If a guy recently called you honey, this post will show you likely reasons why and what would make them more likely.

So, what does it mean when a guy calls you honey? Likely reasons why a guy will call you honey are that he likes you, he says it naturally, or that he is being condescending.

There are a number of possible reasons why a guy will call you honey but there are also some things you can consider to help figure out the main reason.

What does it mean when a guy calls you honey?

Below are likely reasons why a guy will call you honey and what would make each of them more likely.

He likes you

The reason why he called you honey could be that he is attracted to you. This would be more likely if he only said it to you and if he behaves differently with you than he does with other people.

If he is attracted to you, he would probably show a number of other signs of being attracted to you in his body language which could include:

  • Mirroring your body language
  • Asking you lots of questions when in a group
  • Keeping his focus on you when there are multiple people talking
  • Standing close to you when talking to you
  • Holding prolonged eye contact with you
  • Talking to you with a deeper voice than he does to other people
  • Having dilated pupils when talking to you
  • Asking your friends about you
  • Making plans based on yours
  • Pointing his feet in your direction when you’re around
  • Adjusting his hair or clothes when he sees you
  • Sitting upright when he sees you
  • Uncrossing his arms and legs when he sees you
  • Staring at you then quickly looking away when you notice

He says it to every woman

Some men will call every woman honey.

Normally it is meant in a positive way and in some countries, it is more common for men to say it such as in the United Kingdom.

If he says it to other women as well and he shows the same body language around you as he does around them then it would be likely that he naturally says it when talking to women.

He wants to be more than just friends

If he has been your friend for a while, it might be the case that he wants to be more than just friends with you.

If that is why he called you honey, it would be likely that he would show signs of being attracted to you in his behavior and body language that you haven’t picked up on.

It would be especially likely that he would become agitated when you’re with other men, that he would get defensive if you’re both with other men and that he would make plans based on yours.

He was being condescending

The reason why he called you honey might be that he was being condescending.

If he was, it would be likely that he would have called you honey in a sarcastic way and that he would have said it when you were making a suggestion.

If he did call you honey because he was being condescending, it would be likely that he would show negative signs in his body language such as:

  • Having tight lips when you talk
  • Smirking when you’re talking
  • Not taking you seriously
  • Tilting his chin up and looking down at you
  • Crossing his arms when you’re talking

He loves you

The reason that he called you honey could be that he loves you.

If that is why he called you honey, it would be likely that he is your boyfriend. It would also be likely that he would show a number of the signs of attraction around you mentioned above.

He was trying to make you happy

The reason why he called you honey might be that he was trying to make you feel better.

If that is why he called you honey, it would be likely that you would have been talking to him about something that made you feel sad at the time. You might also have been showing signs of being sad like watery eyes, inhaling through the nose quickly and taking deep breaths.

It still might be the case that he said it for a different reason so you should consider the body language that he was showing and if he says it at other times as well.

He wanted to see your reaction

The reason that he called you honey might be that he wanted to see how you would react.

The reason why he wanted to see your reaction could be that he is attracted to you and he wanted to see if you would react positively. If he is, it would be likely that he would show signs of attraction when he is with you.

Consider how he reacts when he sees you

It would help to consider the way he reacts when he first sees you.

If he reacts by sitting up straight, mirroring you, holding prolonged eye contact, uncrossing his arms, adjusting his hair or clothing, his pupils dilate, he raises his eyebrows and smiles and he makes room for you then it would be a positive sign and could mean that he’s attracted to you.

Whereas, if he reacts by crossing his arms, squinting, tightening his lips, clenching his jaw, avoiding eye contact with you and by pointing his feet away from you, it would be a more negative sign.

Think about how he interacts with other people

It would also be helpful to compare the way that he interacts with you with the way that he interacts with other people.

If he seems to call other women honey a lot and he shows the same body language around them as he does around you then it would be likely that he naturally says it when talking to women.

Whereas, if he only says it to you and he changes his body language around you then it would be more likely that he called you honey because he likes you or because he was being condescending. It would be necessary to consider if he was showing positive or negative body language to figure out the exact reason.

Think about multiple aspects of his body language

When trying to make sense of what his body language was suggesting it would be helpful to consider multiple aspects of his body language.

The reason for that is that a single body language signal can have many different meanings. Whereas, if he shows multiple body language signals that can all have the same meaning then it would be more likely that he is showing them for that reason.

Consider when and where he said it

The timing and location of when he called you honey could have an impact on why he said it.

If he called you honey when you were both alone together, it would be more likely that he said it because he is attracted to you and you should consider if he was showing signs of attraction in his body language.

Whereas, if he said it in front of other people then it would be more likely that he either said it because he says it naturally or because he was being condescending.

Consider your relationship with him

The type of relationship that you have with him would also likely have an impact on why he called you honey.

If he is your friend then it would be more likely that he either said it because he wants to be more than just friends or because he naturally says it. It would be helpful to consider if he says it to other women as well.

If he was a guy that you don’t know very well then it would be more likely that he was either being condescending or that he naturally says it to women.

If you want to learn more about body language, a book I would recommend would be The Definitive Book of Body Language (on Amazon). It shows you how to interpret body language and understand people's true intentions.

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