We're the generation that is scared of answering phone calls. Anxiety seems to creep up on us during virtual interactions, not just in real life. Studies show that young adults feel anxiety during digital communication, so, the conundrum of "What should I text them back?" may be more common than we think.
If you've ever received a text that has left you speechless, the subreddit "How Do I Respond To This?" might be the perfect place to find inspiration for a snappy reply. Members of the community share messages that have left them stumped, and other netizens offer the best ways to respond in creative, funny, and casual ways. Check out the funniest and strangest examples below, and share in the comments how you would've responded!
More info: Reddit
#1 I'm At A Loss
© Photo: tonefilm
#2 A Girl Messaging First Is A Rare Sight But That Is Just Too Lame
© Photo: ritwijchoudhary
#3 I Was Asking My Friends If They Wanted To See Endgame With Me
© Photo: reddit.com
#4 Good
© Photo: C2-H5-OH
#5 My Best Friend Sent Me This. I’ve Been Realizing We’ve Been Talking Less And I Didn’t Know What To Do
© Photo: ghostlingbud
#6 Friend Who’s Into Me Got Word Of Me Liking Someone. Idk How To Respond To This, I Can’t Tell If This Is Satire Or She’s Serious. What Do I Say?
© Photo: voltardu
#7 I (30f) Gave My Number To Someone (25m) Who Works In My Building. We've Had A Couple Of Brief Conversations In The Break Area So I Thought We Could Be Friends, But Now I'm Questioning It?
© Photo: andhearts_
#8 So, Here’s What My Boss Said To Me Today. Conversation Was Fine Until This
She’s from the Philippines so I think there’s a cultural element (I’m in Midwest USA), and I’ve known her for quite some time & she’s pretty much always abrasive
© Photo: mrssmithest15
#9 Am I Just Destined To Never Have A Good Conversation With Someone
© Photo: PristineReception
#10 An Old Friend Was Jealous And Hurtful. I Got This A Few Days Ago
Details: we were super close for about a year. He admitted to being in love with me while I was still in a relationship but he said he would never try to break up a happy relationship. He was fine until I broke up with that guy and was single. I had a huge crush on our mutual friend and that really bugged him. Me and that guy started like pseudo dating. In that time, he convinced me that the guy I liked was going on dates with other girls, still on tinder, hooking up without telling me etc. None of those things were true. He also ended up completely unprompted sending me videos of himself jacking off and stuff and admitting to sexually assaulting a friend of his when she rejected him because she is a lesbian. So yeah we left on bad terms and the fact that he acknowledged none of those things is what makes this hard.
Edit: I didnt think about it till now but I'm still in a relationship with that mutual friend after 3 years and we live together and I dont think he knows that.
Update: I took the middle ground approach and thanked him for reaching out and good luck on his recovery and his response was also very short and respectful. Thanks for all the advice, it really helped understand how to keep reactions and contact at a minimum. I feel safe and I'm mostly happy that nothing negative came from it.
© Photo: glacialwarfare
#11 Met Two Cute Missionaries Some Time Ago
© Photo: jayarikishi
#12 I Have Talked To This Person Like 3 Times, They're Online Idk Them In Real Life
© Photo: omorii
#13 Ummm
© Photo: gaynessssss
#14 I Could Be Miss Interpreting Things But I Felt Like There Was A Lot Of Unnecessary Passive Aggressiveness Here. How Should I Go About It?
© Photo: reddit.com
#15 If There Even Is A Response To This
© Photo: reddit.com
#16 Not The First Time I've Had This Kind Of Response
© Photo: mward_shalamalam
#17 Now I Am Overthinking. She Set The Bar High With That Reply
© Photo: PotentialCarpet_
#18 How Do I Get Out Of This Terrible Conversation And Start A New One? I'm Bad At Texting
© Photo: AnimatedPie
#19 I've Had A *rough* 24 Hours And I Just Can't Handle Being At My Job
© Photo: HordogChamp
#20 Just Got This Message On Reddit. What?
© Photo: theEmosk98
#21 I Got Tinder Gold And Im Going To Be In Her Country In A Week, What Should I Say?
© Photo: unmoralvigilante
#22 I Had A Life Changing Event, My ‘Friend’ Didn’t Have The Time Of Day
© Photo: ejhs
#23 Showing Empathy
© Photo: nightlifestructured
#24 Matched With Cute Girl From Class On Tinder, Hang Out After Class With Her And A Dude Called Jamie, Afterwards She Sends Me This. I'm Straight
© Photo: birdoandratchet
#25 I Made It Pretty Clear From The Get Go About 2 Weeks Ago That I’m Interested In Her... Not Sure How To Respond To This
© Photo: jxdewey
#26 My Coworker Sent This Out Of The Blue. I Want To Say Thanks But Also Wanna Ask What Her Reason Was For Sending This If There Is One?
