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If you receive a text saying “wtw” and you either have no idea what it means or just don’t know how to respond, don’t worry, by the end of this handy guide you’ll be ready to type away a perfect answer. 

If you’re baffled by this three-letter bit of text lingo, you’re not alone. For every person casually sending a “wtw” text, there are at least five receiving a “wtw” text and staring at their phone screens blankly wondering whether they’ve been sent a typo. 

So, before examining how to respond to “wtw,” let’s establish what it means. 

 

What is the meaning of “wtw”?

“Wtw” can mean a few things. The first and most common meaning is “what’s the word?” which essentially means “what’s up?” The second common meaning is “what the what,” which is used to express indignant disbelief about a situation. It is essentially another way of saying “what the heck?”

 

16 great ways to respond to “wtw” in text

1. Just chilling, you?
2. Honestly nothing. Wtw with you?
3. Nothing. Let’s hang out.
4. Apparently, everyone is getting together at [insert place] later. Wanna go?
5. So much planned, dude. I’ll tell you the details now.
6. I’m busy with work, unfortunately.  
7. I was thinking we could meet up this evening at [insert place name]
8. Give me a call and I’ll tell you the full plan. 
9. I know, right? Isn’t that outrageous! 
10. I was honestly so shocked to hear that too. 
11. Can you believe it? I never would’ve thought that. 
12. Like…why would they do that? 
13. I know. My first reaction was just, “huh?”
14. Basically, what happened is…
15. I actually can’t believe that that happened. 
16. I can’t. 

 

If the person texting you is using “wtw” to mean “what’s up?”, you can tell them what you’re doing. Or, if you know they are asking you about specific plans you have later, tell them in detail what they are. If they are using “wtw” to mean “what the what,” you can return the sentiment with a similar expression of shock or outrage. 

The first common meaning of “wtw,” which is basically another way of saying “what’s up?”, is usually used as a way to prompt people into making plans. 

You might have already agreed to hang out and know that the text you receive is the person you made plans with reaching out to talk specifics. Or you might get a “wtw” text and suspect that your friend is bored and wants to get together instead of sitting home alone. 

Whatever the case, respond by providing clarity about your potential future hangout. 

Your friend might reach out to you to express that they are absolutely shocked about something that has happened to them. If they send a “wtw” text in this context, or if they respond to a story you tell them with “wtw,” you can answer by explaining in greater detail how frustrated you are.

If the situation in question affects you, you could also respond by explaining in greater detail what happened. If it affects them, you can respond by asking them more details about the situation. 

Now, let us go through our list with 16 great responses to wtw in text. One by one.

 

1. Just chilling, you? 

When someone texts “wtw” and actually just means “what are you up to now?” you can respond with something as simple as this. 

How you respond to “wtw” will often be very similar to how to respond to “what’s good?”

If you don’t have plans for the rest of your day and are relaxing at home, you could respond with any number of phrases that mean that you aren’t up to much. For example, as an alternative to “just chilling, you?”, you could say, “Not much, you?” or, “Just watching TV. You?” 

 

2. Honestly nothing. Wtw with you? 

One great way to respond to “wtw” is to ask someone “wtw” is with them. This bit of text slang is often used as a stand in for “what’s the deal,” so you can use it in a sentence in the same way. 

If you read this and are baffled, think of saying “Wtw with you?” as the same thing as “what are you up to?” or “how’s your day?”

If you aren’t up to anything but want to know what your friend is doing, you can tell them there is nothing going on with you and then ask them “what the what” is with them. 

Presumably, since they’ve texted you “wtw,” they will propose getting together to do something. 

 

3. Nothing. Let’s hang out? 

If you’re bored and don’t want to wait for your friend to suggest hanging out, why not just suggest it yourself. 

If you don’t have anything planned, just come right out and propose getting together. 

If your friend has texted you “wtw,” they’re surely interested in making plans, so don’t worry that they won’t be interested in your proposal.

When you want to make plans, you may wonder whether you should call or text. Generally, if the plans are elaborate, you might want to pick up the phone and call your friend. However, if you simply get sent a “wtw,” shooting back a simple “let’s hang out,” will often get the job done. 

 

4. Apparently, everyone is getting together at [insert place] later. Wanna go?

You might know that the person texting you is getting in touch with a specific goal in mind.

If you have already spoken to them about potential plans that you have the intel on, they are probably writing to you to get the details about them. 

So, if you know what the plan your friend group has is, tell the person who texts you “wtw” the details and ask them if they wanna head there with you. 

 

5. So much planned, dude. I’ll tell you the details now.

Often, people text “wtw” because they want to know what the deal is with a specific plan that you have already discussed. 

If you have been talking to someone about getting together to do something major, it makes sense they would text you “wtw” to confirm the details. For example, if you have invited them along on a holiday with your friends, they might ask “wtw” to get more specific information about the planned event from you.  

