When a person says Hello to you, what response comes to your mind first? People react differently to greetings. Some respond by simply saying Hello. Some choose other words.
Hello has no special response. It has the same meaning as several other greeting words in the dictionary and can be used in several different ways that may warrant different responses.
The response to Hello on a phone may be different from the response to Hello in a physical meeting. Below is a list of ideas you can apply in responding to Hello.
27 Great Responses to Hello
- Hello
- Aye
- Hi
- Ayo!
- Good morning
- How are you doing?
- Good afternoon
- Me?
- I’m still here
- Gotcha!
- My man!
- Good evening.
- Howdy
- Good day
- What do you want?
- Who’s there?
- Ciao
- I can hear you.
- Holla
- What’s up?
- Yes?
- Wow! It’s been a while.
- How far?
- Good to see you.
- Nice to hear from you.
- Can I help you?
- Who’s knocking?
Hello
Hello is one of the most common words used for greeting. You can get a person’s attention with this. You can start a conversation with this.
You can also say this when you arrive at a place. The most common response given to Hello is Hello. The word has no English translation but it is generally accepted as a greeting word.
When Hello is said on a phone call, you cannot be challenged for replying with Hello since it is already a common response.
When Hello is used in a text message, you can reply with Hello but it is more reasonable to say more than that unless you are intentionally showing your unwillingness to have a chat.
When Hello is said behind a door, you can still reply with Hello but it may sound quite preposterous. Rather, you can pull the door open and say Hello.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can say this too but the person has to be close. A person can choose to get your attention by saying Hello from a distance. It’s a bad idea to howl back saying [Hello!]
Aye
Aye is a quite similar word to Hello in the way it is often used. However, its meaning is different. The word is used to say [Yes].
You can say this when a person calls for your attention with [Hello]. This will show you are attentive. You can also use this as a greeting [e.g. Aye, what’s up?]
When Hello is said on a phone call, you can say this at the start of the conversation. The person may also say Hello to know if you are listening, saying Aye also works to show that.
When Hello is used in a text message, you can say this if you are sure the person has said Hello to know if you are paying attention to the conversation. It doesn’t work as a response to an initial greeting.
When Hello is said behind a door, this response will show that you have heard the knocks or the voice and you will attend to the door soon.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can also say this whether the person is close to you or far away.
Hi
Hi can be considered as another way to say [Hello]. The two greeting words are used interchangeably in starting conversations.
When Hello is said on a phone call, It is already common to say Hi even if you don’t know who’s talking to you.
When Hello is used in a text message, you can start a conversation with this response. You can also show a person you are paying attention to his/her texts.
When Hello is said behind a door, this response will sound weird if you don’t open the door first. This doesn’t stop you from playing a joke with the person.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you should only say this if the person is nearby.
Ayo!
Ayo is used to show surprise so you may sound preposterous if you respond to [Hello] with this all the time. Whichever response you go for has to express how you feel.
When Hello is said on a phone call, you may say this but it will sound better if it’s someone you are surprised to hear from.
When Hello is used in a text message, you can also say this to show your surprise toward receiving the text.
When Hello is said behind a door, this response will sound extremely stupid. Just answer the door.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can say this whether the person is near you or not but you have to be actually surprised to see him/her.
Good morning
When you are greeted, the most common way to respond is to greet back.
When Hello is said on a phone call, you can simply say Good morning as long as it is morning time.
When Hello is used in a text message, you can say this too. A more casual response may be desired unless you are having an official conversation.
When Hello is said behind a door, you should only say this after answering the door.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can say [Good morning] if the person is close to you. If the person is far from you, this may sound weird unless there is no one else around.
How are you doing?
This question is commonly asked at the start of conversations while two people are still greeting. This makes it a good response when someone says Hello to you.
When Hello is said on a phone call, you can say this but it has to be someone you are familiar with.
When Hello is used in a text message, you can ask this question if it is a friend, a relative, or an acquaintance.
When Hello is said behind a door, this response will be absurd. If you must ask any question, it has to be [Who’s there?].
