Whether you’re on Tinder, and any other dating app, to hook up or to find your epic love story, you’ve got to break the ice with some kind of a conversation starter first. And is there any other good conversation starter than a nice and juicy pickup line?
Pickup lines come in all shapes and sizes, and depending on the situation and the person you’re talking to, they can be hit-and-miss. What’s appealing to some might be disgusting and sexist to others, it’s just important to keep trying.
There’s really no one-size-fits-all pickup line, so it’s in your best interest to stay creative, keep trying different approaches, and find what works for you. It’s a cruel dating world out there, but don’t give up, it’s bound to work out eventually.
So let’s check out some awesome pickup lines that can work wonders for you, and get you on that darn date you’ve been waiting for.
Simple
“Two truths and a lie. Go!”
Pickup lines that start the conversation off with a game are usually fun and encourage a response. They make people think about what they should say, and they’ll have something to ask you back. You’re not as likely to get stuck in an infinite loop of interrogation-like conversation where all you do is ask questions, and all they do is give you short answers.
Keeping it simple with just a nice introduction is also a good option. Especially if you’re new to dating apps and sites, and you’re still not sure how things work on them. Starting off with a simple “Hi, I’m so-and-so. Nice to meet you” can be just as effective as any pickup line. Just be sure to have some follow up questions or messages if you get a “u 2” response.
Ask them about their day or plans for the weekend, and offer some info about what you’re up to. Not everyone will respond to simple messages like these, but many ladies have seen enough of sleezy comments and dick pics, and this will make them more interested in talking to you.
Flattering
“Are you a parking ticket? Cause you have fine written all over you.”
Have you ever met a woman who doesn’t like hearing compliments? I don’t really think so. With a nice compliment, you can boost her confidence, make her feel attractive and sexy. But just as long as you keep it classy.
While you’re browsing through her pictures, try to find something that makes her stand out. “You have beautiful eyes” or “Your smile is just so sexy” are very common pickup lines, and you’ll just be swimming in the sea of other guys saying the same thing. So see if she has unique curly hair, or freckles on her shoulders and cute dimples in her cheeks, then say something nice about that.
It’s not just about her physical characteristics by the way. If she has a picture with a book in it, or a band T-shirt in one of her profile pics, compliment her taste. You’ll have something to bond over and talk about and it will increase your chances of getting a response.
Cliché
“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”
Now this one might be too much, it’s a bit overused, and not so interesting anymore. But don’t be afraid to use clichés when necessary. Such lines became clichés because they worked, and the worst thing that could happen is that the person will just ignore you.
And sometimes cliché pickup lines are so bad, they might just actually work.
Such overused lines can be humorous, and you can use that to your advantage. Silly lines with just enough charm and humor behind them can work for anyone, and on anyone.
Use them as ice breakers, though, not really as conversation topics, and you’ll probably get a giggle and a “lol is that the best you’ve got”, and then just work your magic from there.
“Is your name Wi-Fi? Because I’m really feeling the connection.”
“Hi, my name’s so-and-so, but you can call me Tonight.”
“If looks could kill, you’d be a weapon of mass destruction.”
“I hope you know CPR because you’re taking my breath away.”
“Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only Ten I See.”
Humorous
“Are you makeup? Because I could use más Kara.”
“Roses are red, violets are plants, what are you wearing under your pants.”
You know that Marilyn Monroe quote: “If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything.” Well, that’s not really so far from the truth. Funny pickup lines, especially when you use puns that incorporate the other person’s name, can leave a really nice impression and can show your good sense of humor.
Be careful though, you don’t want to be disrespectful. Everyone has a different sense of humor, but as long as your pickup lines are creative and witty, you’ll get a response.
Humorous and direct pickup lines show confidence and wit, and if you’re looking for an outgoing, energetic girl, this might be your way of peaking her interest. Studies have shown that extroverted women prefer such lines, so kudos to you.
If you send such a pickup line to a shy and introverted lady, however, she’s more likely to find it too aggressive or even offensive, so you probably won’t be scoring anything with her.
Direct
Whether you’re looking for a hookup or a relationship, being direct is often your best option. Clear and open communication right from the start is your way in. Not everyone appreciates it, and you’ll probably be rejected more than once, but it’s better than wasting your time with the people who are not interested in the same things as you.
If you’re just looking for a casual one-night stand, sending a simple “Hey, you DTF?” will allow you to find the right person for it sooner. It’s unnerving sending a message worded quite like this, but the ladies out there who are interested in a similar kind of arrangement would appreciate the honesty.
