How to Reply to "wsg", "wyd" and "hyd"

To respond to "wsg," treat it exactly like "what's up?": send a short update and hand the question back, as in "nm, just got home, wbu?" Sending "wsg" straight back is fine too. WSG stands for "what's good," and Dictionary.com files it as an informal greeting with the same job as "what's up?" or "how's it going?" Its two cousins ask for slightly different things. WYD ("what you doing?") wants to know what you are up to, often because the sender is about to make a plan. HYD ("how you doing?") wants to know how you feel. Answer the question that was actually asked, add one real detail, and finish with "wbu?" or "hbu?" if you want the chat to keep going. Everything below is that rule applied to real situations, with scripts you can copy.

The one-line answer for each

The defaults work with anyone you text casually. You never have to match the slang: "Hey, not much, how are you?" written out in full is a perfectly good answer to all four, and it is the right one for a teacher, a boss or a client.

The reply formula: answer, detail, hand-back

Almost every good reply to a texted greeting has three parts, and you can drop any of them depending on how much you want to talk.

1. Answer the question. For wsg, that is your news or "nothing much." For wyd, what you are doing. For hyd, how you are.
2. Add one specific detail. "Watching the game" gives the other person something to reply to. "Nothing" does not.
3. Hand it back. "wbu?" (what about you), "hbu?" (how about you) or "u?" passes the turn.

How-To Geek gives the same advice for wyd and hyd: keep the reply brief and end with "wbu?" or "hbu?" to invite an answer. The detail is the part most people skip, and it is the difference between a chat that dies at message three and one that keeps going.

First, figure out which kind of message you got

The letters stay the same while the intent changes. Before you reply, look at four things: who sent it, when, what came before it, and the punctuation.

Legit.ng's interview with Dr. Tony Thorne of the Slang and New Language Archive at King's College London makes the same point about "what's good" in speech: it can be a friendly check-in, an invitation to hang out, or, in some delivery, a challenge. Text strips out tone of voice, so context does all the work.

How to reply to "wsg"

Wsg is the loosest of the three. Dictionary.com says the abbreviation seems to have appeared around 2019 or 2020 and spread through TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram; the phrase "what's good" itself comes from African American Vernacular English, according to Thorne. Because it asks for "anything good," there is no wrong category of answer. News, plans, a complaint or the greeting itself all work.

Replies that keep the conversation going

• "nm, just got off work. wbu?"
• "chillin, finally finished that paper. wsg with you"
• "wsg, i was literally about to text you"
• "not much, bored out of my mind. entertain me"
• "all good here. how was the trip?"

The last one is the strongest move if you know something about the other person's life. Asking about their thing instead of a generic "wbu" shows you were paying attention.

Replies that keep it short

• "wsg"
• "nm u"
• "chillin"
• "all good"

Mirroring the greeting is normal. Just know that two-word answers put all the work back on the sender. If you want to talk, add the detail.

wsg from a group chat

"wsg y'all" or "wsg gng" to a group is usually a temperature check before someone proposes a plan. Nobody needs a full update. "wsg" back, a reaction, or "what's the move" is enough, and the last one tells the sender you are open to plans. "wsg twin" is the same greeting aimed at a close friend; reply as you would to "hey bestie."

wsg after a long silence

A wsg from someone who disappeared for months is a reconnect, and it is fine to treat it as one. Some options, from warmest to coolest:

• "omg hiii, it's been forever. how've you been?"
• "wsg stranger. what have you been up to?"
• "hey, good to hear from you. all good here"
• "hey"

If this is someone who went quiet on you while you were dating and now acts like nothing happened, there is a word for it: zombieing, the return after ghosting. You can reply politely without restarting anything ("hey, I'm good, hope you're well") or not reply at all.

wsg from a teacher's or boss's point of view

If a student or junior coworker opens with wsg, they are being friendly, not disrespectful. It is about as casual as "sup." Reply in your own voice: "Hi, all good here. What can I help with?"

How to reply to "wyd"

Wyd is the oldest of the three. How-To Geek dates the first Urban Dictionary definition to 2006, and Know Your Meme says it spread widely on Twitter in the 2010s. Dictionary.com lists three uses: a literal "what are you doing?", a greeting like "what's up?", and a rhetorical jab at someone's choices. Most of the time, a friend's wyd is the first two at once.

