Waiting around for his text back can be so annoying. You check your phone what feels like every few minutes, only to be met with disappointment each time. But then, suddenly, your phone lights up with a new message. He finally texted back! Now the question is…what do you say?
A clever, confident response can totally shift the dynamic back in your favor. Below I’ve put together over 30 ways to respond when he finally texts you back after ghosting you or taking forever to reply. You’ll find funny comebacks, flirty responses, savage lines, and more – take your pick!
Okay, now onto the good stuff! Here are over 30 ways you could respond when he finally messages after ghosting you or taking forever to text back:
30 Clever Responses When He Finally Texts You Back
“I was starting to think you got abducted by aliens 👽 Glad you’re back down to earth!” Play it off like you assumed some crazy scenario must be keeping him busy.
“Wow, it lives! 🙀” A funny and sarcastic way to point out that it’s been way too long since you last heard from him.
“New phone, who dis?” Pretend you don’t even remember who he is after all this time.
“Sorry was in the middle of something. What’s up?” Act like you’re too busy to just be waiting around for his message.
“Oh hey! Long time no chat. You doing ok?” Kill ‘em with kindness and force him to explain the long gap.
“I was starting to think you met somebody new!” Make him re-assure you that’s not the case.
“Had to make sure my ringer was still on – haven’t heard it in awhile!” Draw extra attention to how you haven’t heard from him at all lately.
“Was just about to delete our chat. Change my mind…” Challenge him to say something interesting enough to keep you interested after ignoring you.
“Who’s this? Refresh my memory…” Pretend his name doesn’t even look familiar after all this time not talking.
“New year, new you – finally ready to act right?” Call out the unacceptable gap in messaging.
“Wow. I was starting to think I dreamt you up!” Be overly dramatic about the extremely long time since his last text.
“I didn’t recognize your name at first. It’s been 84 years…” Quote Titanic to emphasize how incredibly long it’s been.
“I figured you got caught up talking to all your other girls.” Make him work to reassure you you’re special.
“I swear my phone died for like a month. What’d I miss?” Sarcastically act oblivious about the stretch of silence.
“I’m surprised my phone even still has your number saved!” Drive home the point one last time that he let way too much time pass without messaging you.
“I was starting to think you got abducted by aliens 👽 Glad you’re back down to earth!” Play it off like you assumed some crazy scenario must be keeping him busy.
“Wow, it lives! 🙀” A funny and sarcastic way to point out that it’s been way too long since you last heard from him.
“New phone, who dis?” Pretend you don’t even remember who he is after all this time.
“Sorry was in the middle of something. What’s up?” Act like you’re too busy to just be waiting around for his message.
“Oh hey! Long time no chat. You doing ok?” Kill ‘em with kindness and force him to explain the long gap.
“I was starting to think you met somebody new!” Make him re-assure you that’s not the case.
“Had to make sure my ringer was still on – haven’t heard it in awhile!” Draw extra attention to how you haven’t heard from him at all lately.
“Was just about to delete our chat. Change my mind…” Challenge him to say something interesting enough to keep you interested after ignoring you.
“Who’s this? Refresh my memory…” Pretend his name doesn’t even look familiar after all this time not talking.
“New year, new you – finally ready to act right?” Call out the unacceptable gap in messaging.
“Wow. I was starting to think I dreamt you up!” Be overly dramatic about the extremely long time since his last text.
“I didn’t recognize your name at first. It’s been 84 years…” Quote Titanic to emphasize how incredibly long it’s been.
“I figured you got caught up talking to all your other girls.” Make him work to reassure you you’re special.
“I swear my phone died for like a month. What’d I miss?” Sarcastically act oblivious about the stretch of silence.
“I’m surprised my phone even still has your number saved!” Drive home the point one last time that he let way too much time pass without messaging you.
Also Read: How to Respond to “SMH”: 30+ Flirty, Witty And Savage Responses
Funny Responses
When he finally messages after ages, humor can help take the edge off. Poke a little fun at the situation with a funny comeback. Here are 10 examples:
- I was about to file a missing persons report! Where ya been?
- Wowww look who decided to show up. The ghost of boyfriends past! 👻
- Oh good, you’re alive. I was this close to trying a séance.
- I figured you’d gone off the grid to join a circus or something.
- Hmm well this is a blast from the past!
- pokes message I wanted to make sure you were real and not just a bot.
- Did you go underground as a secret agent or something?
- Thought maybe you got stuck on a deserted island all this time!
- Who are you again? My contacts got erased.
- I assumed you’d been abducted by aliens. So what really happened?
Savage Responses
If you feel like getting a little sassy or throwing some shade, these savage replies deliver:
- Sorry, do I know you?
- Wow, only took you a week and a half this time. Improvement! 👏
- I give slow responders one more chance before I move on…
- You must’ve bought more text minutes on that low balance plan huh
- Hmm I think I vaguely remember you from somewhere
- This conversation expired. Please try again never.
- New year, new you I guess? 🙄
- I assumed you lost your phone…for a month.
- I delete inactive chats after 2 weeks. Making an exception…
- I’d say welcome back but uh, no.
Also Read: 30+ Responses When Someone Says “I’m Hungry”: Flirty, Witty and Savage Comebacks
Flirty Responses
If you want to keep things playful and let him back in your good graces, a cute flirty text could work:
- If you wanted my attention again, congrats it worked
- I was starting to think my charm had scared you off
- I’d ask what you’ve been up to but I’ve kinda been distracted wondering if you were gonna text…
- This is a lovely surprise
- Yay he lives! I was hoping I’d hear from you again 😏
- I was just talking about you the other day and was hoping you’d reach out
- I was just about to text asking if you wanted to meet up soon!
- Oh good, does this mean date #2 is finally happening?