On the other hand, there’s no better way to start a relationship with someone than with a traditional date invite. “Hey, you seem cute. Would you like to go out for drinks with me sometime?” can work wonders for you.
Yeah, it’s scary being so upfront about everything with a person you don’t even know, but I’d say it’s scarier just wasting your time and energy playing around and coming up empty handed when you eventually realize you’re not really a good match.
Flippant
Sexually charged and flippant pickup lines will not work for you if you’re looking for a serious thing. However, finding a good hookup with a similar sense of humor and similar interests will be a breeze with this approach.
While you might come off as less trustworthy and intelligent, flippant pickup lines will make you seem more confident, funny, and sociable. And when girls are looking for something casual, these traits, together with physical attractiveness and chemistry, are extremely valued.
Just remember to still show respect, don’t let your pickup lines seem chauvinistic. Also, don’t be clingy. If a person doesn’t respond to your first message, they sure as hell won’t respond to the 101st, so learn how to leave the conversation gracefully.
Two messages are more than enough to give another person a chance to respond to you, so if they don’t, the best thing you can do is say something like “Hope we match again!”, and then move on.
Learn how to understand others’ boundaries as well. If they’re trying to change the topic, allow them to. If people feel uncomfortable talking with you through messages, they won’t agree to meet up with you.
Innocuous
Women searching for long-term relationships find innocuous pickup lines more appealing. They leave the impression of a trustworthy and intelligent person.
Because such pickup lines are not aggressive, more women are likely to respond to them. The single most effective pickup line might be a simple “Hey, how are you?” It’s not invasive, it’s not offensive, and it shows your interest in learning about them.
Once the other person starts responding to your messages, you can move on to more personal topics about their interests and hobbies, their likes and dislikes. And if you hit it off, you can smoothly ask them out and encourage a deeper and more meaningful conversation face to face.
If you want to get to know someone better, good and interesting questions could be:
- What does your typical day look like?
- Have you seen any nice movies recently?
- How do you like to spend your weekends?
These types of questions can let you know if your personalities and interests really match, and you’ll know if it would be a good idea for you two to get together.
Metaphorical
“Hey girl, are you a sound argument? Because you satisfy me philosophically.”
It’s suggested that human traits like language, music, and humor developed as a product of sexual selection. So, a creative, metaphorical pickup line as a sign of intelligence can be especially arousing for some women. A creative pickup line can give insight into a person’s way of thinking, and you’ll quickly learn whether both of you are on the same page.
A well put-together metaphorical pickup line will spark a person’s interest, and you’ll stand out from all the other guys who just keep saying how sexy a girl is.
So instead of saying how sexy her curves are, you might be better off with a “your eyes are like melted chocolate”, or “your hair looks like a golden waterfall”.
Nerdy
You can absolutely geek out with your pickup lines, and still get that date. Intelligent, nerdy pickup lines can be super sexy. Most ladies are tired of hearing about their bra sizes and thick booties, and when you use a funny, nerdy pickup line, you’re implying that there’s more to her than meets the eye.
She’ll feel more appreciated for her brains, and you’ll definitely stand out from the crowd of guys just talking about her appearance.
And when you find someone who responds to your nerdy line with another one of their own, well, it’s a match made in heaven. A witty back and forth will be memorable for the both of you, and you can connect over your love for all things geek.
So use your tech knowledge, and combine it with some wit.
“You can unzip my files any time.”
“Are you a carbon sample? Cause I want to date you.”
“You’re sweeter than 3.14.”
Respectful
“How would you like to meet my mother in 2 to 3 months?”
Pickup lines can be a bit iffy and not everyone responds well to them… or at all. But you’ll have the highest chances of success if you show some respect. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a hookup, a friend with benefits, a love, being disrespectful will get you nowhere.
No one likes being offended or being treated like a piece of meat, whichever pickup line you choose to use, use it nicely.
Funny and bluntly sexual pickup lines are usually the ones where people forget they’re talking to an actual human being. These pickup lines can be made so much better if you show some common courtesy, and they’ll get you higher response rates.
So refrain from using offensive language, and when someone lets you know they’re not enjoying the conversation, respect their boundaries.
You know how important first impressions are when meeting someone new, well your pickup lines are what people will judge you by on Tinder and other dating apps. Think of them as your advertisements, and use them to show someone what you’re like.
For a pickup line to be the most effective it can, you should remember to be respectful, creative, and have a good sense of humor. But the most important thing to keep in mind is that you should just be yourself. Happy dating!
Tinder-Specific
“You don’t know how many times I had to swipe left to find you!”