A plain check-in

Say what you are actually doing, in a few words, then hand it back.

• "watching a really bad movie, wbu"
• "at the library, dying"
• "just woke up from a nap lol"
• "cooking. you?"

"Nothing" is an honest answer and also a dead end. "nothing, just scrolling" is better because "just scrolling" gives them a thread. And watch "nm": Wiktionary lists it as both "not much" and "never mind," so in a confusing thread it can read as you dropping the subject.

When wyd is a plans check

A wyd with a time attached, like "wyd saturday," almost always means an invitation is next. Answer the time, and signal whether you are free.

• You want to go: "nothing yet, why? what's the plan"
• You might go: "might have a thing, depends. what's up?"
• You can't: "working all day sadly. sunday?"
• You don't want to, kindly: "already have plans, but have fun"

Saying "why?" before committing is a perfectly normal move. It lets them say what they had in mind before you agree to anything.

When you are busy

• "in class, text you after"
• "at work rn, call you at 6?"
• "driving, will reply later"
• "can't talk, lmk if it's urgent"

Naming a time ("after 6") lands better than "later," which can sound like a brush-off.

Late-night wyd

The timing is what changes the meaning. A 1 a.m. wyd from a close friend is probably insomnia. From a crush, someone in your talking stage, or someone you met once, it can be genuine interest or a low-effort hookup feeler, and both Know Your Meme and Dictionary.com note that reputation. You do not have to decode it on the first message. Reply to the literal question and see what comes next.

• You're interested in talking: "lying in bed, can't sleep. wbu?"
• You're interested, but not at 1 a.m.: "about to sleep. text me tomorrow?"
• You're not interested: "sleeping, night" or no reply until morning
• You want to call it out, lightly: "it's 1am lol. what's up?"

If late wyd texts are the only contact you get and plans never happen, that pattern has a name too: breadcrumbing. One wyd is nothing. Months of them are a red flag.

"wyd??" as a reaction

When a friend sends "bro wyd" under a photo of your burnt toast, they are asking why you would do that. Answer the joke, not the question.

• "i don't want to talk about it"
• "it was an experiment"
• "the recipe lied to me"

wyd from your parent

A parent's wyd usually means "where are you and when are you home." Give the logistics: "At Sam's, leaving in 20. Home by 9." Parents writing to teens can skip the slang entirely; "Where are you? Dinner's ready" gets the same result.

How to reply to "hyd"

Hyd asks about you, not your schedule, which is why it tends to feel warmer than wyd. How-To Geek describes it as a way to check on someone's well-being, after an illness or a breakup for example, and dates the first Urban Dictionary definition to 2010. Know Your Meme traces the line "its always wyd and never hyd" to May 2017, a joke about how rarely people ask how you are. When someone does ask, it is worth a real answer.

Pick your honest answer

Adding a reason ("got the job," "long week") is the detail step from the formula. AddictiveTips gives similar advice: share your current mood, end with "hbu?", and say thanks if the person is checking on you after a hard time.

When someone checks on you after something hard

• "thank you for asking. better than last week"
• "honestly still rough, but it helps that you asked"
• "i'm ok. means a lot that you checked"

hyd from a coworker

"Doing well, thanks. Busy week, but good. How about you?" Spell it out. AddictiveTips calls hyd informal slang and advises keeping it out of professional emails, and the same goes for replying with it.

If a friend's answer worries you

Because hyd invites honesty, sometimes the answer is heavier than expected. "not good fr" or "idk anymore" deserves more than "same." Ask a plain follow-up ("do you want to talk? I can call"), and if a friend mentions wanting to hurt themselves, tell a trusted adult. In the US, anyone can call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

The hand-back words: wbu, hbu, nmu and u

These are the little tags that turn a reply into a conversation. Wiktionary records each of them.

A quick note on "nm." Wiktionary lists two meanings: "not much" and "never mind." Right after a greeting it is clearly "not much." Halfway through a conversation, "nm" can mean you are dropping the subject, so spell it out if there is any doubt.

Replies by relationship: copy-and-send scripts

Notice that the crush column asks something back that is specific to tonight. That is the easiest way to move a "wsg" into an actual plan. If you want to sound relaxed rather than eager, short and unhurried replies read as calm; trying to sound uninterested on purpose usually just reads as uninterested.