© Photo: brit1228
#27 They Haven't Texted Me In Months And Open With This
© Photo: reddit.com
#28 How Do I Imply I Don’t Want To Talk To Him
© Photo: kaykayuwu
#29 I Told Her I Liked Her And I’m Pretty Sure This Means She Doesn’t Like Me Back I’m Not Sure What To Say
© Photo: gaynessssss
#30 I Need To Get Past Interesting One Liners
© Photo: TheSackOfNuts
#31 Girl Messaged Me This On Tinder And I Ain't Got A Witty Reply. Help Pls
© Photo: ThrowRA-k1
#32 I Want To Be Friends With This Girl, But This Happened After She Hadn't Responded For A Few Days. What Do I Say?
© Photo: Pchardwareguy12
#33 I Need Help
© Photo: reddit.com
#34 I Asked For It But I Have No Clue How To Respond
© Photo: ArtistikStonerr_
#35 My Mother Often Cries To Me About How She's A Bad Parent And Failed As A Mother, It Always Makes Me Very Uncomfortable But I Just Say "No No, It's Fine" When In Person
© Photo: addisonphill333
#36 Although I Don’t Recall Doing It, It’s Definitely Something An Idiot Like Me Would Do. What Can I Reply To Sound As Sorry As I Can Possibly Be Without Making It Sound Like It Wasn't A Big Deal?
© Photo: GrammarLLC
#37 Recently Reached Out To Bio Father, He Wants To Meet. Told Him I Need Time And He's Respectful Of It. This Is His Wife, Potential Mother Of My Half-Brother... She Just Keeps Messaging Me
© Photo: nomelaninnative
#38 Girl Helped Me (F26) Get Home After Getting My Knee Injured During Volleyball Last Night And Is Willing To Help Me Now
We’ve talked at volleyball but weren’t super close. These were the last text we went. She might of meant “hit” instead of “hot”. Not sure how to respond now
© Photo: dlgb3991
#39 When Unfamiliar Person Says They’re Not Ok, Should I Ask Why?
© Photo: Nrvanaaa
#40 What Do I Say?
© Photo: mc2205
#41 Glad He 22m Took It Back But What Do I 21f Say Back (We’re Just Friends)
© Photo: superpablue
#42 I've...ive Got No Idea. Hdirtt?
© Photo: Justachilenogurl
#43 I Think Pasta Is “Okayish”
© Photo: mooningful
#44 Friend Has Texted Me A Lot About Ben Platt. I’m Out Of Replies About Him. Please Help
© Photo: rosewater17
#45 My Friends Reply To Why She Called Me
© Photo: gaynessssss
#46 Dad Wants Nothing To Do With The Baby
© Photo: reddit.com
#47 I Wanna Just Say Thank You But That Feels Small
© Photo: tireddreamss
#48 Friend Has Chronic Depression But Idk How To Respond And I Really Want To Help
© Photo: reddit.com
#49 I Guess The Girl I Like Has Autism And I Guess My Comment (Which Was Meant As A Compliment) Offended Her. Is There Something Good I Can Say?
© Photo: sadridge
#50 How To Recover Lads, Maybe I Offended Her
© Photo: RezkxX7
#51 Matched On Tinder Yesterday. What Do I Say?
© Photo: Xova_YT
#52 Unless?
© Photo: reddit.com
#53 My Buddy Confessed His Feelings For A Girl, Both Me And Him Are Lost
© Photo: DingleBerriesk
#54 I Accidentally Ghosted This Guy 2 Days Ago And He Sent A Long And Thoughtful Message But I Don’t Want To See Him Again
© Photo: shoski13
#55 This Girl I Matched With Works At An Airline. I Asked If She Was A Flight Attendant After Some Back And Forth. Wasn’t My Intention To Assume So How Do I Bounce Back?
© Photo: reddit.com
#56 My Father Is A Real Estate Agent And Wants Me To Buy A House. He Is Being Manipulative
© Photo: DrummerDooter
#57 Military Recruiter Trying To Get Me. Don’t Know How To Respond To This
© Photo: reddit.com
#58 I Got A Bit Drunk And Sent A Girl This
© Photo: reddit.com
#59 Not Sure How To Respond. This Is My Mother, And She Just Kicked Me Out For Not Ordering Food In Time
We’ve fought for the past year over things she seems horrible, and I do not want to see her right now because tension is high. Do I just suck it up and set up a time and let her win? What do I do
© Photo: lordsaveusall
#60 Pretty Sure Im On The Wrong Track
© Photo: i-am-ur-daddy
#61 Received This Text From An Unknown Number And I Have No Idea Why They'd Give The Police My Number. Not Sure If It's A Mistake Or A Joke Or What But I Don't Know Where To Go From Here
© Photo: HoneyBeeMonet
