How to Respond to “I Love You”

When you are in a serious relationship, you and your partner may tell each other that you love each other many times a day. However, sometimes, it may seem like there are other things you can say that would make just as much of an impact.

Here’s a look at many different ways on how to respond to I love you. Keep reading for a list that you may find interesting.

How you can respond to ‘I Love You’

In most relationships, there is a time when one person will say I love you and the other person may not be ready yet. If someone says it to you, this can leave you questioning what to say when someone says I love you.

You should keep in mind that you may say I love you in all types of relationships, whether it be with your friends, family, or a significant other, but you shouldn’t pressure yourself to say you love them back if you don’t feel that way or you simply aren’t ready to say it.

According to Maggie Martinez, a licensed clinical social worker:

An “I love you” without intent could lead to misunderstandings down the road.

Take your time and determine how you feel so you can be genuine with your response, regardless of what you say. 

At the same time, it is important to make sure that you say something. A 2019 study shows that relationships with people must be maintained, meaning there is a little give and take in most relationships you will have in your life.

Maggie Martinez further adds:

One way to maintain a relationship is to keep words of affirmation strong and present.

In some cases, you may simply be looking for things to say other than I love you, but in other instances, you might be searching for the sweetest thing to say to someone you love. Keep reading for 100 responses you can use any time you are interested.

Related Reading: Importance of Saying I Love You and How to Express It

100 Responses to I Love You

When you are seeking alternative responses to I love you, there are many different approaches you can take. It can be something romantic, cute, or sweet. There’s not really a wrong way to go when it comes to how to respond to I love you, especially if you are being sincere.

Romantic response to ‘I Love You’

Here are 20 responses to I love you which you might want to use with your partner sometimes, especially if you are at a loss on how to respond to I love you.

1. I give you my heart.
2. You are my world.
3. Back at you baby!
4. You are my favorite thing!
5. I love and adore you back.
6. I am so happy to be a part of your life.
7. I want to grow old with you.
8. You are the person of my dreams.
9. Thank you for telling me because I love you too.
10. Do you know how much I love you?
11. You said my favorite thing.
12. You make my life complete.
13. I can’t believe you love me. I love you too!
14. You make the world go right for me.
15. You are my person.
16. I can’t wait to be in your arms again.
17. You make it clear that you love me.
18. I love you more today than I did yesterday.
19. I am glad we found each other.
20. I want to be your everything.

Cute Responses To ‘I Love You’

You can even choose to go with cute responses to I love you. This can be helpful if you are on the phone and not face to face.

1. You make me feel special.
2. I like it when you talk like that.
3. Keep talking!
4. You are pretty cool yourself!
5. You took the words out of my mouth.
6. I want to hug you right now!
7. I am in love with you.
8. Show me how much.
9. You’re my favorite!
10. I like you and love you!
11. You love little old me?
12. Let’s see where this goes.
13. Don’t ever forget how much you like me!
14. You have the key to my heart.
15. I love you more than breathing.
16. Let me tell you what I think of you!
17. Now show me that smile.
18. I love so many things about you.
19. You rock my world!
20. You knock my socks off!

Sweet Responses To ‘I Love You’

There are also a number of sweet things to say to someone you love when you need to know how to respond to I love you.

1. You are just right for me.
2. You are my present and my future.
3. I want to make a family with you.
4. I look forward to every tomorrow with you.
5. You are the one that I want.
6. Let’s stay together forever.
7. We are perfect for each other.
8. You are beautiful, I love you too.
9. I think I am falling for you.
10. I am so comfortable with you.
11. I have never been as close to someone as I am to you.
12. I can’t picture my life without you.
13. Words can’t express how I feel about you.
14. You light my fire.
15. You’re my main squeeze.
16. I would do anything for you.
17. You’re my best friend!
18. There are so many things I want to say.
19. I am glad I know you.
20. I love you every minute of every day.

Sarcastic Replies To ‘I Love You’

There are also sarcastic replies you can use when you are deciding how to respond to I love you. These may be a great way to address how to respond to I love you texts if you are unsure of how to handle them. 

They can be both playful and fun, as well as provide a useful way to interact with someone you have a relationship with.

1. You slay me!
2. This is news to me!
3. Is this a new development?
4. Are you serious?!
5. I might need to hear you say that again.
6. Don’t change your mind on me!
7. I would hope so!
8. Oh, darn.
9. I think I feel that way about you too.
10. I knew it!
11. Do you have a fever?
12. My plan worked!
13. Is that really what you wanted to tell me?
14. I’ll be the judge of that.
15. Tell me more!
16. You should, I am pretty cool.
17. My suspicions were correct.
18. I guess I have to love you too, oh well!
19. You and everyone else!
20. What else do you have to say?

Funny Replies To ‘I Love You’

Yet another way you can approach how to respond to I love you is by having a funny reply. Making your partner laugh can be a good way to keep the relationship interesting.

1. I bet you say that to all your friends!
2. I knew you were a super cool person!
3. Does everyone know?
4. Are you for real?
5. I love you too, like I love chocolate!
6. Were you talking to me?
7. You finally realized it, huh?
8. Same!
9. My wish came true.
10. Good, I don’t have to say it first.
11. Someone has to.
12. Cool beans!
13. What else is new?
14. You might want to get that checked out.
15. Oh yeah, do you love me a lot?
16. Please, no autographs!
17. Do I know you?
18. What should we do about it?
19. I’d pick you out of a lineup too!
20. I will make a notation of that.

If you are interested in information about when you should say I love you in your relationship, check out this video:

How to Respond When Someone Says They Like You

It is up to you to decide what the best response to I love you is. To do this, you will need to think about how you feel and what you want to express to the person talking to you. This list of 100 things to say instead of I love you should give you plenty of options, as well as inspire you to think of your own things to say.

If someone tells you that they like you, you may want to think about how to respond to I love you. Some of them will not be appropriate, but you may be able to alter them a little bit to make them make sense in the case of like.

Use these sayings on how to respond to I love you whenever you need them, and they can give you a lot to say besides the standard I love you too. This can help keep your relationships fresh and may even cause your special someone to laugh.

Maggie Martinez highlights that:

Remember, it can lead to a feeling of rejection if you do not respond to someone after they say, ‘I love you.’

Also Try: How to Know if Someone Loves You Quiz

Conclusion

You can choose if you want to be romantic, funny, cute, or even sarcastic. Be sure that you give an appropriate answer based on who you are talking to, so they won’t be offended. 

If you are texting or talking on the phone, a person may not be able to tell if you are serious or not when you are making a joke. For this reason, be sure to laugh or send an appropriate emoji if you are being funny and make sure they know exactly how you feel.

If you don’t feel the same way that they feel about you, be certain to let them know this. It is important, to be honest. When you aren’t sure, or you just aren’t ready to say I love you, this is something that your friend or partner may want to know. 

They may completely understand that you will reciprocate whenever you’re ready.