EmojiFaces carry the tone of a message. These are the most common ones, how people usually read them and how they can be misread. Apps draw them differently, so the same emoji may look a little different to the person you write to.
| Emoji | Usually means | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| 😀 😃 | Happy, friendly. | A big grin after bad news looks odd. |
| 😂 | Laughing a lot. | Some younger people have moved to other emoji for laughter. |
| 🙂 | A mild, polite smile. | Can read as cool or sarcastic. |
| 😊 | Warm, pleased. | Safe in nearly every context. |
| 😅 | Nervous laugh, "whoops". | Often means relief or awkwardness, not joy. |
| 🥲 | Smiling while on the edge of tears. | Mixed feelings; add a word. |
| 😍 | Love, delight. | For things as well as people. |
| 🥰 | Warmth and affection. | May feel too intimate for a stranger. |
| 😭 | Crying hard, or laughing so much that you cry. | Read the sentence to know which. |
| 😢 | Sad. | Used mildly. |
| 😡 | Angry. | Strong in a work message. |
| 🙃 | Upside-down: joking, irony, mild frustration. | Can look passive aggressive. |
| 🤔 | Thinking, doubt. | Can sound as if you doubt the person. |
| 😴 | Sleepy. | Harmless. |
| 🤗 | A hug. | Friendly, sometimes a gentle thank-you. |
| 🤩 | Starstruck, very excited. | Strong; use for real excitement. |
Using faces well
- One face at the end of a sentence is enough.
- When the news is serious, use words, not faces.
- With people you do not know, choose warm and plain: 😊 or 🙂.
Three short examples
"Reached home, thanks for the lift 😊" is warm and clear. "Meeting moved to 4 😅" tells the reader you know it is inconvenient. "Not happy with the delay 😡" is harsher than the same words alone, so in a work message write the sentence without the face and keep your tone calm.
How age and community change things
Younger users often treat some faces as old-fashioned and prefer others. Older readers may take a face more literally. If you write to a mixed family group, choose the faces everyone knows: the plain smile, the big grin, the heart eyes and the sad face. Save the odd ones for friends who share your habits.
The full list of faces is on the smileys page. Read also the emoji people misread.