41 Subtle Signs He Likes You More Than A Friend (2024)

You’ve been thinking maybe that guy likes you. But again, you’re not sure. He hasn’t said he does. But worry not.

If you want to know whether a guy has romantic feelings for you, check if he reveals the following subtle signs he likes you more than a friend. 

Let’s begin!

Subtle Signs He Likes You More Than A Friend
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1. He Gives You Many Unusual Compliments

Anyone who likes you would probably shower you with compliments. But this guy friend would offer unique compliments on aspects others rarely notice about you. What do I mean?

“You’re not just a great friend but a special human.” “You are really interesting, one just can’t stop learning from you.” 

Their compliments, whether about your body, mind, or soul, seem to come from intensive observation.

2. He Stares at You Often

According to research on attention, we stare at something we find attractive because whenever we look at it, our brains release dopamine which makes us feel good. To feel more of the feel-good chemical, we find ourselves looking at the attractive thing even more.

That’s what happens every time a guy that likes you sees you. So if you catch him staring often, that’s a great sign he likes you more than a friend.

3. He Playfully Teases You

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If a guy seems to tease you more than he does others, chances are, he likes you. 

He might do childish things like tickling you to make you laugh or playfully annoy you. He’ll enjoy it and look like someone in love — because he is in love with you.

4. He Mirrors Your Moves

Mirroring is a phenomenon where one unconsciously imitates your moves and even the way you talk. If they don’t do that with others, it’s possible that he likes you more than a friend.

Observe their body language and words to see if they’ve started doing and saying things you do. That’s one of the signs he likes you more than a friend.

5. He’s Focused on You in a Group Setting

In a group setting, it’s natural to focus on who’s talking. But you often see your guy friend looking at you instead of where the action is.

It doesn’t have to be his gaze alone. If he is more eager to comment about your opinions and inclines his body towards you, he probably has romantic feelings for you.

Related: How To Tell If A Guy Likes You But Is Hiding It

6. He Tries to Look Good Around You

Think about it; does the guy seem to be grooming himself every time you meet. Maybe they brush their hair a little bit, straighten their shirt, or try to touch up any part of their body lightly.

Whatever way they do it, if a guy likes you, they’ll seem to be extra keen on how they look around you. After all, you have to see them at their best.

7. He Blushes When You Talk or Look at Him

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A guy blushes when he feels flattered, nervous, or when you turn them on. Their bodies produce adrenaline which manifests as a blush as they try to hide their feelings.

So if he blushes when you talk to him and not when others do, chances are, they like you. This is evident especially when you praise them, talk about sensitive topics like love, or even simply look at them. 

Related: Clear Signs He Caught Feelings For You

8. He Checks in on You Often

A guy that likes you would like to know how you’re doing often. This is because you’re on their mind and they want to hear from you consistently.

If you know he isn’t that extra friendly with everyone, one of the subtle signs he’ll reveal would be calling, texting, and even coming physically to check on you.

9. He Behaves Awkwardly Around You

Fidgeting, laughing hysterically, avoiding eye contact, rocking, cracking knuckles, becoming stiff — all these are subtle signs a guy likes you more than a friend.

Body language signs of attraction are almost unavoidable. So if he suppresses, say fidgeting, he might become unusually stiff. One thing’s for sure. If he becomes nervous around you, he probably has feelings towards you.

Related: 42 Signs He’s Pretending Not To Like You, But Really Does!

10. He Talks About Doing Things With You in Future

“We’ll check out their food some time.” “We’ll attend that festival when I save up.” “Imagine us investing there in the future, it’ll be awesome.”

When he thinks of you as more than a friend, he inevitably includes you in his future. And his comments shall reveal that.

11. He Makes a Big Deal of What You Have in Common

“You like watching birds too? Wow, that’s one more thing we have in common!” We get excited 

when the one we like shares our interests. In fact, we yearn to share interests with someone else we’re attracted to since we think that’ll make our relationship more fun.

So if a guy says anything related to the above statement, this is one obvious but subtle sign that he likes you more than a friend.

Related: Signs A Male Coworker Likes You

12. He Often Seeks to Know You Deeper

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If you’re attracted to something, it’s natural to want to know more about it. That’s why we can spend the entire date asking about someone’s life or binge scroll on the social media page of someone we like.

So one of the telltale signs a guy likes you more than a friend is if he keeps asking lots of questions about your family, opinions, work, vision, and virtually any topic you can think of.

13. He Frequently Asks About Your Days

One of the incredibly subtle signs a guy likes you is his keen interest in all the days of your life. He would take every chance to know how your day is faring, what plans you have for the weekend, and even how you feel about the day or week before.

They can’t help it because every detail of your life is interesting to them. Why? Because you’re the main character in it and that’s how they get to know you.

14. He Dismisses Topics About Other Guys

When a guy likes you more than a friend, he’ll be possessive of you as if you were his girlfriend.

So whenever you start talking about other guys interested in you, he seems to no longer be interested to talk or comment about your life. He won’t sound inquisitive anymore.

