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According to a study by Stanford University, the most popular way for couples to meet in the US is online (1). Online dating is pretty simple – swipe right, and it’s a match. Now, it’s time to begin the conversation with your Tinder match. Conversations are powerful tools. They help you get to know a new person, and they also ensure your mental well-being by allowing you to socialize (2). However, starting on the wrong foot can put the other person off. So save yourself from a lousy chat and try these Tinder conversation starters to initiate the introductions successfully. One wrong comment and things might not happen before even getting started. You don’t want to start with the typical “Hey, what’s up?”. The key is to make a lasting impression on your Tinder match to stir up feelings when they read your opening lines. Customizing your opening line to suit your match’s profile can greatly boost your chances of getting a response. Take note of their hobbies or photos and reference them in your message. For instance, if their profile includes a dog, you could say, “I have to know your dog’s name before we can even think about dating!” Ben Castillo, a blogger, presents his opinion on using conversation starters and how humor plays a large role. He recalls watching romantic comedies for inspiration and says, “What I did notice in those movies was the amount of humor all characters had with females. I started to put my humor out, and it worked when I didn’t have a joke opener, I used GIFs (i).” Whether you want to take the safe approach and know about their job or be more cheerful and play around with some GIFs and funny messages, the icebreakers listed below can help you get on the right track to draw their attention.
Catchy Tinder Conversation Starters
Choose one of these many opening statements to start a fun and exciting conversation. Some studies have also shown that asking questions can increase the other person’s liking for you (3). If you are able to come up with interesting and open-ended questions, you can keep the conversation running and know the other person more thoroughly. These catchy Tinder conversation starters include questions as well as lines that allow the other person to respond.
When you are dating on Tinder, the other person has only the pictures you have uploaded and the bio you have written to judge. So, hooking them with a good conversation starter is a great way to achieve a deeper connection. Iris, a relationship and intimacy coach, explains how random men asking her over put her off the dating scene. In her blog, she writes, “I downloaded the Tinder App on my phone in 2013 or 2014 when I lived in Berlin, Germany. I got to talk to a couple of guys but never actually dated anyone. The language was not a barrier in this case but what I mainly got from most men was “Come to my place tonight and let’s have some wine.”” Going to a stranger’s place scared her. Later, she moved countries and shifted to Dubai. Suddenly, she stumbled on someone with whom she felt cared for. She writes, “I started chatting with a Jordanian guy that seemed to be really ok and polite. The conversation was interesting and engaging at the same time. Long story short, we were dating for about 3 months. The guy took me out to incredible places, introduced me to his group of friends, courted me, and picked me up whenever needed. We had a great time together (ii).”
