How to Compliment a Girl

Whether you’re crushing hard or you simply want to tell your female friend how great you think she is, knowing how to compliment a girl can feel a little tricky at times. You want to tell her she’s amazing and how she makes every day better but that can come across as a little much. Especially if you barely know her! Well, don’t panic. We’re here to fill you in on how to compliment a girl in plenty of caring and thoughtful ways that don’t simply focus all on her appearance!

How to Compliment a Girl on Her Looks

Now, when it comes to complimenting another human being on their appearance, there are lots of things to consider before you go ahead and actually give the compliment.

Firstly, is it appropriate? We suggest thinking about who the girl is and how well you know (or don’t know) her before speaking up. For example, a friend you’ve known for years, a girl you’re on a date with, or your wife or girlfriend may love to hear you tell them they look amazing on your day/night out with them. A classic, ‘you look wonderful tonight’, a simple ‘You’re so beautiful’, or even a cheeky ‘Whoa! Look at you!’ are all pretty nice ways of complimenting someone you know super well on their appearance.

how to compliment a girl

Meanwhile, telling a stranger in the supermarket, your boss/co-worker in the office, or your best friend’s girlfriend on a day out altogether how good-looking you think they are is pretty much never appropriate. Read the room and think about whether it’s really a good idea to share your thoughts with that person.

Secondly, consider the situation. Complimenting a girl on her choice of outfit as you meet her for a date or telling your bride that she looks radiant on your wedding day is very sweet. Interrupting a co-worker to tell them you think they’re hot or sharing with the girl you’re sitting next to on the bus that you think she’s gorgeous however is not acceptable and will likely end in feelings being hurt and people being made to feel awkward, even if that wasn’t your intention!

Thirdly, and this is the most important one, choose your words very carefully. ‘You look so hot!’, might be an okay phrase to share with your wife or girlfriend if you know they’re comfortable with it, but the stranger that just stepped onto your train carriage is unlikely to appreciate you blurting out such an over-friendly statement! Instead, if you feel the need to compliment a girl on their looks and feel it’s appropriate to do so, opt for friendlier, more polite phrases. A few of our favourites are:

‘That’s a great dress! (coat/shirt/sweater, etc.)

‘You look well!’

‘Your hair looks great, did you do something new to it?’

‘You look really happy today!’

‘Your smile is contagious!’

Avoid using words or phrases that refer directly to their body or their facial features. Doing this can easily make people feel uncomfortable, plus you can never truly know someone’s relationship to their body or the words you choose to use to describe it. 

Therefore, steer clear of that altogether and stick to more general comments like those above. They’ll still know their presence has brought joy to your day but you won’t feel objectified or uncomfortable with your choice of phrasing.

How to Compliment a Girl’s Eyes

As we mentioned above, complimenting a girl (or anyone for that matter!) on their body or specific facial features is a tricky business. Unless you are dating or married to that person and know for sure this is something they like you to do, it’s best to avoid giving compliments that relate directly to their appearance.

how to compliment a girl

However, that doesn’t mean there’s no way to compliment someone on the things you think are great about them. For example, if your friend or the girl you happen to ‘like like’ has amazing eyes and you want to share that with her, share it in a way that’s not objectifying or going to make her feel uncomfortable when you do. 

Avoid words like ‘sexy’, ‘gorgeous’, and ‘beautiful’ which could very easily make her feel uneasy. Instead, opt for words like ‘inquisitive’, ‘bright’, ‘happy’, or ‘trustworthy’ to address her eyes, and only if the setting and your relationship with her means it’s appropriate to do so! 

You can save words like ‘pretty’, ‘mesmerizing’, and ‘stunning’ for if/when you’re in a relationship.

How to Compliment a Girl’s Smile

Whether it’s a friend, a girl you like, or someone you’re dating/married to, complimenting someone on their smile can be a really nice thing to do, provided you do it thoughtfully and respectfully. Of course, if you’re married to or dating the girl you’re complimenting, you probably already know what phrases/how much affection they’re comfortable with. 

If you’re looking for romantic phrases to compliment their eyes in that case, ‘I love looking in your eyes’, ‘Your eyes are so beautiful’ or, ‘Wow, your eyes are so pretty’ may well be a compliment they’ll love to hear.

how to compliment a girl

Alternatively, if the girl you’re complimenting is a friend or someone you have feelings for but haven’t yet shared that information with, it’s important to be a little less forward and a little more reserved in your phrasing. Much like we suggested with complimenting a girl’s eyes, avoid words like ‘beautiful’, ‘amazing’, and ‘pretty’. Instead, why not opt for one of the friendly phrases below!

