Sometimes, messages on a dating app go unanswered. It happens. It could be down to a multitude of reasons–the receiver dropped their phone down the toilet, they got lost in the wilderness without any signal…the list goes on. However, new research by Badoo has uncovered another very possible reason for a less than electric exchange: a massive 69% of Brits are turned off by badly-written messages.

It turns out, rushed and sloppy messages on dating apps are majorly affecting singles' chances of securing a date. Many daters believe a potential suitor's first message is what gives them the biggest insight into their personality and values (18%) - surprisingly, much more than someone's pictures (16%) and/or dating app bio (15%). Over a third (40%) of daters think if someone can’t be bothered to put effort into their messages, it’s unlikely they’ll put effort into a relationship.

So, with spelling and grammar playing such a huge part in making a match–how can you be sure to avoid your messages getting lost in translation? Badoo teamed up with TV host Anna Richardson to create a list of tips to help daters go from A (app) to D (date).

1. Grammar Police

When you’re in the zone and messaging someone, it can be all too easy to forget to use proper punctuation and grammar. We know it sounds boring, but it can make all the difference between a chat going smoothly or your message getting totally lost in translation. Take the humble comma–it may seem small and insignificant, but it’s not all about size.

I wanna eat you fancy dinner?

I wanna eat, you fancy dinner?

See?

2. Spell it out

Hey bbz

Wuu2?

Cant w8 2 c u l8r.

While this text messaging style was commonplace in the early ’00s, let’s remember why we left it there. 46% of daters agree Text/SMS language should be a thing of the past in 2022. Slang was fine back when we were using old brick phones, but technology has moved on. It’s time to say goodbye to abbreviations, lack of apostrophes, and using numbers instead of letters.

3. Text education

Sloppy spelling can be a total dealbreaker. In fact, 44% of singles admit they have - or would - break off a relationship because of poorly written or hard-to-understand messages. Autocorrect may be handy sometimes, but you should always double-check your messages…

At the restaurant already, shall I order you nudes?

Noods

Noodles!!!

                                                                                            Something on your mind??

Watch the full video with Anna below.