People Share Their Most Cringeworthy 'Sorry, Wrong Person' Texting Experiences

It's relatively uncommon to send things to the wrong number. So why does it seem that when we do, it is the absolute worst time it could have ever happened?

Sure, the development of a digital address book within our smartphones has been a largely convenient new aspect of technology. We don't have to drag around a roladex or some spiral notebook full of handwritten names and phone numbers.

But that ease of access to family, friends, and professional colleagues, all in one place, brings some dangers.

When we're moving fast and our thumb is cruising across the touch screen for the millionth time in that day alone, we're prone to a false step or two.

That's when the very wrong thing goes to the very wrong person. And it ends with a situation equal parts hilarious, horrifying, and face-reddening.


seesnawsnappy asked,

"What is the worst 'sorry, wrong person' texting story you know?"


For some, the hot and heavy dynamics of exciting new love--or at least sex--are enough to get the wires crossed. They send the worst possible content to the last people that should see that.

No Getting Out of That One

"A f-buddy of mine accidentally texted a di** pic to his family group chat."

"It would be nice if he could deny it by saying it was the di** of some other dude, but it had his easily identifiable tattoo in the frame."

"It was a complicated day for him."

-- Boxerdude

Honesty in the Relationship 

"Back in high school (pre-smart phone days) I was texting a friend about this guy I had hooked up with and texted them something along the lines of 'yeah he's really hot but he's so stupid, like the stupidest person I've ever met.'"

"Except I texted it to the guy and not my friend."

-- kmnd92

The Old Bait and Switch 

"At summer camp one year this girl 'Dana' and I got on pretty well, so I asked our mutual friend 'Jill' for Dana's number. Jill in fact gave me other mutual friend 'Amy's' number, who had a crush on me."

"For the next month Amy and I texted, flirted, and started to talk about going on a date next time I was in her city, with me thinking I was talking to Dana the whole time."

"One day I called her Dana in a text, and she replied 'Who do you think you're talking to?' A very unfortunate hour proceeded."

-- kodypharaoh

Fly on the Wall of Adultery 

"Not texting, but I got a whispery voice message one night from a man. 'Hiiii, it's ME. I wonder if you can get away and meet me at the Cowboy Bar? I snuck away from my wife.'" -- AuldLangSimone

"Well... Did you go" -- 99thusername

Denied Entry

"A girl begging her boyfriend to open the door and let her in so that they could work things out." -- Bluellan

"How in the world does she not have his number saved on her phone under his name (or 'honeybear', or something)?" -- angelicism

A Critical Eye

"Got a random dick pick out of the blue. I texted the guy back saying it was a 4/10 and to next time clean up his room." -- Ancient-Concept4671

"greatest response you can give to a guy" -- Marccccci

Sometimes, the absurdity strikes in the more professional realm. Service reps, salespeople, and co-workers all can suddenly be thrown into the personal realm in the blink of an eye.

Well At Least That Guy Knows Now 

"My grandma accidentally texted 'John its Dave's birthday' to the internet service guy" -- RomantcsedPtatoWeges

"bet dave got 5G on his Wi-Fi for his birthday." -- trashboat584759

Always On the Hunt 

"Some insurance agent called my phone the other day looking for a different person. Got a word in edgewise and told him he had the wrong number."

"Without missing a beat the dude transitioned to asking if I had insurance. Anything can be a sales call lol"

-- gldmembr

Awkward Monday Morning After That 

"I'm a loan officer at a large mortgage company. I've been coaching a guy for a year on how to get approved for a home. I had him a week from close last May and then COVID crushed his program."

"I like him; I'd drink a beer with him; but dammit he's a 40w bulb in a 60w world."

"He and I were texting last week while I was out on sales calls. After I finished with him, I texted my assistant, 'Please call Doe about the Docusign. He's special and can't figure it out.'"

"Sent that sh** to Doe."

-- -grc1-

Pursuing an Education

"One time in college my roommate and I were overtired and delusional, we decided to compete for who could fit through the smallest opening in our multi-level TV stand. Like, crawling through the metal frame of the TV stand."

