---
title: "How to Respond to Hey: Openers That Get Replies (Free Generator)"
description: "Tired of getting \"hey\" or \"hi\" on dating apps? Use our free generator to find playful, engaging responses that turn a boring opening into a real conversation."
url: "https://www.flirtandlearn.com/how-to-respond-to-hey"
language: "en"
---

100% Free • Human-Reviewed  How to Respond to "Hey" Without Losing Your Mind  We've all been there—you match with someone, and they just say "hey", giving you absolutely nothing to work with. Instead of matching their low effort, take the wheel and steer the conversation somewhere interesting. The best response is a playful redirect that ignores the boring opener and introduces a fun, easy topic. Try it\! ✨  1 What's your vibe?  Generate Lines  Generated for you  Openers Give me more options  Quick Advice on Responding to "Hey" When someone just messages "hey", it usually means they are casting a wide net, feeling tired of app small talk, or they're simply not great at texting. Instead of overthinking it or feeling insulted, use this as an opportunity to test their conversation skills. Throw out a fun hypothetical question, a playful challenge, or a random observation from their photos. The goal is to make it incredibly easy for them to reply with something substantial. If they engage and step up to the plate, great\! You've successfully rescued the conversation. If they don't, and continue giving you one-word responses, it might be time to move on to someone who puts in more effort, or maybe try out a dating app that encourages better, deeper conversations \(like [comparing the top dating platforms](/go/dating-apps) to find people looking for real connections\). Examples of Great Responses to "Hey" Don't just copy—understand the psychology. "Hey\! I'm taking a poll: is a hotdog a sandwich? This is very important."  Why this works  This completely ignores their 'hey' and launches them right into a fun, low-stakes debate. It forces a more interesting response.  "Hi\! Based on your profile, you look like someone who has strong opinions about pizza toppings. What's your go-to?"  Why this works  You're taking control of the conversation by asking a direct, fun question that references their vibe, making it easy for them to reply.  "Hey back\! Tell me the best thing that happened to you today."  Why this works  A great pivot that turns a boring greeting into a request for a positive story. It shifts the energy immediately.  "Hey\! Quick question to break the ice: what's the worst movie you've ever seen?"  Why this works  Complaining about terrible movies is universally fun. It gives them an instant, easy prompt to answer instead of another 'hey'.  Common Mistakes When Replying to "Hey" Matching Their Energy Replying with just "hey" or "hi" guarantees the conversation will stall out immediately. Being Passive Aggressive Saying "is that the best you can do?" sets a combative tone. Avoid making them feel attacked. Interrogating Them Firing off 5 questions because they didn't ask any can feel overwhelming. Keep it light and easy. Related Scenarios ### [Texting After First Date Keep the momentum going. ](/texting-after-first-date) ### [Tinder Openers Start things right next time. ](/tinder-openers) ### [Hinge Openers Best lines for Hinge prompts. ](/hinge-openers) More Conversation Tools [Bumble Openers](/bumble-openers) [Funny Tinder Openers](/funny-tinder-openers) Frequently Asked Questions Should I just ignore people who only say 'hey'? It's up to you. If you have plenty of matches, maybe. But if you think they're cute and want to give them a shot, a playful redirect is worth a try. Is it passive-aggressive to call them out for a bad opener? Usually, yes. Saying 'is that the best you can do?' sets a combative tone right away. It's better to just lead by example and change the subject. What if they keep giving short answers? If you ask a fun question and they reply with 'lol yeah', they're either not interested or terrible at conversation. Either way, it's time to move on.