‘You’re very smiley this morning, are you having a nice day?’

‘It’s great to see you so happy!’

‘Your smile is contagious, now I’m smiling too!’

‘You seem so happy today!’

You’ll have let the girl you’re complimenting know that you’ve noticed how happy and smiley they look yet you won’t have directly spoken about their mouth/smile or the way it looks. 

Much like complimenting somebody’s body, you never know how this could make another person feel so it’s always much nicer and more thoughtful to compliment them on their demeanour and how their smile seems to make them feel. Let them know that you hope they continue to feel as happy as they seem when they’re smiling!

How to Compliment a Girl Over Text

Our first suggestion on complimenting a girl over text? Remember that words on a screen have no inflection or emotion behind them. It will be taken as it’s read and often what you’re typing might not come across how you think. Baring that in mind, we’ll always recommend being very careful about your choice of wording when texting someone to compliment them.

We might sound like a broken record at this point but since it’s so important, we’ll mention it again! If you’re texting someone you’ve only just met/ someone you’re not certain will appreciate comments on their physical appearance, avoid this altogether. Some people may like to hear your compliments on their physical appearance but some may not.

So, choose not to speak directly about their body or their physical features until you’re certain they’re comfortable with it.

Until then, there are plenty of ways to compliment someone whilst you’re texting back and forth. Think about all of the things you like about them, why you’re glad to know them, and about the traits that make them unique or particularly special to you. Once you do that, the options for polite and thoughtful compliments are truly endless! Here are just a few of our favorite ways to compliment a girl over a text.

‘Thank you for dinner, you’re an amazing chef!’

‘Great job at Karaoke tonight, I had no idea what a great voice you had!’

‘Do you have any good movie recommendations? You have really great taste in films!’

‘It was great talking to you, you have great insights and I really appreciate what a good listener you are.’

‘Thanks for your help today, I couldn’t have done it without you.’

Stick to compliments about her talents, her wonderful personality, and all of the things you think are special about her. Complimenting a girl in this way is always so much nicer than simply telling her she’s pretty!


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How to Compliment a Girl’s Outfit

When it comes to complimenting a girl’s outfit, it’s always good to keep in mind our suggestions for appearance compliments in general. Eg: avoiding over-familiar wording is always a winner if the girl you’re speaking to isn’t your partner and you don’t know what she’ll be comfortable hearing just yet.

how to compliment a girl

But don’t worry, there are still plenty of ways to compliment a girl’s outfit without being inappropriate or making her feel objectified.

Simply stick to phrases and words that speak directly about the outfit itself, not on how it makes her body look. 

This will let her know you’ve seen and like what she’s chosen to wear but won’t make her feel like you only care about her appearance when it comes to compliments. After all, there’s a huge difference between ‘What a cool dress’ and ‘You look smoking hot in that dress!’ Spoiler alert, the latter is rarely acceptable!

If you’re still not sure what to say when complimenting a girl on her outfit, we’ve rounded up a few of our favourite friendly compliments below. Just remember to tailor them to your specific situation and make sure you’re saying them in a friendly way.

‘That’s a great dress!’

‘You have such great style’

‘That’s a very chic outfit’

‘You always wear such cool clothes, you’ll have to give me some style tips’

‘You always look so happy when you’re wearing that coat!’ (dress/shirt/those shoes)

How to Compliment a Girl on Instagram or TikTok

Much like texts, complimenting a girl over social media can be tricky. After all, she can’t see your face, she can’t hear how you’re saying the words you’re typing out so things can easily be misconstrued. To make sure that doesn’t happen, stick to our golden rules!

Firstly, since we assume you don’t know the girl you’re complimenting all that well since you’re reaching out over social media, it’s best to avoid talking about her body altogether. Your opinion isn’t required and we’re certain she’ll much prefer to hear compliments on her content than what she has to offer physically anyway!

So, since you can’t speak face to face, try leaving a like on a post or two and maybe a comment on those that you really love. Is she a singer? Tell her how amazing her voice and video clips are! Does she create hilarious TikToks? Comment and let her know how much they make you smile. You could even try to make her laugh right back!

If you’ve spoken before and you feel confident enough to send her a message over social, keep things light and friendly. Tell her why you appreciate her content and how talented she is in a genuine way. Make that your focus over what she looks like. After all, it’s these unique talents and personality traits that make us who we are. That deserves to be celebrated and thoughtfully complimented!


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