Well, you shouldn’t, pushing things to find another outcome sucks because you are only hurting yourself only. You will find yourself in a loophole trying hard to receive a different answer and you will waste time and maybe you will be hurt (if this is someone you have feelings for). One word answers may vary the cause but if it is too often then consider to stop talking to those people because on the other side, they may have lost interest or don’t care at all for you. If you want to know why they are cold you should ask what is going on (if before their one words answer you were talking a lot) and then truly know the cause (if they are honest of course), it will save you from a lot of problems and pain. You will be thankful in a future scenario.
Edit; Forgot to say, you may not be the problem of their behavior, people have a lot of problems in their heads and most of them not even know what they want so, don’t take it personal.
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There are few things more frustrating than pouring your heart out to a guy over text, only to have him respond with the dreaded “K.” Luckily, if your dude tends to clam up over text, there are things you can do to help bring him out of his shell. Read on for our tips on how to handle a dry texter.
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It can be really hard to pick up on tone over text. When you’re texting, you can’t hear a guy’s tone of voice or see his facial expressions and body language. That means it can be really easy to misinterpret text messages, especially short ones.[1]
Before you assume that those dry texts mean he’s bored, upset, or being passive-aggressive, think about other possibilities. For example, it’s possible that:- He doesn’t like texting or isn’t used to it
- He’s busy or distracted
- He doesn’t realize that his short texts could come off as rude
- He wants to chat, but he isn’t sure what to say
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When in doubt, it’s a good idea to clear the air. If his one-word texts seem a little different from his usual style, you might worry that something’s bothering him. Instead of jumping to conclusions or trying to guess what’s on his mind, just ask him what’s going on.[2]
- Say something like, “Hey, you seem kind of quiet today. Is everything ok?” Or, “Is now a good time to chat? If you’re busy, we can talk later.”
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He might be bored or unsure of what to say. Or, it’s possible that the topic you’ve been talking about is sensitive for him. Whatever the reason, if it seems like he’s clamming up all of a sudden, sometimes changing the subject can help. Say something to make the transition to a new topic feel more natural.[3]
- For instance, “Oh hey, I just remembered something I’ve been meaning to ask you about.” Or, “This is a bit of a change of subject, but how was that Netflix documentary you watched last night?”[4]
- Say something like «Hey, random thought» to send the conversation in a new direction. By including the word «random,» you pretty much have permission to bring up whatever you want.[5]
- For instance, “Oh hey, I just remembered something I’ve been meaning to ask you about.” Or, “This is a bit of a change of subject, but how was that Netflix documentary you watched last night?”[4]
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These tend to require longer answers. If you tend to ask a lot of “yes” or “no” questions, the dude you’re chatting with might not realize you’re looking for something a little more substantial. The same goes if you’re just telling him things without actually inviting him to respond in some way. Try to get the conversation flowing by asking questions that start with who, what, where, when, why, or how.[6]
- For instance, instead of just saying, “Did you have a good day?” try something like, “How was work today?” or “So, what have you been up to this weekend?”
- If you tell him something, follow up with a question. For example, you might say something like, “That snowstorm was crazy last night, we must have gotten at least 10 inches up here. How much did you get?”
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Texting might not be his style. Sometimes you just need to switch up how you communicate. If he has trouble opening up over text, ask if he wants to take it to voice. You could also suggest video chat, or even meeting up to talk in person.[7]
- For instance, say something like, “I’d love to hear how your big presentation went today. Is this a good time to call?”
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He might be chattier later on. If you’re getting a bunch of one-word answers, it could be because he’s multi-tasking. You can always ask him if it’s a good time to chat. If he says no, take a rain check and try again later.
- For instance, say something like, “Seems like you’re busy right now. TTYL?”
- It’s totally normal for people to want space from texting sometimes. Even if he’s not busy, he might just need a break from texting or want some time to himself.[8]
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He might not realize how they come across. If you have a good vibe with the guy in general, but his short texts drive you up the wall, it might help to let him know how you feel. Keep it chill and try not to make it sound accusatory, so he’s less likely to feel hurt or defensive.[9]
- For example, say something like, “Hey, I love chatting with you, but I’m not sure how to feel when you send a lot of one-word answers. Sometimes I wonder if you’re bored or upset with me.”
- Try suggesting a solution, like, “Hey, just let me know if you’re not in the mood to talk,” or “We can do FaceTime if you prefer.”
