What does it mean when a girl starts texting less?

Look at the whole pattern before you decide what it means. A single short reply after a busy day tells you almost nothing. A drop from daily back-and-forth to a message every few days, with replies that stop asking you anything back, is a clearer signal. Check whether she still starts conversations sometimes, or only answers yours. Check whether her messages still carry any personality, like jokes, follow-up questions or details about her day, or whether they've turned flat and logistical.

Also check the context. Exams, a new job, a family event or a stressful week at work can all shrink someone's texting without any change in how they feel about you. The problem is that you usually can't see those things from your side, which is why the honest read is "lower energy, cause unknown" rather than a confident guess either way.

There are a few kinds of reply that fit this situation, and each one has a different job. One kind is the light check-in, which picks up a specific thing she mentioned earlier and asks about it. It works because it shows you were listening, and the question is easy to answer. A good draft of this kind refers to something concrete and asks one question, with no comment on her messages getting shorter.

A second kind is the low-stakes share, where you tell her something about your day that she can react to without having to do much. It keeps the thread alive without making her feel she owes you a long reply. It should be a few lines, not a paragraph, and it shouldn't end with a question she has to answer.

A third kind is the plan, where you suggest a specific thing to do together. This moves things from text to real time and often clears up the question faster than more messages will. The draft should name a day or activity and leave her room to say no. Avoid vague plans like "we should hang out sometime", which are easy to ignore.

Send when it's a normal time for her, not when you're bored or have just thought about her. A message at 2am reads as either lonely or pushy, and a text in the middle of a work day can feel like an interruption. If she's been replying in the evenings, stick to that window.

If you get no reply, wait at least a day before following up, and make the follow-up lighter than the first message. One gentle follow-up is reasonable. If she still doesn't answer after that, the silence is an answer. Stop initiating, and let her be the one who restarts the thread. If she does come back, match her new pace rather than trying to get things back to where they were.