1. Aww, you’re so considerate to let me start this conversation.
2. Be honest. Is that your cat, or are you just using it as a prop?
3. What’s the worst conversation starter you’ve got here?
4. What would we be doing right now if you were with me?
5. I’m looking for suggestions. What’s your go-to song when you’re feeling down?
6. What should you avoid saying at your wedding?
7. What do you like to do on weekend mornings?
8. What’s your guilty pleasure?
9. Are you competitive? What are you competitive about?
10. What little things make your day brighter?
11. If you could only eat five dishes for the rest of your life, what would they be?
12. What are some goals you want to achieve before you die?
13. What is your favorite food to eat when you’re starving?
14. Can you tell me about something on your bucket list?
15. What’s one of the funniest/weirdest conspiracy theories you’ve heard?
16. If you could move anywhere in the world, where would you go?
17. What is your most divisive viewpoint?
18. Would you rather get up early in the morning or sleep in until late in the afternoon?
19. How about I begin this conversation, and you start the next?
20. Tell me about your hidden talent.
21. What’s the one thing you always get when you go grocery shopping?
22. Tell me about your celebrity crushes.
23. What’s your most significant, “man why haven’t I done this sooner?” moment?
24. What would you do with $200,000 if you won the lottery unexpectedly?
25. What’s your ideal date night like?
26. You’re going to spend a month on a desert island. What three items would you take with you?
27. How many countries have you visited? What’s the best/most memorable one?
28. If you could go to a concert right now, which one would it be?
29. Do you enjoy sports? If yes, what’s your favorite sport and team?
30. What’s your pet peeve?
31. What is one thing you would tell yourself ten years ago?
32. Do you like your job? Do you see yourself doing something else?
33. What’s your ideal date? Hundreds of people in a club or a quiet, intimate candlelit dinner?
34. Who would you choose if you could swap lives with anyone?
35. What would you do if you could stop time?
36. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
37. If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
38. If you could be any cartoon character for a day, who would you choose and why?
39. Apart from family, who is the one person who always got your back?
40. What’s something you don’t understand the hype about?
41. What is your favorite piece of trivia?
42. If you could have three wishes granted by a genie, what would they be?
43. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
44. Is it more important to do what you love or to love what you do?
45. What according to you is the best way to spend a weekend?
46. Which was the last book you read in one sitting?
47. Have you ever seen a movie or TV show more than once?
48. If your date comes to pick you up, what vehicle would you like them to arrive in?
49. Are you a dog or cat person?
50. What item on your bucket list do you plan to tick off next?
51. Do you have a favorite restaurant or café?
52. If you could professionally play a sport, what would it be?
53. Which was the last TV series you binge-watched?
54. How do you keep physically fit?
55. If you could direct your own love story, which celebrity would you cast opposite yourself?
56. What’s your favorite type of workout or exercise?
57. Which is your favorite season of the year?
58. If you had to learn to cook only one dish, what dish would it be?
59. Have you ever visited a spooky place? How was your experience?
60. What is the most fascinating story you have heard of aliens?
61. If you could get an answer to a mystery of the world, what mystery would you like to solve?
62. Which is your favorite musical instrument?
63. If you were a God or Goddess in any mythology, who would you be?
64. What is the most silly thing that scares you?
65. What is the most unusual dream you have ever had?
66. If you could live in a fictional world, which one would it be? Why?
67. If you got stuck in an elevator with a complete stranger, what would you say to them?
68. Have you ever given a gift you received from someone to another person?
69. Is there a foreign language you wish to learn?
70. Which is your favorite phone app? And, why?
71. What’s the most fascinating historical fact you know?
72. If you were cupid, which two people would you like to see falling in love?
73. If you could give new colors to nature, what colors would you give to plants and animals?
74. What is your favorite time of the day?
75. If you could meet me right now, where would you call me?
76. What animal do you find most fascinating?
77. Which country or city would you like to retire in?
78. What human quality do you find most admirable?
79. If you could date a celebrity of the same gender, who would it be?
80. Which is your favorite mode of traveling?
81. If you could either swim like a fish or fly like a bird, what would you choose?
82. Whom did you idolize growing up?
83. Which is your favorite celebrity couple?
84. If you could marry a fictional character, who would it be?
85. If countries were people, which two countries would you want to become a couple?
86. You are told to climb 100000 steps to meet someone you want to meet. Who would be that person?
87. If you could change the ending of a movie, which movie would it be? And what would be your ending?
88. Do you look up to any celebrity or sports personality?
Funny Tinder Conversation Starters
These funny questions to ask on Tinder will make your match laugh and definitely get them immersed in cute banter. A little humor can ease the conversation, but make sure it suits your match’s personality. Keep it light and appropriate based on what you know about them.