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Slow down if you feel like you’re doing all the work. Just like in a face-to-face conversation, things can get unbalanced if one person is a lot more talkative than the other. If you tend to send a lot of long, chatty texts, it’s possible that he might just feel a bit overwhelmed. Try slowing it down or stopping for a bit and see if he makes a move to get the convo going again.[10]
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Heavy conversations are always trickier over text. For one thing, it’s a lot easier to misunderstand each other than if you’re talking face-to-face or even over the phone. If you have something important or difficult to discuss, give him a call or ask if he can meet up—that way, you’re more likely to have a productive conversation instead of getting a lot of frustrating one-word answers.[11]
- For instance, if you need to talk to him about where the relationship is going, or open up about a tough situation that you’re dealing with, don’t try to connect with him over text.
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Sometimes, one-word texts can be a red flag. If you’ve noticed that the dry texts are becoming more of a pattern—especially if he’s taking longer and longer to answer you—then it could be that he’s losing interest.[12]
If you just can’t seem to get a conversation going, and if you’re not connecting in other ways (like over the phone or in person), then it might be time to let him go.
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It can be frustrating when a girl replies with one word at the best of times. You don’t know if she is being funny or maybe she is not interested anymore. Well if you are trying to figure out the answer, you have come to the right place.
One-word replies are generally a sign of a lack of interest. It could be that the girl is not interested in you or it could be that she is just busy and doesn’t have time to reply with a long message.
Below are the top 7 reasons why a girl would reply with one-word answers. Before we get into that, it’s important to understand that most of the reasons are context-based.
So what does that mean? For example, if you’re having a text conversation and she replies with a one-word answer, she might be busy doing homework or getting ready for something.
- She’s not interested.
- She’s interested but playing it cool.
- She’s busy.
- She’s short on time.
- She doesn’t know what to say.
- She’s not sure how she feels.
- She’s testing you.
She’s not interested.
If she is not interested, she may reply with a one-word answer. If you are texting her for the first time and she replies with a one-word answer, it probably means she is not interested.
She’s interested but playing it cool.
If you want to know if she is playing it cool, wait a few hours before you text her again with your reply. There is hope there, but you have to be prepared to cut your losses if you get another one-word answer.
She’s busy.
When you’ve been texting and the conversation is flowing and then all of a sudden you get a one-word reply back, it’s best to think about what may be going on in her life at the time. You could reply, “chat later?” to see if she replies with “yep” or “are you busy?”
She’s short on time.
When a girl is shot, she may reply with a short, one-word answer because she has to keep things moving.
She doesn’t know what to say.
If you ask a question such as “What’s up with you?” and you get a reply of “Nothing!” she may not know how to reply, even though there is something up. Don’t ask open-ended questions. Or try and find out what is really up with her.
She’s not sure how she feels.
Like the above, sometimes a girl is not sure how she feels about something or someone, so a one-word answer will suffice until she makes up her mind.
She’s testing you.
Sometimes a girl will test you to see how fast or slow you respond. This is to determine how you feel about her and reassure her that you are a good person or boyfriend.
Frequently asked questions.
What do one-word text messages mean?
One-word text messages can mean a lot of things. They can be a way of telling someone you’re busy, or that you don’t want to talk to them. They can also be used to answer difficult questions or to give a negative reply.
For girls, one-word replies can often be interpreted as meaning something more than they actually do. So if you’re not sure what a one-word reply means, it’s best to ask the person directly.
How often does she send you one-word texts?
If a girl is always sending one-word answers, then it’s just part of her normal process. You shouldn’t read too much into it if this is the case.
Final Thoughts
There are a few reasons why a girl might reply with one word. She could be busy and not have time to carry on a full conversation, or she might not be interested in the person texting her. It all depends on the context of your situation to fully understand what is going on with her. If you have enjoyed reading this post then you may find What Does It Mean When a Girl Calls You Boo? useful too.
If a girl has been replying to your messages with one word then you’re probably wondering why.
This post will help you understand why a girl would reply to you with one word and why other girls might do it in the future as well.
So, what does it mean when a girl replies with one word? A girl replying with one word could be a sign that she is not interested in you especially if she only does it to you and she does it repeatedly on more than one occasion. It could also be a sign that she is seeing other guys. However, she might just be busy, annoyed with you or she might not like texting much.
Since there are a number of reasons why a girl might reply to your messages with one word it is important to consider the context of how she does it and the body language that she shows you when she is around you.
By doing so you’ll be able to get a better understanding of why she would reply to you with one word and the way that she feels about you.
Reasons why a girl will reply with one word
Each of the different reasons why a girl will reply to you with one word will likely come with a number of clues in the way that she interacts with you in person and in the way that she texts you.
Below, I will mention a number of reasons why a girl might reply with one word and the clues to look for.
She isn’t interested in you
The reason that she texts you one word could be that she is not interested in you anymore.
