For many of us, texting is a huge part of our lives. It’s a lightning-quick way to communicate with pretty much anyone, no matter where they might be. However, some conversations can take an unexpected turn for the bizarre, hilarious, and even downright cringy. 

We’ve collected some of the most facepalm-worthy text messages that men sent women, as shared on the popular r/texts online community. Scroll down for a crash course on how not to communicate, ever!

We reached out to the friendly team running r/texts, and one of the moderators was kind enough to answer our questions. You'll find what they told Bored Panda below.

#1

Matched With This Guy On Tinder, After Talking To Him On Facetime One Time…. He Sends Me These

Matched With This Guy On Tinder, After Talking To Him On Facetime One Time…. He Sends Me These

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According to Statista, the most popular mobile messenger apps as of January 2024 are WhatsApp (2 billion monthly active users), WeChat (1.3 billion users), Facebook Messenger (979 million users), followed by Telegram (800 million users), Snapchat (750 million users), and QQ (558 million users).

Edison Mail states that text messaging is the preferred mode of communication for most generations, including Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers. It’s only the Silent Generation that overwhelmingly prefers emails and calls to texts. 

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    #2

    Guy I Dated For Less Than A Week Asked Me For Money-Nope!

    Guy I Dated For Less Than A Week Asked Me For Money-Nope!

    911_this_is_J Report

    Bored Panda got in touch with the moderator team behind the popular r/texts subreddit, and a representative was kind enough to tell us about the online group's history.

    “The subreddit started as a place to post phone text message screenshots, as other subreddits didn’t allow them,” they shared what the roots of r/texts were.

    “Eventually, other messaging types were added to the subreddit: Discord, Telegram, Instagram DMs, etc,” the moderator said, adding that the community then “became more about conversations.”

    #4

    I’ve Only Met Up With This Guy A Couple Times Smh

    I’ve Only Met Up With This Guy A Couple Times Smh

    Throwawayyyy9179 Report

    #6

    This Red Flag From A Guy Who Essentially Harassed This Woman With Texts For Days, Then Threw This At Her

    This Red Flag From A Guy Who Essentially Harassed This Woman With Texts For Days, Then Threw This At Her

    svgarysvveet Report

    We were curious to hear about the subreddit's popularity. According to the moderator, r/texts "had massive growth in 2023."

    This happened "due to a change by Reddit that categorized the subreddit and featured the subreddit to users in recommendations." In short, more redditors were able to find the sub and enjoy the comical and bizarre conversations.

    According to the mod, "It's 2024, and more people prefer sending a message over a text medium than ever."

    #7

    This Guy Just Added Me On Snap From A Dating Site Like Ok???

    This Guy Just Added Me On Snap From A Dating Site Like Ok???

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    Sonja
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is negging. Guys who neg try to weed out the self secure girls to find one that's insecure and easy to manipulate. Good guys don't neg.

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    #8

    Messages I Got From A Guy On Wink (An App To Make Friends)

    Messages I Got From A Guy On Wink (An App To Make Friends)

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    StretcherBearer
    Community Member
    6 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's that creepy wolf from the Looney Tunes'. But way grosser

    Upstaged75
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He even tipped a fedora and called her M'lady!??! Nice when they display their creepiness up front so you don't waste any time.

    Jack Smith
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    i have so many questions about that "boioioing, rolls out like carpet" sh*t. what the actual hell

    Natty Tempest
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My entire motivation for continuing contact would be to load up a pvp and frag this twerp out of the server!

    Tobias Reaper
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    the neckbeard is strong with this one powerful nice guy you will become

    Bewitched One
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    According to the original post… it seems like this guy was actually making fun of the people who actually do this seriously. In pic three of the original post on Reddit, he says “wipes giant s**t stain off a*****e” then proceeds to “ask her on an edate” lol

    Kelly H
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This reads more like a joke to me. Not a great joke, but a joke.

    Autumn Artemis
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It’s so specifically in line with the stereotype that I’m wondering if it might be satire…

    That Person
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The constant stereotype that girls are not gamers. I am a major female gamer.

    The Original Bruno
    Community Member
    6 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He's saying that they're relatively rare. If female gamers were more common, finding one wouldn't make the guy lose all cooth. FACT CHECKING MYSELF: OK, it's been ages since I was a gamer. Gamers have gone from 28% female (1990) to 38% female (2002) to 48% female (2022).

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    The Original Bruno
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    BP women: "How dare a friend fall in love with me! It means he never was interested in anything other than sex! If he was attracted to me and didn't say so straight up front, everything in our entire relationship was an absolute lie." Also BP women: "Ugh! He expressed attraction in me before he even got to know me!" Come on, lighten up Franceses, he's referencing Looney Tunes to say that a female gamer is hot. "But wink is for friendship, not romance!" It's called "Wink." If I met a woman who said to me, "I'd like to be friends, *wink,*" I would feel obliged to tell her that I was happily married and would avoid being alone with her.

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    #9

    Guy On Tinder Is Mad At Me For Existing As A Woman

    Guy On Tinder Is Mad At Me For Existing As A Woman

    NoOfficerImNotHigh Report

    Meanwhile, they noted that the r/texts subreddit and the comments section are great places to find out all about the right and wrong ways of using text messages for anyone who's interested. There are tons of examples of what (not) to do!

    Probably the biggest advantage of texting is that it’s instantaneous while also allowing for conversations to take place over long stretches of time. You send whatever you want to say, and then the other person will respond to you when they can. It’s very convenient (e.g., compared to having to listen to voice messages). On top of that, there’s always a written record of the entire conversation in case you want to look up some earlier info.