89. What is the most amusing pickup line you’ve got here?
90. What’s the strangest thing that you’ve ever eaten?
91. What would you do if someone pulled your pants down in front of hundreds of people?
92. What’s the weirdest thing a guest has done at your house?
93. What’s the best inside joke you’ve ever heard?
94. Would you like to join the circus? If so, what would be your act?
95. How should I start this conversation? By simply saying hello or using poor opening remarks?
96. Tell me about a funny prank you pulled on someone?
97. Which planet would you choose if you could live on another one?
98. If you had your reality show, what would it be?
99. Let’s cut to the chase. Do you share food on a first date?
100. What are the most embarrassing things that have happened to you?
101. What is the oddest thing about someone that you find attractive?
102. What is that you are most obsessed about?
103. What are your thoughts on stinky cheese?
104. Have you ever used social media to stalk someone? If so, who?
105. What would you do if you could be immortal for a day?
106. If you had to have an extra body part, what would it be?
107. Which celebrity scandal is your favorite?
108. What’s the strangest smell you’ve ever smelled?
109. What is the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever done when bored?
110. What’s the most revolting ice cream flavor you’ve ever tried?
111. Did Ross and Rachel ever really break up?
112. What TV shows or movies can you quote in your sleep?
113. What’s the most amusing thing you’ve searched for on the internet?
114. Huge, enormous, gigantic, big… I never really liked the small talk, and you?
115. Can you explain your first time paying taxes using only emojis?
116. If you were ever arrested, what crime would it be for?
117. When was the last time you burst out laughing so hard you cried?
118. What’s the worst piece of advice that you’ve ever received?
119. Tell me a lie you’ve told to get out of work?
120. If you were a superhero, who would be your sidekick?
121. Which is your favorite dance step?
123. If you were asked to jump out of a plane (with a parachute) where would you like to land?
124. What would you rather fight: a hundred duck-sized horses or a horse-sized duck?
125. If you had to compare my profile image with a fruit, what fruit would you pick?
126. What mode of communication works best for you: calling or texting?
127. What would be the book’s title if someone jotted down your biography?
128. Which emoticon do you resemble the most?
129. On a scale from ‘I am free’ to ‘You can pay for my ice cream,’ how are you spending your Friday night?
130. If you could listen to any conversation in any part of the world, whose would you like to eavesdrop on?
131. What song would you like to sing for me if you were a singer?
132. Can you share the weirdest experience you have had while traveling?
133. If Tinder had the option to highlight false information in profiles, what quality would be highlighted the most?
134. What’s the strangest gift you have ever received?
135. What is the silliest lie you have ever told and gotten caught for it?
136. What was your age when you realized that actors only act and are not really the characters they play?
137. What would you do if you matched with your uncle or aunt on Tinder?
138. If you could keep a mythical creature as your pet, what would it be? What would you name it?
139. What’s your Hogwarts House? Which Hogwarts House would you have liked to be in?
140. Can you describe your ideal partner using only emojis?
141. If you had a music band, who would be your bandmates? What would you name the band?
142. What would you say if your favorite celebrity called you right now?
143. Which sport do you think can be included in the Olympics?
144. Did you ever accidentally and unintentionally laugh in someone’s face?
145. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen people-watching with rapt attention?
146. Have you ever secretly moved closer to a stranger to listen to their private conversation in a public place?
147. If you had a superpower specific only to Tinder, what would it be?
148. Can you share your favorite knock-knock joke?
149. If you were a cartoon character, which character would you like to marry?
150. What would be your first wish if you met a genie?
151. Which is the funniest YouTube video you have seen recently?
Tips For Crafting Interesting Tinder Conversation Starters
It can be difficult to strike up a conversation on Tinder. While you want to stand out, you don’t want to come across as uninteresting or awkward. An excellent introduction captures interest, makes the other person smile, and maintains the conversation. To create the ideal Tinder opener, follow these easy steps.
- Make it personal
“Hey” or “What’s up?” are generic openers that don’t leave an impression. They put forth no effort and are frequently disregarded. Instead, find something interesting to comment on by looking at the person’s profile. A better approach would be to mention something from their bio or photos. For instance, you can say, “I see you love hiking! What is the best trail you have been on?” This shows that you took the time to check out their profile, making them more likely to respond.
- Keep it short and simple
A long and complicated conversation starter can feel overwhelming to a stranger. Keep your message short and simple yet accessible. For example, instead of saying, “Hey! I saw your profile, and I think you seem really interesting. You love to travel, which is amazing because I do too. Maybe we can talk about our favorite travel experiences and swap stories!” You can also say, “You’ve been to Paris? What all places have you visited there?” This makes it easy for the other person to reply.
- Use humor
Humor is a great way to establish a bond with a stranger online. A funny conversation starter also makes you stand out. If you can make them laugh, you are already off to a great start. For example, say something like “Do we tell people we met on Tinder or make up a cooler story?”
- Ask open-ended questions
If you want to keep the conversation going, ask them questions that will require a longer answer than yes or no. For instance, do not ask, “Do you like movies?” Instead, you can ask, “Which was the last movie you watched? Did you like it?”
- Give a playful challenge
If they seem playful and joking, you can give them a challenge. It will make them curious and excited to respond. You can give them challenges such as “Describe yourself in three emojis” or “If we were in the zombie apocalypse, what is your survival plan?”
- Use creative compliments
Sure, you think they are pretty or handsome, but they might have already heard it from others. How do you make your compliment stand out? By making it creative! For example, instead of saying, “You are gorgeous,” which comes across as generic, you can say, “That red dress in your profile pic is an absolute showstopper! I need to know more about it right now.”
Common Mistakes To Avoid In Tinder Conversations
Starting a conversation on Tinder is just the first step. However, keeping it going is a different ballgame. You may make small mistakes that turn a fun conversation into an awkward or boring one. Here are some common mistakes to avoid if you want to keep your Tinder conversations smooth.
- Being too flirty too fast
Flirting is great, but if you go overboard, it can be a turn-off. Do not start with comments that are too suggestive or overly romantic in the first message itself. It can make the other person uncomfortable. For example, you can say, instead of saying, “Wow! Your smile is so dazzling, I fell in love right away!” you can say, “You have an amazing smile. Is it your secret weapon for winning arguments?”
- Not paying attention to their profile
People put effort into their bios and photos. So, ignoring them can make it seem like you are not really interested. If you ask something they already answered in their profile, it shows you didn’t read it. For example, if their bio says, “I love sushi,” do not ask, “Do you like sushi?” Instead, you can build off from their bio. You can ask, “I saw from your bio that you love sushi. What is the best sushi place you have been to?”
- Taking too long to reply
If you wait too long to respond, the other person might lose interest. Quick replies show that you’re interested in keeping the conversation going. If you have genuine work that will keep you away, tell them in advance that you will reply after a while and make sure you follow up.