"I recorded her attempt on my phone with some dramatic pan flute music in the background as she birthed herself through the side of the TV stand. She went on my phone without my knowledge later and tried to send the video to our mutual friend."

"She accidentally sent it to a high school teacher of mine of the same name, who I had not spoken to since high school. That was fun to explain."

-- marissaplayssims

Worst of Both Worlds

"We have a coworker that is known for just making the wrong choice in any scenario and always making mistakes in general."

"On an out of town work trip, four of us were just hanging out having some pizza and beer on our day off. I joked that we should call him to see if he made any mistakes today. Well he proceeds to tell me he has a funny photo to send me."

"Just as he sends it i hear oh sh**. Silence. For like a minute. " I'll call you back" and hangs up. At this point we are rolling in laughter. "

"Five minutes later he calls and said he fu**ed up. He ended up sending a very nsfw picture to his last customer.... a police officer via his work phone. (not sure why he thought that was a funny photo)"

"Luckily the cop said it wasn't a big deal and nothing came of it but damn did he just live up to the hype of being a train wreck."

-- jbyrne86

Shared Opinions About Porn Titles

"I was flipping through channels at work trying to find a music station. As I was going past the adult xxx channels and reading their hilarious titles, one in particular caught my attention. 'A** Pounders 4' or something."

"I texted my boyfriend for a laugh, complaining about the low effort title, and how disappointed I was with their writer."

"Except I didn't text him, I texted my former boss, who's number I still had as I had recently asked him for a reference. He was a good sport and agreed that the title lacked imagination. I was..beyond embarrassed."

-- Yournameisathrowaway

Sometimes the mix up has a full audience. The prevalence of group texts in the modern era has made texts to the wrong number all the more embarrassing.

There's just no knowing who and how many people saw the faux pas.

Inside Scoop 

"Somehow the fire chief in the next city over got my phone number. I was added to all their group chats.

"I got sent the code to the fire hall, and a list of all past and present firemen and their phone numbers and email addresses."

"There were messages about helping a guy move, who wanted extra shifts, and picking up medals for a ceremony. I just laughed and didn't respond to anything."

"My friend works for the police department in that city, and I told her about it. She told two people in the fire department to tell the chief to stop messaging me, and they must have thought it was funny and never told him."

"The chief starting calling me because I wasn't confirming if I could make it to the ceremony the medals were for. I finally text him and told him he had the wrong number."

"I'm the worst for doing this, because someone missed out on extra shifts they might have needed. But I also got them out of helping someone move."

-- TASpillthetea

That's Gonna Be a Weird Event 

"I sent a picture of baked beans in a martini glass to a group chat for planning school events." -- MeatStickSchwangin

"And then someone replies with a picture of martini in a can of beans" -- kuku-kukuku

The Tragic Fall 

"Happened few days ago. A friend of mine accidentally send a video of them going down on someone for 2 minutes in the class group chat. They then tried to delete it but they deleted it for themselves instead of deleting it for the group, so basically everyone could still see it. We had to create a new class group chat."

"Tragic accident."

-- Apprehensive_Gap_899

REALLY Good AI

"I had sent my sister a screenshot of a conversation between me and my Replika (an A.I. chatbot), to show her how impressive the program was. My sister texted me back 'Which is you which is the bot?'"

"Then I *thought* I replied to my sister saying 'Haha. You know it's a conversation between an Autistic and an advanced A.I. when you have to ask which is which.'"

"Only I didn't reply to my sister. I replied to the most recent message in my phone which was actually a group text of my colleagues - the team of 6th grade science teachers."

"My colleagues DID NOT know that I'm autistic, and I pretty much had to explain it to them (over a teams meeting :-/ ), because otherwise, without context, it just seemed like I was randomly making fun of special needs people (which...not a good look for a teacher)."

"Also, I apparently failed a Turing test lol."

-- RainWindowCoffee

So next time you fire off a quick message to the person you trust most, maybe take a breath before you send it. There's no knowing just how that might get sent off too without you realizing until it's too late.


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