If you are using Tinder specifically, it may be a good idea to turn it to your advantage. You can do this in many ways and it’s hard to get it wrong. No matter what you say, you’ll leave a great first impression and make her remember you. The goal, after all, is to stand out.
Not all the pickup lines have the same value and there even may come a time when you’ll have doubt in your pickup line. If you think that the pickup line of your choice is maybe overused or that it’s not fit for the person you are trying to impress, you can always try something different. Here are some other examples.
“You must be a small amount of red phosphorus and I must be a tiny wooden stick… Because we’re a match.”
“They say Tinder is a numbers game… so can I get your number?”
“Do you believe in love at first swipe?”
The main thing to do here is not to get stuck on one of these lines. You’ll have to estimate which line is best for which girl and plan accordingly. Does her profile show her to be a fun-loving party animal or does she look serious and reserved? Silly puns won’t work on everyone. All the same, deep, smart jokes are also not everyone’s cup of tea so you’ll have to think it through.
Even though these are only two ends of the spectrum, you can always tell a lot about a girl based on her profile. Use this so you can choose the most appropriate pickup line.
Cocky
“What’s a smart, attractive, young man like myself doing without your number?”
Nobody likes pretentious and arrogant people. There is not but, there is no discussion, nobody likes them. However, confident people are a much different story. They are always perceived as successful and sexy, but it’s a fine line between confident and arrogant.
With this kind of pickup line, you have to be sure to have a strong follow-up. You can’t just send it and expect things to go your way because there are two possible outcomes. The first one is she doesn’t like it, game over, there is nothing you can do about it. The second outcome, however, is much more interesting. Yes, you guessed it – she likes your pickup line.
Even though this is what you were hoping for, the real game is only beginning. Chances are she’ll giggle a bit when she receives a message from you, but she’ll quickly turn to counter-attack.
She’ll send you a message so humorous, so cunning that you’ll have no other choice but to fight back. All this attacking and fighting is figurative, of course. It’s a game where you can both win, and if you make her see it that way, you’ll both have a great time.
The One For Blue-Eyed Girls
“No wonder the sky is gray today, all the blue is in your eyes.”
It’s not all fine and dandy for the blue-eyed ladies out there. You’d think it’s easy for them, but can you only imagine how many eye-related pickup lines they’ve heard in their lifetime? If you think you can, you’re probably wrong.
This means that they’ve heard most of these pickup lines hundreds of times, which doesn’t mean that there aren’t any good ones. Like always, all you have to do is be creative and try a different approach.
You can pitch the line like it was your intention to mock it. Just say something like – Isn’t *insert pickup line here* such a stupid pickup line? Even though it’s true *wink wink*.
A pun is sometimes the best solution, but don’t make it too obvious. Dad jokes aren’t puns and they probably won’t score you a date, unless you are trying to look nerdy. Disclaimer: there are times when nerdy is the way to go, and we’ve already talked about it in the Nerdy paragraph.
“Your eyes are so blue that they BLUE my mind.”
This is one way to do it. It’s obvious, but not too lame. Work on that and develop something even better – the more you have, the better your chances of getting a conversation going.
The Cute Smartass
“You wanna know what’s beautiful? Read the first word again.”
You like your girls confused and dumbstruck, and that’s okay. You like to be honest and direct and it usually works. Even though Tinder is designed in such a way that a person knows that you like them even before you send them a message, you go a step further with this kind of pickup line.
Acting like swiping left isn’t enough, you are letting the girl know that you are into her, more than the average swiper. You are not stepping over any boundaries, you are not being too pushy in any way, you are just letting her know that she’s beautiful to you.
It may be too much for some introverts out there, but let’s keep in mind that this is Tinder. We all know why we’re here.
You can get really creative with this kind of pickup line. You can even invent your own, just as I did while writing this. Are you ready? You may want to take a sit for this one.
“You’re into me, but am I into you?”
Okay, maybe not that one, but you get the point.
The Dirty Mind
“What’s a nice girl like you doing in a dirty mind like mine?”
A pickup line with a bit of dirt to spice up the introduction can be your best friend and your worst enemy. The level of skill, confidence and even a bit of insanity to pull off a dirty pick up line is huge. It’s definitely not for newbies, that’s for sure. You have to be a real veteran in the dating game to be able to efficiently use a dirty pickup line.
The reasons behind this are pretty obvious, but let’s explain anyway, just in case there are some brave, inexperienced souls among you.