If someone is referencing earlier plans, they may even send a text that is just “^^” in texting, followed by “wtw.” This means they are asking for follow up information about your earlier conversation. 

 

6. I’m busy with work, unfortunately.  

If a friend texts you “wtw” at a time when you suspect that they are hoping you might be able to hang out and you can’t, you just have to let them know that you’re not available. 

Tell them you’re busy, unfortunately. Alternatively, you could be more explicit and tell them that even though you would love to head out on the town with them, you just have too much on now. 

 

7. I was thinking we could meet up this evening at [insert place name]

There is no denying that “wtw” is usually asked about specific plans that have already been discussed. 

So, if you have long-standing plans to meet up with a friend one evening and they text you “wtw” in the earlier hours of that day, they are asking for confirmation of your hangout and also for the details of where and when you’re going to meet. 

Respond by giving them this information in as concise a way as possible.   

 

8. Give me a call and I’ll tell you the full plan. 

If the person texting you “wtw” is asking you about a very specific set of plans and those plans are far too complicated to explain in a simple text response, just ask them to give you a call so that you can tell them the full story in a time-efficient way.  

 

9. I know, right? Isn’t that outrageous! 

If you know that the person you’re texting is expressing frustration when they say “wtw” and that they mean “what the what?” or, in other words, “what the heck?”, give them a response that shows that you understand their emotions. 

Saying, “I know, right?” conveys to your friend that you feel exactly the same way they do about the situation being discussed. This will surely make them feel less alone in their disbelief, which will make them feel better. 

 

10. I was honestly so shocked to hear that too. 

If your friend sends you a shocked “wtw” text about something you’re both in the know about, you can tell them that you were just as surprised as them when you learned that information. 

 

11. Can you believe it? I never would’ve thought that. 

This response conveys a similar sentiment to the previous one. Namely, it tells the person texting you that they are not alone in feeling extremely uneasy about the situation they’re talking about. 

This response is good because it not only shows that you know exactly what the person you’re speaking to is talking about––and that you share their opinion on it––but also that you are open to talking about it. 

Often, when something happens that affects us deeply, we feel worried about sharing the extent of our emotions with someone else in case their interpretation of the situation is entirely different to ours. 

By saying, “Can you believe it?” you’re expressing that you also can’t. This will make the person you’re talking to feel that they can confide in and trust you, which will make your friendship stronger. 

 

12. Like…why would they do that? 

If the person you’re talking to says “wtw” at the end of a text that references someone else’s behavior, you can respond by sharing with them that you’re feeling about that person’s behavior is also that it was completely irrational. 

Often, when we feel baffled by someone else’s conduct, we want someone else to confirm that we aren’t the crazy one, and that the person we’re frustrated at is in the wrong. 

If you genuinely feel that your friend is in the right, you can respond to their expression of disbelief about the other person in the conflict’s conduct by showing them you think they were correct. 

Saying, “why would they do that?” is a clear indication that your loyalty lies with the person you’re speaking to, and you that you think they are right to feel indignant. 

 

13. I know. My first reaction was just, “huh?”

If you’ve recently heard some troubling news and your friend reaches out to you to talk about it and ends their text with “wtw,” then an appropriate response is to tell them that your reaction to the news was also shock. 

Someone saying “wtw” often has the same meaning as the expression “oof.”

Saying, “My first reaction was just, huh?” sends the message that you are completely nonplussed by what has happened. 

This response also lets your friend know that you are open to talking about this issue, which they will surely be glad to note, since they’ve reached out to you to get your opinion on the matter. 

 

14. Basically, what happened is…

If your friend reaches out to you to ask the details about something unfair or frustrating that recently happened to you, you can respond with a text that explains the details of the situation they are referencing. 

Start that text with “Basically, what happened is…” to mentally prepare them to hear the intricate and difficult details of the situation you’re talking about. 

This response also gives you the option of sending a long, detailed response or of making a witty quip. 

For example, you could launch into a play-by-play explanation of why your last relationship ended, or you could simply say, “Basically what happened is that I stopped liking her.” 

Whatever spin you put on this response, it is a great thing to send back when someone tells you 

 

15. I actually can’t believe that that happened. 

If some texts you “wtw” in the context of a story they are telling, you can respond by expressing belief that the thing they are telling you even happened. 

The implication of this response is that what happened was so outrageous that it is difficult to comprehend.

This response to “wtw” is highly versatile. You can use it when someone texts you “wtw” in the context of telling a funny story that is not particularly important to their life, for example, if they are recounting a funny anecdote about something that happened in the grocery story. 

Alternatively, you can use it comfort them if they are telling you about something that was genuinely upsetting to them. If someone treated them very poorly and they are telling you the story, you can show your support for them with this response. 

 

16. I can’t. 

Saying, “I can’t,” has become a way of saying that something is too much, in some way or other, and that it is causing you to feel so overwhelmed that you can no longer function. 

Saying “I can’t” is almost always an excellent response to “wtw,” because it matches the level of disbelief that “wtw” conveys.