What Does It Mean When He Texts You _____?

Do you waste time worrying over every single text he sends you and obsessively searching questions like: “What does it mean when he texts you ‘OK’?” Do you obsess over three words on a screen for hours, wondering what it means when he sends you a wink face?  😉

The truth is, sometimes, a text message is just text message, and you shouldn’t waste your energy looking for hidden messages that aren’t there. Learn how to spot the texts that say what they mean and mean what they say, and never waste time trying to decipher his texts again!

Texting, has definitely enhanced our day-to-day communication – but it also has the nasty side effect of leaving a whole lot of grey area when it comes to misunderstandings.

Trying to decipher meaning, energy, humor, emotion, or basically, anything other than words over the medium of text is a constant frustration, and one of the biggest texting mistakes people make when dating. Hands up if you’ve stared at your phone for over a minute trying to work out the true meaning of a text message? 5 minutes? Half and hour?!

OK, OK, everyone, put your hands down (me included)… it’s obvious that it happens to the best of us.

Sure, sometimes people don’t text what they are thinking, and it’s mega-frustrating to read between the lines. But here is where I think we might be going wrong: often, the meaning of the text is just, well… the text! Yup – there’s not always a secret meaning, or hidden message that we miss if we don’t spend an extra ten minutes staring at our screen trying to decipher it. Sometimes, what you see is what you get.

Here are five examples of texts that you’re probably reading way too much into. Once you know them, you’ll save minutes (or hours!) that you would have wasted trying to decipher them!

“What Are You Up To Tonight?”

What does it mean when he asks you what you’re up to tonight? Well, at first glance that this text is loaded with meaning, and your initial reaction is probably to put your brain through the following torture:

“If I say I’m doing something and he wants to hang out, then he’ll think I’m not interested, but if I say I’m doing nothing and he isn’t going to ask me out, then I’ll look really lame, and he’ll never ask me out.”

How to respond?

Simple: say exactly what you’re doing. If he was texting to ask you out, it means he likes you, and he’ll ask you out for another night. If he was just asking to be friendly, then voila, there’s your conversation starter right there. And by the way, if he thinks your honest answer of “Zumba and a Sex and the City marathon” is ‘lame’ then do you really want to go out with him anyway?

“OK”

There’s nothing worse than when a guy texts you ‘OK’ – or even worse, when he texts you ‘K’. This is basically the equivalent of receiving a bunch of question marks and a balloon emoticon – frustrating and impossible to understand.

The reality is, it doesn’t have to be. Did you receive a text from a guy saying “OK” and sat there lifeless wondering what it means? Chances are, it means: OK.

Yes, to whatever you said, where ever you wanted to go tonight, and however you wanted to get there. It’s only us, the fairer sex, who sends “OK” as a loaded message when we’re completely not ok with what is happening (take note boys).

The Ghost Text

What’s worse than reading too much into a text? Not getting a text at all. At first you find an excuse for it (he’s probably in the shower), then you get a bit annoyed (he could have at least texted me before shooting off to the gym for an hour!), and then the reality sets in: it’s 11.30pm, and he is not texting back. So what does it mean when he doesn’t text you back?

• He has nothing to say.
• Your last text didn’t have a question.
• He thought the conversation was over.

Guys aren’t snubbing you when they don’t text, and it’s not a sign he’s about to ghost you. Sometimes, they just don’t see texting as a legitimate form of conversation. If they have something to tell you, they’ll do it when they see you. If not, for the majority of guys, one or two texts will do – anything more is excessive.

The Emoticon

What does he mean when he texts you a winky face? Is he being flirty, or sexy? Why did he send a smiley?

If a guy is sending any kind of emoticon in a text message, he is going out of his way to liven things up – he’s interested. Don’t go crazy worrying about level of smile on the smiley face he sent (I’ve probably worried enough for the entire female population!).

The Goodnight Text

Can you spot the difference between the following text messages?

“Goodnight”

“Night night 😉 xx”

“Night.”

OK, this is a trick question (sorry!). If you can spot the difference, then you’re definitely worrying way too much about what he text messaged you.

Please, stress less (stress will give you wrinkles). Unless he’s a psycho, he probably hasn’t crafted his goodnight text specifically to keep you up at night. If he’s said goodnight instead of going straight to sleep, you’re probably fine.

The next time you find yourself obsessing over the text messages he sends, searching for a hidden meaning – stop.

Put the phone down.

Step away. Master the fine art of stopping yourself from texting him. Stop thinking about it. The truth is, there isn’t always something more, and attempting to over-analyze everything he says is one of the most common things that can ruin your relationship.

So, what does it mean when he texts you something vague? The answer is simple: nothing. Sometimes, a text message really is simply a text message.

Now, if we’re talking about seductive text messages? Well, that’s a whole other story… 😉