    In short, unless you’ve set up some fancy auto-deleting parameters, there’s a (digital) paper trail of everything that’s been said. Moreover, texting allows people to take their time, think about, and edit what they want to say before sending the message. That’s not to say that texting is perfect, though. Far from it!

    #10

    This Guy Who Stalked A Girl On Her Instagram Because He Assumed That Her Left Swipe Meant She Was Interested

    This Guy Who Stalked A Girl On Her Instagram Because He Assumed That Her Left Swipe Meant She Was Interested

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    #11

    I (22f) On A First Date With A Guy (23m) And Instead Of Ghosting I Sent This

    I (22f) On A First Date With A Guy (23m) And Instead Of Ghosting I Sent This

    FiatLux2020 Report

    Even with punctuation, emojis, memes, videos, and gifs, it’s very hard to convey tone, mood, and intentions through messages alone. A call or video chat can tell you loads more about how someone’s feeling. It’s more genuine than communicating through words on a screen.

    (Though, some of us still prefer face-to-face communication whenever possible. Body language is super informative! And online communication has no physical aspect to it, aside from you holding your phone.)

    Miscommunication can happen whether you’re speaking to someone in person, on the phone, or texting. Usually, if anything seems unclear, you can simply ask the other person to clarify what they meant. But there’s often this sense of awkwardness when you ask someone to explain themselves over text.

    #13

    Guy I Was Casually Talking To Told Me My Teeth Were Yellow

    Guy I Was Casually Talking To Told Me My Teeth Were Yellow

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    G A
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Isn't this from some pick up book that tells men to insult a woman then offer a compliment her after she gets upset? I'm sure I've seen it on some comedy show?

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    #15

    This Guy Who Boasted To His Ex That He's Talking To One Of The Girls He Was Interested In While They Were Together

    This Guy Who Boasted To His Ex That He's Talking To One Of The Girls He Was Interested In While They Were Together

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    Penguin Panda Pop
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    the "we was together" part made me read this is a London accent. "I bloody loved you when we was togevver. Now you're nuffink to me. Nuffink."

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    Flirting over text alone might not give you an accurate impression of the other person. They might work up a fabulously witty texting game, but in real life, they might be very reserved and awkward.

    Similarly, just because someone isn’t the most charming over text doesn’t mean they’re not charismatic in person. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.

    #16

    Went On One Lunch Date With This Guy Yesterday

    Went On One Lunch Date With This Guy Yesterday

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    #17

    Met This Guy On Facebook Before A Concert And He Quickly Became Clingy

    Met This Guy On Facebook Before A Concert And He Quickly Became Clingy

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    Tara Moov
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Turn that "maybe" to "never" in your contacts, girl.

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    If you want to see whether the person you’re texting with might be a potentially good partner for you, the rule of thumb is to move past the messages ASAP. Hop on a call or video chat to see whether there’s any real attraction there.

    And, of course, even that is no match for meeting them in person. It’s easier to curate your online image than it is to fake your entire personality during dates.

    #19

    5th Time He Has Text Me

    5th Time He Has Text Me

    THROWAWAY-Break9580 Report

    #20

    Guy (30m) From Bumble That I’ve (29f) Talked To For A Week But Haven’t Met Yet Gave Me A “Compliment”

    Guy (30m) From Bumble That I’ve (29f) Talked To For A Week But Haven’t Met Yet Gave Me A “Compliment”

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    #21

    From A Guy Who Wonders Why I Won’t Give Him A Chance

    From A Guy Who Wonders Why I Won’t Give Him A Chance

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    The r/texts community is very popular, ranking among the top 1% of subreddits. At the time of writing, it boasts 406k members. The idea behind the online group is simple: people post screenshots of funny, weird, or random conversations from their smartphones. However, screenshots from your computer aren’t allowed by the moderators running the popular group.

    #23

    Met This Guy In Person A Few Months Ago And Received This

    Met This Guy In Person A Few Months Ago And Received This

    xoxowoman06 Report

    #24

    Guy I Went One Date With 3 Years Ago Hit Me Up Again A Day After I Found A Reel Of His Wedding Invitations

    Guy I Went One Date With 3 Years Ago Hit Me Up Again A Day After I Found A Reel Of His Wedding Invitations

    choose_userbane Report

    The mods also point out that screenshots of single messages aren’t allowed either. There needs to be a conversation between two or more people for you to post about it on r/texts. Facebook or X (formerly Twitter) posts also aren’t allowed. Instead, what internet users should focus on are phone texts, as well as messages on WhatsApp, Discord, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, or Telegram. 

    #25

    Convo With A Guy I Matched With On Hinge

    Convo With A Guy I Matched With On Hinge

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    #26

    Guy From Dating Site

    Guy From Dating Site

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    #27

    What’s Wrong With This Guy?

    What’s Wrong With This Guy?

    Professional-Cup6964 Report

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    Jack Smith
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    okay wait. hold on. HE wants to call HER daddy? or am I reading that wrong?

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    Meanwhile, anyone hoping to be an active member of the group should be careful with what they post. For example, you should not be sharing any personal information in your screenshots. That means no names, usernames, or phone numbers. If they’re in the screenshot, you have to make sure you black them out.

    On top of that, the members of r/texts have to mark their posts if they’re not suitable for viewing at work. There’s also a zero-tolerance approach to hate speech. Moreover, the moderators have the right to remove any post or comment at any time in order to maintain the integrity of the group as a whole.

    #28

    Obsessive Guy After I Went To A Party Without Him

    Obsessive Guy After I Went To A Party Without Him

    ForeverGracelynnXO Report