15. His Friends Often Leave Him Talking to You

The constant need for one on one talk is one of the subtle signs a guy likes you more than a friend. Commonly, he may hang behind to talk to you even though he came with a group of guy friends.

And since the close friends know he has romantic feelings towards you whether he told them or not, they give him space to talk to you even though they’re mutual friends. 

Related: 33 Signs Of True Love Between A Man And A Woman

16. He Tries to Hang Out Around You as Much as Possible

Whether he remains behind after group activities are over or comes over to check on you, this guy seems to be getting himself into situations he can be around you. 

Even if he used to not go to church or sports events, he starts showing up and positions himself in your vicinity. This is one of the topmost obvious signs he likes you.

17. He Tells His Family and Friends About You

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When you meet his family or friends occasionally or even for the first time, it’s like they have a background story no one but the guy must have told them.

They might make comments like, “Scott told us you tutor the neighbors’ children in your part-time” “I understand you don’t take beef” and suchlike comments. Or simply the way they relate to you is like they trust you. Chances are the guy talks to them about you.

18. He Tries to Engage You in Your Interests

One of the obvious signs a guy likes you is his tendency to develop an interest in whatever interests you.

Therefore, if you know he doesn’t like something you do and yet tries to be there for you, investing his time and effort in something you like, that guy probably likes you.

19. He Talks Differently When With You

When you like someone, you’ll likely treat them differently from the rest because of the attraction.

Well, that’s the same with a guy that likes you more than a friend. If you know how they relate to others, you can note a difference in how they relate to you.

20. He Remembers Almost Everything You Tell Him

One of the most obvious yet subtle signs a guy likes you is when he remembers many things you tell him. It’s because he listens to you intently to know you deeply.

Apart from normal details, the guy might remember details we as guys find hard to recall like birthdays, your favorite love gestures, anniversaries, and what guy-thing annoys you.

21. He Introduces You Differently

Rather than, saying “This is my friend Liz,” a guy that likes you would introduce you awkwardly like for instance eliminating the word friend and mentioning your name alone.

By all means, he might try to avoid saying the word friend since his brain has already caught the subtle signs he likes you more than just a friend. 

22. He Often Tries to Hang Out With You

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“What are your plans for the weekend?” “Do you need someone to keep you company while you do X?” “Do you have me in your dinner plans?” 

If he seems eager to hang out with you always, chances are, that guy likes you. He’ll find vain reasons to be in your presence often.

23. He Texts You A Lot on Social Media

Social media has made it incredibly normal to make small talk even on a daily basis.

So if he keeps on texting you about your posts or merely to say “hi” because he saw you were online, chances are he likes you more than a friend.

24. He Notices Subtle Changes About You

You changed your hairstyle a little and no one noticed. But not him.

If he notices most changes about your attire, hairstyle, or even mood, this shows you that he’s super attentive than other people. And the reason is, he likes you.

25. He Tries to Know Your Relationship Status

Subtle signs a guy likes you sometimes manifest in his seemingly irrelevant questions. He may ask things like, “What does your boyfriend think about your job?” or “Does your boyfriend know how brilliant your mind is?”

There’s no way you can answer those questions without disclosing whether you’re in a relationship or not. So if he pops up such questions to gauge your love life, this is a clear sign he wants a relationship with you.

26. He Strives to Impress You

Making a good impression is the number one aim for a guy that likes you. They can impress you through how they look, talk, and even the way they express affection.

So if you notice he’s trying hard to look good for you, that’s one of the signs he likes you more than a friend. He might be extremely generous in your presence and even to the extent of suppressing his nature for you.

27. He’s Always Interested in Your Opinion

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“What do you think?” This is one of the statements a guy that likes you will use most.

Since he’s striving to get to know you, he elicits your opinion to know how you think and feel about many things.

28. He Tries to Smell Nice When Meeting With You

For most colognes, you know when the person just put it on. The scent is usually stronger and fresher than when they spend the whole day wearing it.

So, if the guy smells freshly applied cologne yet he wasn’t just from freshening up, chances are, they put it on to smell nice for you. And that’s one of the subtle signs he likes you.

29. He Mostly Tries to Be Funny When Around You

Studies on the science of laughter reveal that the more a guy makes a woman laugh, the more she’s attracted to him. And that’s why many men instinctively try to be funny around women they like.

So if he constantly tries to make jokes around you, chances are, he likes you. That’s especially true if he doesn’t directly try to make everyone laugh.

30. He Wants to Be Your Hero Always

Your washing machine isn’t working, he’s there to fix it. Your date didn’t show up, he’s there to console you. You need a plus one, of course, he’s available.

A man attracted to you develops the hero instinct which prompts him to save you from virtually anything that could hurt you. It drives him to show you he’s the man you need in your life so even when it’s inconvenient for him, he might try to show up for your rescue consistently.

31. He Narrates His Plans to You

If a man likes you, he might unconsciously consider it needful to tell you about his future since he imagines you’ll be in it.

Therefore, if he tells you his personal plans as if you’re his girlfriend, he probably likes you. This is especially true if he doesn’t disclose such matters to people not close to him.