If she texted you one-word answers from the start then it could be that she gave you her number because she didn’t want to say no. If she initially replied with more enthusiasm and she has slowly begun to reply with shorter replies then it could be that she was initially interested but she isn’t anymore.
If she isn’t interested then it would be likely that she would not initiate any conversation, that she wouldn’t agree to hang out and that she would take a long time to reply.
It would also be likely that she would show signs of not being interested when you’re with her in person.
These signs could include:
- Smiling at the mouth but not beside the eyes
- Pointing her feet away from you
- Having tight lips when you’re talking
- Looking away from you often
- Avoiding eye contact
- Distancing herself from you
- Crossing her arms when she sees you
- Giving you short replies in person
- Not asking you any questions
She is seeing other guys
The reason that she gives you one-word answers could be that she is more interested in other guys.
If that is the case then it would also be likely that she would not agree to hang out or that she would often give excuses not to at the last minute. It would also be likely that she would show a lack of interest in person.
She might also be more responsive to you at certain times but not at others and she might avoid talking to you when certain guys are around.
She is busy
She might be giving you one-word answers because she doesn’t have the time to have a conversation with you.
If that is the case then she would be more likely to text you longer replies at certain times when she is less busy.
If she is interested in you she would also be likely to continue the conversation when she can and to agree to hang out with you when you suggest to.
She is annoyed with you
The reason that she gives you one-word replies could be that she is annoyed with you.
If she is then it would be likely that you would have had an argument at around the same time that she started to give you one-word replies. It might also be that you did something that she didn’t like or that she thought that you did at around the same time that she started to give you one-word replies.
If she is annoyed with you then it would be less likely that she would want to hang out with you and that she would initiate the conversation with you.
It would also be likely that she would show signs of being annoyed with you when she is with you in person.
These signs could include:
- Squinting when looking at you
- Tensing her jaw when looking at you
- Hiding her lips when looking at you
- Crossing her arms when she sees you
- Pointing her feet away from you
- Standing further away from you
She is doing it on purpose
Sometimes girls will reply with one-word answers or take a long time to reply on purpose so as not to seem overly interested.
If it is the case that she is actually interested in you then it would be likely that she would always reply to you eventually, initiate the conversation at times and that she would agree to hang out with you.
It would also be likely that she would show signs of being attracted to you when she is with you in person.
These signs could include:
- Having more dilated pupils than normal
- Holding prolonged eye contact with you
- Standing closer to you when talking to you than she does with other people
- Pointing her feet at you
- Ventilating her hair when she sees you
- Brushing her hair to the side when she sees you
- Playing with her hair with her palms facing you
- Sitting or standing with a straighter posture when she sees you
- Uncrossing her arms when she sees you
- Adjusting her appearance when she sees you
- Laughing and looking to see if you’re also laughing
- Mirroring your body language
It’s important to note that she might show a single one of these signs for a number of different reasons making it difficult to accurately tell why she would be showing it. But, if she shows multiple body language signs of attraction then it would be much more likely that she actually is.
You have been messaging her too much
It could be the case that you have been messaging her too much.
If you have been sending her lots of messages without her replying inbetween then it would be likely that she would be starting to get annoyed with it.
If that is the case then it would be likely that she would text you much less than you text her and that she would show signs of being annoyed with you in person. In this case, it would probably be worthwhile to reduce how much you message her.
She doesn’t like to message people
It might be the case that it’s normal for her to give one-word answers to everyone when texting.
If that is the case then it would be likely that she would also do it with her other friends and that she would show interest when she is with you in person. It would also be likely that she would agree to meet up with you when you suggest to.
She finds your conversations to be boring
The reason that she gives you one-word replies could be that she finds the conversation to be boring or that she doesn’t enjoy small talk.
If that is why she gives short replies then it would be likely that she would reply to her friends in different ways and that her conversations with her friends would involve different topics. It would also be likely that she would show a lack of interest in person.
Consider how she reacts to seeing you
When trying to understand why she gives you short replies and the way that she feels about you it would be helpful to consider the way that she reacts to you in person.
If she noticeably changes her body language and behavior when she sees you then it would be more likely that she has good or bad feelings about you depending on the way that she changes it.
If she reacts to seeing you by:
- Uncrossing her arms
- Brushing her hair to the side
- Ventilating her hair
- Smiling
- Raising her eyebrows
- Holding eye contact
- Having more dilated pupils
- Pointing her feet at you
Then it would be more likely that she has positive feelings towards you and that she gives one-word replies because she either does it on purpose, she’s busy or that she doesn’t enjoy texting.
