actually putting pressure on you to start the conversation.

If it is your crush, then you would be happy to respond with a “Hi, what’s up?” However, if it is someone that you’re not interested in developing a relationship with, just text “Hey” right back and then see what will happen.

2. “Hi, how’s your day going?”

This would be the right response if your crush sent the text. Getting a text from your crush should naturally make you happy. So, you would want to prolong the conversation as much as possible.

Since you really don’t know why he or she texted you that way, you can then fish for the reason. You can even add a friendly emoji showing that you are open to a conversation.

3. Do a clickbait

A clickbait is a type of reply that creates an itch that the reader must scratch. It is a three- or four-word response designed to get him or her to crave an answer. Here are two examples:

  • “Hey (name), do you know what makes people attracted to you?”
  • “Hey (name), do you know what makes you interesting?”

4. “How long have you been biking?” (or some other sports activity)

If it’s a friend, be the one to start the conversation. Ask them, “How long have you been biking? I love doing that, too.” When they answer, it will be easy to get the ball rolling.

5. Witty, sarcastic response

If you are feeling witty, you could respond with a witty, sarcastic response such as “Wow! That’s the most inspiring thing anyone has said to me this day.”

The trick here is to encourage the girl or guy to respond back with a more meaningful message next time. Use caution with this response because if you are too witty or sarcastic, it could scare the other person away.

6. “Hey, what’s up?” or “Hey, how are you?”

If you respond with “Hey, what’s up?” or “Hey, how are you?” you can encourage the other person to be more articulate about what they want to say.

It increases the likelihood that their next answer will be longer than just the “Hey” they sent earlier. This response is a bit of a cliché, but at least you will be able to get the conversation rolling.

7. Ask a fun question

If you don’t want a boring response, ask a fun question that the text sender will not expect. Here are some examples:

  • “If you would choose a movie for us to watch, what would you pick?”
  • “What is one thing that you would change about yourself if you had the power to do so?”
  • “If you want to look your best, what clothes would you wear?”
  • “What is the best thing about you that you would like your friends to know about?”
  • “What advice would you give your younger self?” (or “What dating advice would you give your younger self?”)
  • “Do you have any big goals?”
  • “What’s the first thing that you notice in a person?”
how to respond to hey on bumble

So how to respond to hey text from a guy? Or how to respond to hey text from a girl? Choose from the above examples based on the person messaging you and how you feel about them.

Next, let’s look specifically at how to respond if you want the conversation to continue.

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How to Respond to Hey If You Want the Conversation to Continue

How to respond to a text that says hey if you want the conversation to continue? If it is your crush or a close friend who has sent you a “Hey” text, naturally, you would want to continue the conversation. However, you are not really sure how to respond.

Below are 14 ways to respond to “Hey” if you like the person and want to continue the conversation with them.

1. “Hi”

“Hi” is a little more friendly and intimate than “hey.”

2. “I was just about to text you!”

Send this reply if you are really thinking of texting your friend. Perhaps you have not spoken with each other for a while. You can also add, “What a coincidence!”

3. “Hello”

If you want to sound more formal, you can reply with “Hello.” It is appropriate for someone you really don’t know well, for example, a co-worker or boss. By saying “hello,” it is a cue for them to say what they want.

4. “What a pleasant surprise!”

This is your response if you receive a text from a friend you haven’t heard from in a long time. The sender will be happy to know that you are glad to hear from him or her.

5. “Howdy”

If you know that the friend who texted you is a funny person, you can respond with a “Howdy.” Being funny, your friend will see the humor behind your reply.

6. “What’s popping?”

This reply is an alternate way of asking, “What are you doing?” or “What’s up?” It is an appropriate response to a person whom you know very well.

7. “How are you?”

Get right into asking about them instead of responding with another “hey” or “hello.” This response opens the door for a long conversation.

8. “Hey, what’s up?”

This response is another way of getting other people to open up and give their reason for texting you.

9. “How’s your night going?”

This response is specific about the time, but you can adjust it to fit the time when you received the text. It is a great response to a friend.

10. “Good morning. I’m glad you texted me. How’s everything going?”

Again, this is a time-specific response that you can modify to suit the time you received the text. It is the response you need to make if you are really interested in talking to the other person.

11. “Hey, how’s your day going?”

This response shows the other person that you are really interested in what they are doing for the day. It clearly shows the other person that you are willing to listen to whatever it is that they want to say.

12. “Hey, what are you doing?”

This response is a variation of the above response. It shows that you are interested in what the sender is doing for today.

13. “What took you so long?” I really missed you!”

This is the right response to a very close friend you have not really seen or heard in a while. It shows how happy you are hearing from him or her again.

14. “Hi {Their Name}, how is it going?”

This one is another perfect response to a very close friend. If you use their name, you will really personalize your message. It shows the person that you are really happy that they made an effort to reach out.

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how to respond to a text that says hey

How to Respond to Hey If You Want the Conversation to End

If the text came from a person who you really don’t know or just a plain acquaintance, and you don’t want the conversation to continue, here are some responses that you can use.

Below are 12 ways to respond to “Hey” if you don’t want to chat with the person.

1. Don’t respond

Ignore the message, and the other person will get the hint.

2. “Leave me alone”

If the other person fails to take the hint, send the other person this text. It will clearly and definitely show him or her that you don’t want to be bothered.

3. Respond later

Don’t reply right away. Text the other person after several hours or even one day after you receive the text message. A late reply will give them a hint that you’re not interested in communicating.

4. “Out with friends, will text you soon.”

You can make this excuse if you don’t want to communicate with the other person but also don’t want to hurt their feelings.

5. “I don’t feel like talking right now.”

If you have a personal problem at the time you received the “hey” text, give this response. It’ll really be difficult for you to carry a conversation if your mind is deeply bothered by a problem that the person knows nothing about.

6. “Hey, I’m busy, let’s chat later.”

This response is a clear indication to the other person that their timing is not appropriate. The sender will get the hint and will not try to get you to talk.

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7. “At work, text you in a few.”

This reply is a variation of the above response. If you are at work, it is inappropriate to text someone who is not related to your job. The other person would not want you to get in trouble at your place of work.

8. “Can’t talk now.”

“Can’t talk now” is a short and straightforward response that cannot be misinterpreted by the other person.

9. “What do you want?”

This response is really direct to the point. Actually, it’s a bit rude to respond with this question–unless he or she is really unfriendly. Send this only to those whom you really don’t want to communicate with.

10. “It’s pretty late.”

If you think that it is really inappropriate for the other person to text you late at night, this is a good response to send to them.

11. “I’m super tired, going to bed.”

If you are going to bed, that means you are sleepy and should not continue the conversation until the next day.

12. Block the other person

If this person just can’t take a hint and keeps bothering you, take the last resort: block that person.

Conclusion – How to Respond to Hey

The simplest way to respond to “hey” is to say “hey” back. If you want to meet or date the person, you could say something more such as “How are you?”

Your response will depend on the person who texted you. If you like the girl or guy, you will want to continue the conversation.

How to respond to hey text from a guy? How to respond to hey from a girl? Your reply should be, “What’s up?” or “How are you?” If he or she is someone who is not willing to take much effort to talk with you, just type “Hey” right back. In effect, you are tossing the ball in the other person’s court.

Use the example responses above to know exactly how to respond if you want the conversation to continue or not.

Read next:

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