What Does TTYL Mean From a Girl? All Your Questions Answered

Co-authored by Kristina Mirgorodskaya and Amber Crain

Last Updated: November 16, 2022

Your crush just ended a text conversation with TTYL—but does that mean she literally wants to talk to you later on today, or was she just being polite? Do you wait for her to initiate the next conversation, or should you do it? It's all a bit confusing and we totally get it. To help you decipher her message and figure out what to do next, we did some deep-dive research into what girls typically mean when they say TTYL. We've got the full scoop for you—scroll down to have all of your questions answered!

Things You Should Know

If you've talked to her before or know her well, TTYL probably means she wants to talk to you again. You can initiate the next convo or let her do it.
If you've never had a conversation with her or don't know her well, TTYL may be a polite way to say goodbye. Wait a few days before texting her again.
Respond to her TTYL with something casual and low-key like, "Sounds good," "Cool," or "Looking forward to it."

Section 1 of 6:

What does TTYL mean from a girl?

1
TTYL usually means she’s busy now but she plans to chat with you later. The literal meaning of TTYL is “talk to you later” and when a girl uses it to end a conversation, she probably means exactly that! TTYL implies that she plans on speaking to you again in the future.^{[1]
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- She might text TTYL at night because she's about to go to sleep. She’ll likely be ready to talk again tomorrow, or in the near future, when she has free time.
- Think about what the conversation was like before she said TTYL. If you had a great exchange, it's pretty likely that she wants to continue the chat later.
2
The meaning of TTYL is less clear if you don’t know the girl that well. Most girls use TTYL to end a text or DM with someone they already know or have spoken to before. If you hardly know her or you’ve never communicated with her before, TTYL could just be her way of ending the convo. It doesn’t necessarily mean she expects to talk to you again in the future.
- Consider how long your conversation was. Did you have a meaningful text exchange before she sent TTYL, or did she say TTYL almost immediately?
- If you had a solid chat first, she probably does expect to chat again in the future. If the TTYL was abrupt and immediate, she may not expect to talk to you again.
- If you're unsure, just give it a little time and see if she reaches out to you.

Section 2 of 6:

How to Respond to TTYL from a Girl

You can just say something low-key like “Cool” or “Sounds good!” to keep it light and playful. You don’t necessarily have to respond to TTYL at all, or you can play it cool and go with a super neutral emoji like 👋 or 👍. But if the conversation went well and you want to talk to her again, it’s a good idea to acknowledge her signoff with a farewell of your own. You can even hint that you're looking forward to the next chat. You might say something like:
- ”Can’t wait!”
- ”K talk soon.”
- ”Awesome, I’ll be free after dinner!”

Section 3 of 6:

Who initiates a new conversation after TTYL?

Either of you could initiate the next conversation. If she ends a conversation with TTYL, it doesn't mean she's planning to restart the conversation later on (although she certainly might). TTYL is a pretty neutral and undefined statement. She might initiate the next text or DM at some point in the future when she has time, or you can start a new conversation with her later on.^{[2]
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- If you don’t know her that well yet, consider letting her initiate the conversation. Letting her take the reins has huge benefits. If she starts up the next convo herself, that’s a pretty good sign that she’s interested!

Section 4 of 6:

How long do I wait before messaging her again?

Wait at least 4 hours minimum before texting her again. If you two have an established relationship and pretty much chat every day, it’s probably fine to text her back later that day to see what she’s up to. If you don’t know her that well, though, the “later” in “talk to you later” is a little more vague. Chances are, she didn’t have a specific time frame in mind. Here are a few good rules of thumb when you aren’t sure what to do:
- If you know her well or consider her a friend: wait at least 4 hours.^{[3]
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- If you've chatted before but you don’t know her well: wait 1-2 days.
- If you don’t know her well or you’ve never had a conversation: wait several days or consider letting her reach out first.

Section 5 of 6:

How do I initiate a new conversation after TTYL?

Revive the conversation with a simple hello or a cute meme. You can always go with something super straightforward like, “How are you today?” but if you’re crushing on her, it wouldn’t hurt to go the extra mile to make a connection!^{[4]
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Research source} Here are a few great ways to start a new convo:
- Send her a cute animal picture or funny meme. Everyone appreciates adorable animal pics, so why not start there? Chances are, she’ll respond quickly with “aww” or something similar. Err on the side of caution with memes, though, especially if you don’t know her sense of humor yet.
- Ask her a silly or random question. Aim for something casual that you think she’ll enjoy answering like, “What superpower do you wish you had?” or “Who’s more likely to survive the zombie apocalypse—Harry Styles or Tom Holland?”
- Bring up something from your last conversation. You might say, “Okay, I checked out Stranger Things and you were so right—it's totally awesome,” or “My Spotify playlists need help. What was that band you mentioned last week?”

Section 6 of 6:

What should I do if she keeps saying TTYL?

Give her a little space and let her initiate the next conversation. If you’re having great conversations but she's the one that ends most of them, it’s entirely possible that she’s just super busy. Giving her a chance to start the next conversation shows her that you’re not in a rush. And when she does restart the conversation, you’ll know that she really does want to talk to you.
- If she’s said TTYL multiple times and you’ve never had a conversation with her, she may not be interested in starting a friendship or relationship with you—and that’s okay! It’s hard to know what’s going on in someone’s life, so don’t take it personally. There’s someone else out there for you!