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can say this if the person is near you. You can’t shout this question to a person who is kilometers away from you and expect a response.
Good afternoon
If it’s not morning time, you can say [Good afternoon]. If it’s not afternoon, you just have to consider what time it is. It is an officially acceptable greeting expression so you may want to consider this.
This works in all contexts where [Good morning] works.
Me?
This is a short and unusual question. You have probably heard a person ask this question. It is not a response you should expect but it is a possible response you may want to use depending on the situation.
When Hello is said on a phone call or a text message, this response may not be understood. However, you can rephrase it and ask the same question [is this call/message meant for me?] if you think the person that greeted you did not intend to address you.
When Hello is said behind a door, there is no reason to ask this question so it will sound very weird.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can ask if the person is addressing you or not, especially if it is a stranger.
I’m still here
This is a declaration that you are still listening or paying attention to someone
When Hello is said on a phone call, it may be to know if you are listening or paying attention. You can simply say you are still paying attention. The same applies when a person says Hello in a text message.
This response works in no other situation.
Gotcha!
This is an informal word you can use among close friends. It is for starting conversations so you can respond to Hello with this.
When Hello is said on a phone call, you can start the conversation with this.
When Hello is used in a text message, you can also text this but it feels better when it is said in your voice.
When Hello is said behind a door, you can’t say this unless you have opened the door and you are now staring at an old friend.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can say this if the person is walking toward you. You have to keep in mind that it is informal.
My man!
This is a salutation for old friends. It has no special meaning but it always comes at the start of a conversation
When Hello is said on a phone call or in a text message, this response works in this case if it’s someone you haven’t heard from in a long time.
When Hello is said behind a door, you don’t know who it is yet so this response may be needless.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, this response works best. It shows your excitement to meet the person and it will be appreciated m
Good evening
This is a greeting often said at the evening time. You just have to know what time of day it is. It does not only function as a response to Hello but can also start a conversation. Just like Hello, it can serve as a response to itself.
This statement works in all contexts where [Good morning] and [Good afternoon] are used. You have to use the correct time period so you don’t seem confused.
Howdy
This is another informal greeting word. You can use this among friends. Just like [Hi], it can be used interchangeably with Hello. You can get a person’s attention with this word. You can start a conversation also.
It is mostly used to start conversations however so it may not fit in other contexts perfectly.
When Hello is said on a phone call, you can say Howdy at the start of the conversation. The same applies if Hello is sent as a text.
When Hello is said behind a door, you are required to answer the door first before giving this response.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, this works perfectly. You can say this gently if the person is near. It also sounds nice to shout Howdy if the person is far from you.
Good day
Instead of [Good morning] or [Good afternoon], you can consider saying [Good day]. You may agree that it is common to be unaware of what time of day it is. This is the expression that works for any time of day.
It can function in every context where [Good morning] and [Good afternoon] can serve as replies.
What do you want?
This sounds like a hostile reception but it’s here in case you need it.
When Hello is said on a phone call or a text message, you can say this to show that you are not interested in the conversation. Do not reply with this blunt question if you are. The moment you use this, the person will believe you are not willing to talk or chat.
When Hello is said behind a door, you can say this if you don’t want anyone disturbing you.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, this response will show that you are worried about something or unhappy to see the person greeting you.
Who’s there?
This is a response to a knock on the door. You cannot say this when talking on a phone or as a reply to a text message. It also doesn’t work in a physical meeting since you can see who is greeting you already.
When a person says Hello while standing behind a door, you can ask this question before going to open the door.
Ciao
This is another greeting word that can replace Hello in some contexts. Just like Hello, Ciao is a greeting word.
Just like Hello, Ciao can be a response to Ciao. However, Ciao works on arrival and on departure. Also, it sounds nice to say Hello while standing behind a door but Ciao would sound weird.
When Hello is said on a phone call or on a text, Ciao is an okay response.
When Hello is said behind a door, you have to answer the door first before saying Ciao to the person waiting
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, Ciao is perfect but the person has to be close to you so you don’t have to sound like an idiot howling the strange word.