The girls either love or hate dirty pickup lines. There is no middle ground, which means that your chances of succeeding, once the pickup line has been sent, depend almost entirely on the girl. Your part of the work happens before the sending.
In this part, you’ll have to assess if the girl will agree to this tone or not, and you can’t just guess, you’ll have to be almost 100% sure. Scratch that, you have to be 100% sure. This is where experience comes in handy. You can know this only by having years and years of training behind you, which will help you recognize these girls from afar.
If you are inexperienced, you are really just walking a fine line between courtship and a restraining order. Here are some other examples.
“What’s your favorite breakfast?”
“That’s a nice shirt. Can I talk you out of it?”
Tit For Tat
“I’ll cook you dinner if you cook me breakfast.”
Saying I’ll do this if you do that is a great way of stating your intentions and showing what you are all about. It can be more direct or something under the radar, but it is almost certainly going to get a conversation going. Nobody can stay indifferent when given this type of offer.
The answer may be something that sounds like a rejection, like “I’m not really a good cook”, but even this can be turned to your favor. A smart comeback can bounce the ball right back into her field and if it’s a good enough comeback, the sparks will fly all over the hypothetical court.
Tit for tat can sometimes be pushed to extremes, which is rarely a good thing. Even if you find them attractive, avoid lines like “I’ll take this off if you take that off.” These are just too direct and can be read as pushy and inappropriate. Leave them for some future dates, or rather stay away from them, just to be sure.
The Music Lover
“You had me at cello.”
This is where things start to get specific. You shouldn’t use these pickup lines on just any random girl you come by. They may understand where you were going with it, but not all of them will appreciate it equally.
The best type of girl for this pickup line is naturally a musician. If she is showing any signs of love towards music, it’s the right girl for this move. Is she holding an instrument in any of her photos, or maybe there is an instrument in the background? Maybe she isn’t a musician, but still openly shows her love of music by wearing headphones or something like that.
Here are some other great pickup lines for music lovers.
“You must be a choir director, because you make my heart sing!”
“I C Major potential in us getting together.”
“I just lost my job and may be Baroque, but that doesn’t mean I can’t show you a good time.”
A TV Show Aficionado
“POOF! I’m here, where are your other two wishes?”
If you want to show a girl that you know your way around pop culture, you may try with a pickup line from a popular TV show. There are tons of great shows out there, and even though “How I Met Your Mother” isn’t the freshest of them all, it certainly is a fruitful source of great pickup lines.
Furthermore, “How I Met Your Mother” is a legen…wait for it…DAIRY show and there is almost not a person in the known universe who hasn’t watched it. If she didn’t see the show, she doesn’t deserve you.
Just kidding! It doesn’t necessarily have to be “How I Met Your Mother”, it can be any other show that you watched or think she may have watched. It doesn’t even have to be a sitcom, there are great pickup lines for almost any show, and if you see her holding a Game of Thrones book on her pictures, just go for it, Tormund style.
“I’m Really Bad At This” Pickup Line
“Are you tired? Because you’ve been running through my mind all day!”, usually followed with something like “Sorry, I’m really bad at this.”
Some of us are really bad at starting a conversation, while others simply can’t make an effort. Either way, you can transform your weakness into your advantage by simply owning it. The first step is to recognize it yourself. It’s okay not to have much success in this field, and once you realize this, your chances will drastically improve.
By admitting that you aren’t really a stud, you reveal your other side. You let her know that you are honest and vulnerable and you level the field. Some girls like this, while others will simply ignore these pickup lines, but it’s worth a shot.
Try some of these.
“Do you have a map? I just keep getting lost in your eyes.”
“Hey, why go for the best when you can go for the rest?”
“Excuse me, I seem to have lost my phone number, can I please borrow yours?”
Remember to follow up with an explanation of how you are really bad at it, but you are a great guy and plus people other than your mother have told you that you’re really cute. Not literally like that, but you hopefully get the picture.
Sport-Oriented
“How about we kick off a new relationship tonight?”
This is another specific type of pickup lines and you can use them to either show that you’re interested in sports or to show that you recognize her interest in sports. Either way, it’s effective if you’re sure that the girl is a sporty type or that she likes guys who play some sort of sport.
However, girls that are genuinely into sports are rare and not all girls like muscular, macho men. Not all of them like to see us shouting at the TV with a beer in our hand. If you are that guy, just look for the appropriate type of girl.
Nevertheless, if you happen to be attracted to a girl who you suspect doesn’t like athletic guys, show her that you are more than just that. Show her a brain behind those muscles and strike her with a sport-related pickup line that is also funny and smart.
