How long should I wait to text him back after he ignored me?

When he stops replying, look at what the conversation was doing right before it stopped. If you ended on a question that needed a bit of thought, or on a plan he had not confirmed, the gap is probably him being busy or unsure how to answer. If the chat was a few short exchanges and then nothing, he may simply not have been that invested yet, which is information too, though not a final judgment.

A single unanswered text tells you very little about how he feels about you. Several days of silence after a warm exchange tells you more, especially if his earlier messages were quick and playful and now they are absent. Pay attention to whether his profile has been active, whether he has been posting or liking things, since that tells you he is around and choosing not to answer you specifically. Also check whether you actually made a clear ask. A vague message like "haha" gives him nothing to respond to, and silence after that is often just the absence of a hook.

A good follow-up is one that could be answered in a sentence and still feels like a real conversation. The most useful kinds reference something specific from earlier, like a thing he mentioned liking or a plan you had floated. They ask a question that is easy to say yes or no to, or that invites him to share a small opinion. They do not restate that he went quiet, and they do not carry any leftover tension from the first message.

The second kind is a light, self-contained check-in. It shows you are still around and happy to keep talking, with no pressure attached. It works well when enough time has passed that a reply would feel natural, not like a reaction. The third kind is a clear, low-stakes invitation, a specific plan with a day or two of room, which lets him move the conversation forward without having to think much. Across all three, the draft should be shorter than your first message, avoid apologies or explanations for why you are texting again, and leave out any question about his feelings or availability.

A reasonable window is somewhere between two and five days after his last message, depending on how quickly the two of you were talking. If the conversation was fast and daily, a two-day gap is already notable. If it was slower, give it closer to a week. Send in the daytime, when people are checking their phones, rather than late at night, since a late text can read as more loaded than you intend.

If you send one follow-up and get nothing back, do not send a second one that week. Let the thread rest for at least a week or two before deciding anything. If he replies warmly to your first follow-up, match his energy and keep the next message on the same level. If he replies with a short or flat answer, take that at face value and let the conversation wind down naturally. Stop chasing after two unanswered messages in total. At that point the silence has said what it is going to say, and your time is better spent elsewhere.