32. He Finds Reasons to Call or Text You Often

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“I just called to know whether you managed to finish the report.” “Just thought I should check up on you after seeing the dreadful news in your town.”

If he keeps calling and texting with lame reasons to justify his need to contact constantly, he probably likes you. 

33. He Lightens up When He Sees You

Eye contact plus raising of eyebrows every time you meet the guy are telltale signs he likes you.

The man might even mention that it’s good to see you. This among other behaviors are subtle signs show he likes you more than a friend.

34. He’s Extra Cautious Around You

When a guy likes you, he might expose unspoken attraction anxiety. Since he only wants to bring positive feelings to you, he might be extremely cautious so he doesn’t mess up the good impression.

So you might notice he plans every word, or that he arranged every detail of your meeting so that it’s perfect, or he’s careful not to say foolish things by correcting himself and many related behaviors.

35. He Doesn’t Talk About Other Women

If a guy likes a woman, he’ll likely avoid talking about other women when around her.

So if a guy likes you, he might avoid talking about his previous girlfriends or even a female colleague from work — anything that may suggest he’s mentally or physically involved romantically.

36. He Thinks He’s Important to You

We like to think we’re important to people we like. So a guy that likes you might think you should miss him or even tell him about important issues happening to you.

So if he starts to ask you why you didn’t tell him this and that personal thing or if you miss him, chances are, he likes you more than a friend.

37. His Friends Never Flirt With You

Have you ever wondered why his friends never flirt or even spend time alone with you? If they’re good friends with the guy who likes you, chances are, they wouldn’t like to flirt with you.

Even if he hasn’t told them, they may know you mean a lot to him and they would offer space for you two to develop a relationship with each other.

38. He Jokes About You Two Dating

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“Imagine us going on a date, that would be crazy right?” “We can go to the festival as a couple. Don’t worry, I’m just kidding.”

If a guy keeps saying statements like these, this is a clear sign he has romantic feelings for you. 

39. He Starts Calling You Pet Names

Even if you’ve been good friends for a while, if a guy starts calling you pet names as if you were his girlfriend, he probably likes you more than a friend.

It might simply be a shift from your name to “beautiful,” “dear,” “cutie pie” among others. If he doesn’t do this with anyone else, he probably wants a romantic relationship with you.

Related: Psychological Signs Someone Likes You

40. He Frequently Invites You as His Plus One

When you get a chance to go to a party with someone people would assume is your boyfriend, who would you take? A guy you’re attracted to, right?

Well, the same happens for a guy. If they keep asking you to be their plus one for events he’s attending, he likely is falling in love with you.

41. He’s Eager to Tell You His Good News

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When you feel close to someone, they’ll be the first you tell the good news.

So if you’re one of the first he expresses his excitement to, you probably are special to him. 

Your Questions on Signs He Likes You More Than a Friend

Get a sneak peek at the answers to the most popular questions on signs a guy likes a woman romantically.

How do you know if he likes you more than a friend 3 Signs to watch out for?

Out of the 41 signs I’ve shown you above, you’ll find 3 signs popping out more often than the rest if a guy likes you. 

How do you know if a guy likes you but is hiding?

When a guy likes you but is hiding, he’ll reveal the above signs he’s attracted to you but won’t explicitly say it. He’d be generous with you, talk to you favorably, and secretly hint that he wants you in his life.

Related: 19 Clear Signs He Likes You But Is Afraid Of Rejection

How do you know if he likes you more than a friend?

If he likes you more than a friend, a guy will show you most of the above 41 subtle signs. Eye contact, flirting, heroic behavior, inquisitiveness about you, possessiveness, and making couple jokes are among the top signs your male friend has feelings for you.

Do guys give subtle hints and undeniable signs that he likes you?

Guys do give subtle hints they like you. Even if they try to suppress it, men reveal their attraction towards women in the above listed are we more than friends signs.

Signs he only sees you as a friend

Are you reading too much into friendly signs? To confirm that a guy only sees you as a friend, pay attention to notice these signs:

  • He has non-romantic pet names for you like “bro,” “dude,” or your surname.
  • He sincerely tells you about women he likes.
  • He communicates only on a “let you know” basis or because he wants something.
  • He focuses on his phone whenever you’re alone with him.
  • He supports your romantic relationships with other guys.
  • He wants to spend time with you in a group more than alone.
  • He only views you as a sister.
  • He doesn’t talk about “we” when it comes to future plans.

To understand romantic relationships further, check out this video on what love really is:

Related: 9 Strategies How To Stop Looking For Love

Final Word

The signs a guy likes you more than a friend vary with personality. However, you’ll likely see many of the above signs in a man attracted to you.

So what do you think? Does he like you? What are the signs he shows? Let’s chat in the comments!

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About The Author

Bijan Kholghi is a certified life coach with the Milton Erickson Institute Heidelberg (Germany). He helps clients and couples reach breakthroughs in their lives by changing subconscious patterns. His solution-oriented approach is based on Systemic- and Hypnotherapy.

Bijan