How to Tell Your Crush You Like Them in a Note

Crafting Your Message

Keep it short and simple. Tell your crush you like them, and that you’d like to spend time with them. Don’t ramble on, repeat yourself, or gush about how wonderful your crush is or how you think about them constantly. Coming on too strong may make your crush feel uncomfortable.

Tell your crush you like them. Though it may seem scary, it’s best to just be direct with this. Be honest and simply tell your crush you like them. Avoid professing your undying love or telling your crush you think about them 24/7. After all, you don’t want to creep your crush out! For example, write, “I like you. Do you want to hang out sometime?” Don’t write, “I can’t stop thinking about you and I dream of you every night. I love you so much.”

Give a few reasons why you like them. Think about why you like your crush and what draws you to them. Are they kind or funny? Are they a great dancer or a stellar guitar player? Include one or two specific reasons about how your crush has captured your attention. For instance, write, “I admire the way you stand up for other kids,” or “I like that you work really hard in chemistry.” Avoid writing things like, “You’re really hot,” or “You’re so popular.” These aren’t good reasons to like someone, and they don’t say anything about your crush’s personality.

Be confident in yourself. It can be scary to share your feelings with someone else. However, you shouldn’t put yourself down in the note or assume your crush doesn’t return your feelings. Don’t let your crush know that you’re scared of their rejection, but instead show confidence in yourself. Don’t write something like, “I know you’ll never like me back, but I just had to tell you that I think about you all the time!” Instead, write, “I’d like to get to know you better. Do you want to hang out next weekend?”

Avoid sharing anything you don’t want others to know. There’s a chance that your crush could show the note to their friends, which is another reason why you want to keep it simple and to the point. There’s no need to feel embarrassed about telling someone you like them. But, if you include too many personal details you may feel uncomfortable if other people read your note. Don’t say something like, “You’re my first crush and I think about you all the time. I’ve never been kissed before and I want you to be my first.”

Taking the Next Steps

Make it neat. While you don’t need to purchase fancy stationery or take calligraphy lessons, you should use your best handwriting so that your crush can easily read your message. If you scratched out a bunch of lines in your note, rewrite it. Your crush might be able to decipher what you crossed out, which you definitely don’t want. Avoid adding lots of hearts or kisses to the note. Save those for notes you write when you’re already dating someone!

Sign the note. It’s super important that you sign the note with your name! After all, you want your crush to know that YOU like them, not that they have a secret admirer. If there are a few kids in your class with the same name, add your last name or at least your last initial to avoid any confusion. For example, you could write, “I hope to hear back from you soon. From, Adam G.” Another example is, “See you in math class. Sarah O’Reilly.”

Address the note. You can fold your note in a fancy configuration, or put it in a sealed envelope. Be sure to put your crush’s name on the outside of the note so there’s no question as to who it’s for. Also, include their last initial or name if there’s more than one person at your school with the same name. For example, write, “To Marissa E.”

Deliver it to your crush. You could hand your crush the note, or leave it in their locker. You could also have a friend give the note to your crush, but make sure they say it’s from you to avoid any confusion. It’s a good idea to wait until lunchtime or after school to deliver the note so that neither you nor your crush get in trouble during class. You may want to wait until your crush is alone to deliver the note so they can read it privately. Alternatively, you could email the note to your crush. But, you won’t know if or when your crush reads the note, and they may not take a digital message as seriously as a handwritten note.

Ask your crush to reply. You can add a line in the note asking your crush to write back, or ask them to let you know their response when you deliver the letter in person. For example, you could say, “I’ll be outside if you want to talk after you read this.” If you haven’t heard from your crush a few days after giving them the note, you can follow up with them. Simply ask, “Hey, did you read my note?” when you see them in person.

Be prepared for their reaction. Hopefully, your crush likes you too and your note is the beginning of a wonderful relationship. This may not always be the case, though, so you should be prepared for rejection. Realize that your crush has made their decision, and don’t try to change it. It’s okay for you to be sad or feel disappointed. Give yourself time to accept the situation, then let go of the idea of dating your crush, and move on.