- Overloading the other person with messages
Sending multiple messages before they can reply can feel overwhelming. It might also lead them to think that you are overly eager and crowding them. Send a message and wait for their response. If they do not respond for quite a while, you can send a one-liner. Avoid sending long messages.
- Forcing the conversation
If the other person is giving short or uninterested responses, do not push too hard. They might not be interested and might not know the way to tell you without hurting your feelings. Instead of asking, “Are you ignoring me?” or “Why aren’t you responding?” take the hint and stop forcing them.
Illustration: Engaging Tinder Conversation Starters
Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What topics should I avoid when starting a conversation on Tinder?
Avoid lying, exaggerating, and being overly intrusive and personal when beginning a conversation on Tinder. Avoid controversial conversation topics, such as religion and politics, and do not be negative in your dialogues.
2. What are some tips for making a good first impression on Tinder?
Being honest, genuine, and respectful, bundled with an attractive picture and well-written bio can make a good lasting impression on Tinder. Try to avoid domineering opening gambits in your greetings. Sarah, a blogger, cautions against asking vague questions, such as ‘How was your day?’ as an opener, unless you’ve been talking for a while and are genuinely interested in knowing more about their day. She says, “I once had to take a break from dating apps for a few weeks because I was so tired of answering how my day was all the time. That was legitimately the main reason I needed a break (iii).”
3. How do I show genuine interest in someone on Tinder?
Have interesting and interactive conversations that involve asking queries about their likes and dislikes, hobbies, and passion. Remember to actively listen and give thoughtful and respectful responses to show genuine interest.
4. How do I avoid awkward silences in conversation on Tinder?
Keep the conversation going by asking open-ended questions. Making the text conversation starters light-hearted and incorporating humor may help keep the interest and prolong the conversation. Choose a topic that intrigues you and your love interest to avoid awkward silences.
5. How can I ensure my conversation starter works?
To make your starter work, be creative and relevant. Skip the common lines and choose unique questions that show your personality and encourage an engaging response.
6. What are effective ways to keep the conversation going on Tinder?
To keep the conversation flowing, ask open-ended questions, share relevant personal stories, and respond thoughtfully to your match’s answers. This helps create a natural and engaging dialogue.
Initiating a conversation may be difficult at times, especially when the conversation is with someone you like. Hence, keeping some of the best opening lines for online dating handy is a good idea. By asking the questions we have provided, you can ensure that your personality comes through immediately, making you appear more genuine and easy to hang out with. This article includes some of the best Tinder conversation starters, such as their guilty pleasure, the best pickup line they’ve heard, and the most embarrassing incident in their life. You can also start the conversation with an amusing line to keep things light and lively.
Infographic: The World Of Online Dating
Online dating has come a long way from its first appearance with the introduction of exciting and interesting features across different dating websites and applications. Nowadays people can swipe left or right to find their perfect match without the nearly nerve-racking experience of face-to-face meetings. So how has dating changed, and what points do you need to remember? Here is an infographic you can keep handy for it provides more info on online dating and some essential points to remember before you try it. Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
Key Pointers
- Engaging Tinder conversation starters create a positive tone and a lasting impression.
- Humor in your opening lines fosters a fun atmosphere and helps break the ice.
- To keep the conversation flowing, practice active listening and ask open-ended questions.
- Avoid excessive self-focus to prevent disengagement.
- Being genuine and honest is vital for meaningful connections as it prevents wasted time and fosters trust.
Learn how to start a conversation on Tinder with 3 openers that get a response! Get tips on how to break the ice and start a conversation that will get you a response.
Personal Experience: Sources
MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.
i. My experience with Tinder.
https://medium.com/@bencastillo95/my-experience-with-tinder-d299bb386f78
ii. My First tinder Date Was Great but This is Why I Will Not Do it Again.
https://medium.com/%40iris04091111/my-first-tinder-date-was-great-but-this-is-why-i-will-not-do-it-again-a320988e86ce
iii. How to have a conversation on a dating app (hint: it’s not that hard).
https://sarahh03.medium.com/how-to-have-a-conversation-on-a-dating-app-hint-its-not-that-hard-d5a9f469993b
References
- Meeting online has become the most popular way U.S. couples connect Stanford sociologist finds.
https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2019/08/online-dating-popular-way-u-s-couples-meet - Conversations are essential to our well-being. Psychologists are exploring the science of why they’re so powerful.
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/11/conversations-key-to-wellbeing - Karen Huang et al.; (2017); It Doesn’t Hurt to Ask: Question-Asking Increases Liking.
https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/Huang%20et%20al%202017_6945bc5e-3b3e-4c0a-addd-254c9e603c60.pdf
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