Whereas, if she reacts to seeing you by doing things such as:
- Crossing her arms
- Squinting
- Pointing her feet away from you
- Avoiding eye contact
- Tensing her jaw
- Tightening her lips
- Distancing herself from you
Then it would be more likely that she gives you one-word replies because she is either annoyed with you or because she is not interested in you.
Consider how she interacts with other people
Another useful thing would be to consider how her interactions when other people are different to how she is with you.
If she also texts other people one-word replies but she shows more interested body language around you than she does with her friends then it could be that she naturally replies one-word answers but she is still interested in you.
Whereas, if she texts her other friends more and she shows more positive body language around her friends then it would be likely that she is not interested in you.
Consider what she does text you
It would also be useful to consider the types of things that she does text you.
If she often texts you more positive things, she asks you questions often through messaging you and she agrees to hang out with you then it would be more likely that she is interested in you.
Whereas, if she takes a long time to reply, she gives you negative replies a lot and she does not agree to hang out then it would be much more likely that she is not interested in you.
Consider multiple aspects of her body language
It is important not to judge a single body language signal by itself when considering what her body language is showing.
This is because she might show a single body language sign for many different reasons making it difficult to accurately tell why she is showing it.
Whereas, she would be more likely to show multiple body language signs that suggest the same thing for that specific reason.
Related
What does it mean when a girl replies with short answers? It would likely mean that she is not interested in you especially if she shows signs of not being interested when you are with her in person. It could also be that she is annoyed with you, busy, she doesn’t like texting much or she might be doing it on purpose.
If you want to learn more about body language, a book I would recommend would be The Definitive Book of Body Language (on Amazon). It shows you how to interpret body language and understand people’s true intentions.
Nowadays, dating is more competitive than it’s ever been — download this free report to learn 6 proven skills to stand apart & succeed in the modern dating world.
So ladies, let’s suppose you are out at the market when a guy you find attractive approaches you and starts a conversation, and it goes something like this:
Guy: “Are you having a good day?”
You: “Yes.”
Guy: “What are you having for lunch?”
You: “A sandwich.”
Guy: “Do you like sandwiches?”
You: “Yes.”
This was probably about as painful to read as it would be for the poor guy trying to get this conversation going. The point I’m trying to illustrate with this hypothetical is this: You need to stop giving one word answers.
It’s funny, because I get complaints about this from guys all the time. I hear over and over again about how they will finally approach a woman who has been looking at them for the last two hours, then when they try to initiate a conversation with her she will keep just giving these one word answers.
You can’t create a conversation with someone who only responds with one word answers. It’s impossible, because you are providing no information from which someone can work off of to keep a conversation going.
If you answer a man’s question with a one word answer, then at a minimum also respond with a follow-up question. If I ask you if you are enjoying your day and you answer “yes,” then at least add on something like “How about you?” or “Are you enjoying your day?”
See how simple that is to do?
If a guy in a coffee house asks you if that is your favorite coffee house, instead of responding with just “no”as your answer, try following that up with something like “I like the one on 5th and Main a lot better because it has my favorite kind of coffee.”
By giving one word answers, you’re not giving any conversation back to a guy. You’re not giving any bits of information from which the guy can work to build a conversation with you.
Whether you give one word answers because you’re nervous around a guy or for some other reason, the fact is that if do that then he is going to walk away . . . and he will do so seeing you as the “one word answer” kind of girl. If you are a “one word answer” kind of girl, you need to start giving guys who approach you and try to start a conversation a little more information to help him communicate with you better.
I have found that a lot of women are “one word answer” women and will do this. Even if they are attracted to and interested in a guy, they will still give only the one word answers when he tries to initiate a conversation with her.
What is unbelievable is that after the guy will walk away from her, this same woman will go back to her friends perplexed about why the guy walked away and say “I don’t know what happened. I tried to talk to him but he wouldn’t talk.” The truth, of course, is that it was she who wouldn’t talk.
So the next time you catch yourself giving one word answers when you’re talking to a guy, try to add a question or a statement on to your answer. If you and I were talking, you could do it in this way:
David: “So are you the type of woman who gives one word answers?”
You: “Yes. I’d really like to stop doing that right now though.”
See that can lead to a conversation, because I’d then look at you and be able to get a real conversation going:
David: “Really? Why do you want to stop giving one word answers?”
You: “Because, David, I want to meet some great men and I’m sick of losing the opportunity to meet great men because I always only give one word answers.”
David: “Well, what type of men do you like?”
The conversation would keep building from there. You can see how by getting rid of the one word answers that a conversation was able to be developed.
So, now, it’s time for you to get rid of the use of one word answers in your conversations with men for good. Go out there and practice and pretty soon it’ll be easy for you to do it every day.
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