A few weeks before Christmas, I sent my second son, who's away at college, a very simple text. "Are you staying at school for the break, or are you coming home? And if so, when will you be here? Let me know your plans! Love you!!!"
His response? "Sure."
Sure. SURE. Sure to what? Sure you're coming home? Sure you're staying? Sure, you acknowledge I exist? Sure, the sky is blue and words have no meaning?
Fast-forward to Christmas Eve. After two weeks of radio silence, suddenly there he is — my 6'4″ son, duffel bag slung over his shoulder, casually asking when dinner is. And if I could give him a haircut.
"You're here?!" I shrieked.
"Yeah?" He looked at me like I was the confusing one. "I said I was coming."
"You said 'sure.'"
"Yeah. Sure. As in, sure, I'm coming home."
When did "sure" become a complete sentence? And more importantly, is it rude to respond to a text with a one-word answer, or am I just old?
The case for one-word answers
Look, I'm not unreasonable. I understand that communication styles have evolved. Just in my lifetime, generational communication has gone from handwritten letters to emails to texts to whatever hieroglyphic chaos Gen Alpha is cooking up on their phones. Although I am prone to over-explaining — both in real life and texting — I also know it can be overkill. Brevity is the soul of wit, Shakespeare said, and I'm guessing he would have been a "k" texter if he'd had the chance.
There are times when a one-word response is perfectly acceptable — even preferred. If someone texts you, "Did you pick up the milk?" a simple "Yes" is efficient and clear. If your friend asks, "Italian or Thai for dinner?" replying "Thai" is not rude; it's just answering the question. Not every text requires a paragraph.
Not to mention, we're all drowning in notifications. Between work emails, group chats, social media and the fast-food app you were forced to install to order at the drive-thru that messages you five times a day, sometimes you genuinely only have the mental bandwidth for one word. Responding at all is a victory. The alternative is leaving someone on read for three days and then sending an apologetic novel explaining that you've been "so crazy busy" (which everyone knows is code for "I forgot about you until I saw you post an Instagram story").
One-word responses are also, arguably, the great equalizer of our time. They don't require perfect grammar, carefully chosen emojis or the 15 minutes it takes to craft a message that sounds casual but not too casual. They're democratic. Everyone from CEOs to teenagers can fire off a "Yep" or "Cool" without thinking twice.
The case against one-word answers
That said, "Sure" is not the same as "Yes." And context matters. When your mother — who gave you life, drove you to 4,000 sports practices, shopped three times a week to keep you fed and is currently trying to plan a holiday around your existence — asks you a direct question about your plans, perhaps more than a single syllable is warranted.
The problem with one-word responses is that they shift the mental load onto the other person. Now they have to figure out what you meant. They have to decide whether to follow up or assume. They have to spend their precious brain cells decoding your monosyllabic mystery message when you could have just typed three extra words.
One-word answers can also come across as dismissive. "Fine." "K." "Whatever." These can technically answer a question, but they carry a tone. You can practically hear the eye roll. And in text, where we don't have vocal inflection or facial expressions to soften things, brevity can feel like coldness. A "Sounds good!" reads very differently than a "K." Imagine texting a friend or family member, "Can you watch the kids tonight? I'm really struggling," and getting back "OK."
Then there's the ambiguity problem, which I experienced firsthand in the Great Christmas Text Fiasco of 2025. Not all questions are yes or no. Some have options. Some have multiple parts. And replying with a single word to a question that clearly requires more information isn't just bad texting etiquette — it can send everything into a tailspin.
The verdict
Context is everything. One-word responses aren't inherently rude, but they can become rude based on the question, the relationship and the tone. The polite move, if you're short on time, is to either answer the actual question clearly ("Coming home!") or acknowledge you'll respond properly later ("At work, will text tonight!"). Brevity is fine. Vagueness that makes other people do detective work is not.
And to my son: I love you. You're brilliant. I'm so glad you made it home for the holidays! But next year, I'm requiring full sentences. With punctuation. Maybe even an emoji. Let's call it the Christmas Clause.