- Hey stranger! Long time no chat, miss me yet? 😜
- Was starting to think you’d made me up. This is a nice surprise!
10 Editor’s Choice Best Responses
1. “New phone, who dis?”
Pretending you don’t remember who he is calls out the ridiculous ghosting in a playful way.
When to use: Use this if you want to keep things light and give him a funny way back into conversation.
When NOT to use: May come across overly harsh if you’re hoping to pick back up where you left off.
2. “Sorry, do I know you?”
This extra savage response takes the classic “new phone, who dis” line even further.
When to use: Use this if you’re feeling sassy and want to make him work extra hard to get your attention again.
When NOT to use: Avoid if you actually want to continue talking to this person. May seriously offend some.
3. “I was starting to think you met somebody new!”
Making him reassure you plays hard to get while also calling out the inappropriate gap in replies.
When to use: Use when you want confirmation he’s still interested but in a playful way.
When NOT to use: May come across accusatory – avoid if you want to pick up conversation casually.
Also Read: How to Respond to Pick-up Lines: 30+ Flirty, Witty And Savage Responses
4. “I give slow responders one more chance…”
Giving him an “ultimatum” puts you back in control while still leaving room for conversation to continue.
When to use: Use if you’re ready to walk away unless he steps it up. Makes him work for your attention.
When NOT to use: Avoid if you want to ease back into talking with no pressure.
5. “Was just about to delete our chat. Change my mind…”
Challenge him to say something interesting enough to redeem himself and keep your attention.
When to use: Use if you’re tempted to just delete the conversation and want to give him one final shot.
When NOT to use: May come off overly harsh if hoping to continue chatting casually.
6. “Did you go underground as a secret agent or something?”
Sarcastically asking what could possibly explain weeks of silence calls out the ridiculousness but leaves room for a real explanation too.
When to use:Use if you want a humorous response that also prompts an answer for why he ghosted.
When NOT to use: Avoid if you would rather not directly address the gap in communication.
7. “Oh good, does this mean date #2 is finally happening?”
Bringing up meeting again flips the script so the ball is in his court to make more plans.
When to use: Use if you want to remind him of plans he likely forgot about and nudge him to set a date.
When NOT to use: Avoid if there were no solid plans – could come across overly eager.
8. “I was starting to think my charm had scared you off”
A cute, flirty response that pokes fun while showing you’re confident he was the one missing out.
When to use: Use when you want to re-establish a playful, positive tone. Leaves room for him explain why he actually ghosted.
When NOT to use: Avoid if you want something more direct calling out the ghosting.
9. “Wow only took you a week and a half this time. Improvement!”
The sarcasm calls out his behavior, while the “improvement” line offers hope.
When to use: Use if a pattern of slow replies has been an ongoing issue but you’re willing to give him another chance to correct it.
When NOT to use: Avoid if you want a softer re-entry into conversation.
10. “This is a lovely surprise”
Warm and positive but with a tinge of surprise that places the ball in his court to explain the long gap.
When to use: Use when you want to re-establish a friendly, open tone but with a subtle call-out of the ghosting.
When NOT to use: Avoid if you prefer a more direct or humorous call-out of why he took so long to message again.
How to Reply to a Girl Who Just Texted Back
If the person who texted you is a girl you’ve been talking to, the same rules apply! You still want to respond in a way that playfully calls out the delay and helps you regain the upper hand. When she finally messages you back after an absurdly long wait, try saying:
- Well hey there stranger!
- I had to do a double take…my phone never lights up anymore!
- I wasn’t sure if you’d vanished into thin air or what!
- I thought you’d been kidnapped or something. Where ya been? 🤨
- Oh wow, good to hear from you again finally!
- I assumed maybe you’d lost your phone or got stranded on a deserted island. This is a nice surprise!
- For a minute there I thought I had a wrong number or something.
The key is keeping things casual and a tad playful but with a clear (yet subtle) call-out that she took way, way too long to hit you back up. Give her just enough sass to make her realize she needs to step up her text game going forward!
What to Say if Someone Ghosts You Then Returns
Getting “ghosted” when you’re casually dating or texting someone refers to when they suddenly disappear without warning. One day you’re chatting and making plans, the next…it’s radio silence, and they seem to have vanished into thin air. Rude!
But then, sometimes out of the blue, that ghost comes back from the dead! They finally text you again after weeks or even months with some silly excuse of being “busy” or a half-hearted apology that “time got away” from them. Just no.
In that case, any of the savage responses listed above would work perfectly to call out their behavior in a sly yet sassy way. For example:
- “I assumed you lost your phone…for a month.”
- “I give slow responders one more chance…”
- “Sorry was this message meant for someone else?”
- “I thought maybe we had a bad connection…for the last 6 weeks.”
The key is subtly but firmly making the point that their extreme gap in communication was unacceptable. If they can’t even own up to full on ghosting you, they don’t deserve a warm reception now that they’ve chosen to grace you with their presence again.
Use language implying this is their last chance, you forgot who they even were, or that you simply can’t believe you actually heard from them again after soooo long. Hopefully they get the message loud and clear to not pull another disappearing act!
Conclusion
There you have it – everything you need to cleverly respond and regain the upper hand when his delayed text back finally comes in. Now you can relax knowing exactly what to say when your phone lights up after weeks of radio silence.
Pick your favorite funny, flirty, or savage response from the examples above! Just remember: don’t reply instantly, keep your cool with a casual tone, re-establish confidence in yourself as a prize worth chasing, and have fun calling out the unacceptable gap without coming across as too invested.
Witty yet wise responses give you back power in the conversation so you never have to anxiously await his texts again. Use them as inspiration to craft your own perfect reply when he finally messages once more – because you know he will!