Replies to skip

• "k" or a single emoji with nothing else. It reads as annoyed even when you are not.
• "nothing" and nothing else. It is honest, and it ends the conversation. Add a detail or a question.
• Your address, school or schedule to a stranger. A stranger's wyd is not owed a real answer.
• Matching slang you don't normally use. Writing "wsg gng" to your kid's friend lands as forced. Your own words are fine.
• Answering a different question. Replying to "hyd" with "at the mall" is a little off, though nobody will be upset. Saying how you are and then where you are covers both.

Leaving a casual wsg unanswered for a while is not rude by itself. Greetings do not come with deadlines, and "sorry, just saw this, wsg" a few hours later is completely normal.

Strangers, safety and when not to reply

A wsg or wyd from an account you do not recognize is common on Snapchat and Instagram, and the message itself is harmless. The useful questions are who sent it and what comes next.

• Fine to ask: "hey, who's this?" or "do I know you?"
• Fine to ignore: any greeting from someone you have never met.
• Time to block: if the next message is wyll ("what you look like"), asl in its "age, sex, location" sense, a request for photos, or a push to move to another app.

Parents: a teen who gets a wsg from a stranger has not done anything wrong, and neither has the stranger yet. What matters is the pattern after it. The teen text codes guide explains which follow-up messages are worth a calm conversation.

Printable cheat sheet

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What they are asking

The formula: answer + one detail + "wbu?" / "hbu?"

Five replies that work for almost anyone

1. "not much, wbu?"
2. "just [doing X], you?"
3. "good, [one reason]. hbu?"
4. "busy rn, text you at [time]"
5. "hey, who's this?" (for numbers you don't know)

Handy add-ons: lmk (let me know), hmu (hit me up), bet (OK, deal), atp (at this point), icl (I can't lie), lowkey (kind of, a little), ily (I love you, for family and close friends).

For dozens more short forms, see the texting abbreviations A-Z or the large-print texting abbreviations for grandparents. If a reply comes back and you still can't tell what it means, paste it into the Gen Z translator.

Key takeaways

• Wsg means "what's good" and works like "what's up." Reply with a quick update, or wsg back, and add "wbu?" if you want to keep talking.
• Wyd asks what you are doing. With a day or time attached, it is a plans check, so answer whether you are free.
• Hyd asks how you feel. A short honest answer plus "hbu?" is the standard reply.
• One specific detail keeps a chat alive; "nothing" or "k" ends it.
• Context changes meaning: a late-night wyd, a "WYD??" reaction and a stranger's wsg each call for a different reply.
• You never need to match the slang. A plain, full-sentence reply is always acceptable.

FAQ

Is it rude to reply "wsg" to "wsg"?

No. Sending the greeting back is a normal answer and means "hey, what's up with you." It does leave the next move to the other person, so if you want the conversation to go somewhere, add something: "wsg, just got back from practice."

How do you respond to wsg on Snapchat?

The same way as in a text: "nm, wbu?" or a quick update. On Snapchat a wsg often arrives as a reply to your story, so answering about the story ("lol yeah that was at the lake") is the most natural move. If you don't know the account, "who's this?" is a fine first reply.

How do you make a reply to wyd flirty without overdoing it?

Answer honestly, then turn the question toward them with something specific: "just got home, kinda bored. what are you doing later?" It shows interest without guessing at what they meant. If a crush only ever texts wyd late at night and never makes plans, take note of the pattern.

What do I say when someone asks hyd and I'm not okay?

You can be honest without telling the whole story: "not great tbh, can we talk later?" works with a close friend. With someone you don't know well, "hanging in there, thanks for asking" is honest and private. If you are struggling, reach out to someone you trust, and in the US you can call or text 988 any time.

What's the difference between wsg, wyd and hyd?

Wsg asks what's good, so any news counts. Wyd asks what you are doing right now, often because the sender wants to make a plan. Hyd asks how you feel. All three are casual greetings, and all three are safe words with nothing rude in them.

Should I use a question mark?

Optional. Most people send these openers without one, and replies like "nm wbu" usually skip it too. A question mark can make a hyd read a little more sincere, and extra question marks on "wyd??" turn it into a reaction to something you did.