17 Unexpected “Wrong Number” Text Conversations

All it takes is a slip of the finger, you put in the wrong number and bam, the text you meant for your husband ends up in a stranger's inbox. And while accidental texts can be embarrassing, they can also be a pretty effective strategy when you want to reconnect, apologize, or just prank someone.

The art of the fake accidental text was explored pretty well in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. You address a text to the person who did the recipient wrong and badmouth them to win them over, but "accidentally" send it to the person you want to apologize to. But be warned: just because it worked for Larry David, doesn't mean it'll work for you.

However, if you do decide to employ the fake accidental text tactic, be aware that the receiver can often see through the ploy. In his unofficial experiment for the CBC, Clifton Mark found that one of the most popular ways to get someone's attention with an accidental text is to send out a blank text. He tried it out himself with someone he hadn't spoken to for a few weeks, and it worked – they responded and it got the conversation going.

Mark writes that he found out three things from his "research" on online message boards about accidental texting. First, that it's pretty common. Men and women do it, and it's mostly a tool to manipulate romantic partners or exes. Aside from blank texts, people also imply that they're up to something more interesting, like, "Yeah, that was so crazy last night!" or want to invoke jealousy: "Thanks for a lovely night. Miss you already. [intimacy]"

Yet, unsurprisingly, the third thing that Mark learned from his experiment was that people very often detect fake accidental texts. Just like lying in real life, 'accidental' texts have one weakness: they're the hardest to pull off when we want to do it the most.

"People are most likely to see through 'accidental' texts when they are used for their most common purpose (romantic manipulation) and when they yield the most benefit (by leading the target to a specific conclusion)," Mark wrote.

Dating experts at Love Panky write that the key to a good 'accidental' text is to not overdo it. Then it doesn't seem as suspicious. When you want to revive a conversation with a romantic prospect, text them something like "Do you really think so?", "I can't believe they did that", or "What are the chances?!", or "Of course, I WILL do that tomorrow, I promise!"

They also claim that timing for good 'accidental' texts matters. Late-night texts just read as cliche booty calls, so, the best time to send an "Oops, wrong number" text is in the early evening or during the day. If the 'accidental' text doesn't work, it's better not to push it: knowing when to walk away is also a good skill to have.

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