I can hear you
This is a declaration that a person has your attention. People often say Hello on a phone call and wait for a response to know if the other person can hear.
When there are network issues, you can hear them say [Hello? Are you there? Hello?]. In this case, you can simply respond by saying you can hear the person unless you can’t hear clearly.
This response is only okay for a specific situation and cannot start a conversation.
When Hello is said behind a door, this response doesn’t work unless you know who it is and you know he/she is trying to tell you something.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, this response may make you appear hasty. You should only use it if you believe the person is trying to tell you something or, instead, you can use a nicer or more common response.
Holla
This is another informal word that can replace Hello in virtually every context. The basic difference between these two words is that Hello may be tolerated in an official environment while Holla will most likely be considered too casual.
When Hello is said on a phone call or in a text message, you can start a conversation with this response.
When Hello is said behind a door, you can say this before you attend to the door. You can also use it after answering the door.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can respond with Holla whether the person is near or far.
What’s up?
This question is asked at the start of conversations while two people are still greeting. It can also become the major greeting when a person skips the part where he/she says Hello and just says [What’s up?]. This makes it a perfect response to Hello.
When Hello is said on a phone call or in a text message, you can say this if you are speaking to someone you are familiar with.
However, it is not necessary since many tend to ask questions impulsively without expecting an answer.
When Hello is said behind a door, this response will sound weird unless you already know who it is. If not, your question should be [Who’s there?].
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can say this as long as the person is near you. You shouldn’t shout this question to a person who is far away from you.
Yes?
This sounds quite rude but your expression can change how it is heard or viewed. To some people, it will sound like [What do you want? Be quick and stop disturbing me]. You should wear a smile and make sure not to sound hasty.
When Hello is said on a phone call or in a text message, you can say this if you think the person has a special reason for reaching out to you.
When Hello is said behind a door, this response will show that you have heard the knocks or the voice and you will attend to the door soon.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can say this to show you are listening to what he/she has to say.
Wow! It’s been a while
This is a comment on how long you have met or chatted with a person. When you are saying this, you have to mean it so if you are talking to your brother who wakes you up every morning, think of another response.
When Hello is said on a phone call or in a text message, this response expresses your excitement to chat with the person. It shows that you have missed him/her.
When Hello is said behind a door, you can only say this after answering the door and seeing who it is.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can say this if the person is near you. It has to be someone you haven’t heard from or met with in a while.
How far?
This is similar to [What’s up?]. It does not only ask about a person’s welfare but it can also replace Hello in some contexts. However, this is only because of the way it’s often used and is not grammatically backed up.
When Hello is said on a phone call or in a text message, you can say [How far?] as long as it is someone you are close to. It can also be used to continue a conversation that had been started earlier.
When Hello is said behind a door, this response does not fit into the context.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can say this if the person is close to you. It also has to be someone you dearly know.
Good to see you
This is a comment that often comes during the moment of salutation at the start of a conversation.
When Hello is said on a phone call, you can’t say this unless it’s a video call. You can’t say this over a text message either unless you had seen the person earlier and you are referring to that moment.
When Hello is said behind a door, you can say this after answering the door unless it’s a stranger.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, This response works in this case if it is someone you know. The person has to be close so you don’t have to be shouting this.
Nice to hear from you
This comment can come during moments of salutation and is usually over a phone call or a text message rather than in physical meetings. It can also come at the end of a conversation.
When Hello is said on a phone call or in a text message, you can say this you haven’t heard from the person in a while.
When Hello is said behind a door, This response will sound preposterous.
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you should use [Good to see you] instead.
Can I help you?
This can sound very impolite and dismissive so you have to be careful who you say it to and how you say it.
When Hello is said on a phone call or in a text message, this response can make anyone assume you are not interested in the conversation.
When Hello is said behind a door, you can say this after answering the door if the person is a stranger
When Hello is used in a physical meeting, you can say this but it has to be a stranger or an acquaintance.
Who’s knocking?
This only works as a response when Hello is said behind a door. You can use this as a casual joke when you answer a phone call or in a physical meeting when you are called by a friend.