We’ve all felt that sting—when you send a text and are met with radio silence, leaving you to question your friendship and even your self-worth. If you’re stuck wondering how to handle being left on read, keep reading.

It’s frustrating when someone reaches out first, but when you reply, you hear nothing back. The struggle is real, and here’s how to tackle it: use sarcasm, throw in some historical references, chat with yourself until the other person finally decides to join the “texting party,” or simply assume they’re so overwhelmed with excitement they can’t reply. Or, you could just practice patience and persistence.

Time has a way of distorting our sense of reality. When you’re happy, it seems to fly by; when you’re angry or sad, it drags on. And when you’re waiting for someone to text you back, it feels like an eternity. The wait for a response is often the hardest.

You might tell yourself that maybe they’re in the bathroom, cooking something, or simply avoiding their phone for the night. But when morning comes and there’s still no reply, you’re left wondering what’s going on. Have they transformed into Sleeping Beauty?

In desperate times, there’s always a backup plan: give them a call! If someone isn’t texting you back, calling them can be a great way to get an answer. If they don’t pick up after hours of silence, they’re either MIA or just not interested in chatting.

So, when someone doesn’t text back, don’t be afraid to call. It’s a straightforward solution and can save you from the endless cycle of wondering, “What could they possibly be doing?”

Luckily, texting has somewhat fallen out of favor, replaced by platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, which show you whether your message has been delivered, read, or simply ignored.

If you’ve ever faced this predicament (and let’s face it, we all have), take a moment to enjoy these 18 clever ways to respond when someone doesn’t text back.

What to say when someone leaves you on read or doesn’t text you back

1. You didn’t reply, it’s cool that you fainted.

2. The sarcastic approach.

3. The guilt trip. You better be writing me a novel.

4. More guilt tripping. People die John. People 

5. Leave her, she is hibernating.

6. Ah can you feel the love.

7. You could go all out emotional like this person.

8. Or make historical references like this.

9. Lyrical genius.

10. Or just start having the conversation you started but without the other person.

11. I was laughing because I thought your thumbs had fallen off…

12. Stalk them on social networking sites to see what they are up to.

13. Blunt but at least they don’t mess about.

14. I guess you did die. What a shame.

15. I’m waiting. Bit*h.

When someone sees your message but doesn’t reply this is what you do

16. This got real so fast, think about that next time you leave someone on read

17. Does this make sense? I mean it kinda does 

18. You could just hit them with the cold harsh truth