Can Friends Call Each Other Babe (11 Reasons Why Friends Call Each Other Babe)

Are you feeling weird about being called babe by your friends or wondering how the term babe defines your friendship?

Congratulations! you’ve just found the best article on the subject. Pet names have been in existence for the longest time, between 1839 and 1901.

Although pet names are more common between lovers, close friends share these names as well. Girl friends call each other babe, honey, sweetie, and other sweet nicknames all the time, either to show closeness or fun. Amongst guy friends, the word babe is a totally weird pet name.

Being called ‘babe’ by guy friends is something special. If a guy friend suddenly starts calling you babe and you suspect it’s in a more romantic way than a friendly way, it could mean a lot of things. 

In most cases, it’s a sign he is attracted to you and would want to be your boyfriend, however, tread carefully. You might start getting more attention than you bargained for.

No doubt, it feels good for someone to call you babe because it makes you feel special. Babe is one word that can change the dynamic of a friendship, especially between you and any of your guy friends. I will share eleven things it could mean when you hear the nickname babe from a friend.

11 Reasons Why Friends Call Each Other Babe

1. Sisterhood

Women often use ‘babe’ as a pet name to others, as soon as they develop some sort of bond with close friends, even guy friends. It’s a good sign of sisterhood amongst them. The context they use this endearment is not as it is in a romantic relationship. I remember dressing up with my girls for a party and we were gassing each other up saying ‘you look so good babe’ as opposed to calling out our names. 

It makes sense when friends like these use it to show closeness between each other. When a girl says she’s calling her babe who is female, there’s a high chance she’s referring to her best friend.

When you hear your female friends call you babe, honey, or sweetie, it shows how she loves you as a friend and the level of intimacy she feels you both have. Don’t freak out, instead embrace genuine sisterhood. 

If, as a girl, you don’t have female friends who call you babe, I doubt you’re in a sisterhood. Hearing ‘baby girl’ from a sister is different, just like compliments from women feel better than from men.

2. Your age and gender

As a woman, you are prone to being referred to as a baby more than any other gender. It’s because women are naturally more tender humans than men are. The term babe as an endearment is coined from the word baby.

Sexually attractive young women are called babes, so it could be used to describe your look or categorize you. Older women are more impressed by guys who call them babies, because it makes them feel youthful.

Be prepared to hear the term almost all the time in conversations, calling you babe will come almost naturally to anyone, and more often than not, it's simply a method of identification. 

Eventually, you would get used to it, just like you would learn the differences between the friendly, platonic, and romantic use of the term. A woman in her prime should not get startled every time she hears the word ‘babe’ being addressed to her, it will always happen.

3. Texting parlance

Let me guess. You met this nice guy and after texting for a couple of weeks he starts referring to you as ‘babe’…you don’t know what it means? Don’t hold your breath honey, endearments like babe have become part of the texting parlance that just adds flair to the conversation.

Talking or texting over the phone always gets boring over time if we all admit it. Dropping an endearment spices things up a bit. ‘Good morning, babe’ has a better ring to it than if it were to be a basic ‘Good morning’ text, I wouldn’t happen to overthink it if I were you.

It could also be an open invitation or a show of interest from the other party. However, the only way to find out is to ask a direct question as opposed to assuming. I know for a fact that guy friends don’t start calling people ‘babe’ unless it’s a joke, but ladies throw it in there for various reasons.

4. Dating

Friends of the opposite sex can’t call each other babe unless they are into each other. He probably decided to call you babe in hopes that it would make you open to a relationship with him. It’s assumed that a guy who calls you ‘babe’ is your boyfriend because it’s a romantic endearment just like honey, sweetheart, and the like. It’s a sign that he wants to move out of the friend zone to a lover. 

There’s a difference between dating and being in a committed partnership with each other. It’s important to pay attention to the body language of a person who calls you babe. It could be used condescendingly but mostly for referring to a close friend or a lover. 

There’s no law that says only people in a committed relationship are allowed to use the pet name. Babe is such an adaptive title that can be used casually by any gender all the time. If he calls you babe but his actions towards you remain the same, there’s nothing to it. 

5. Relationship

Once two people agree to start a committed relationship with each other, they find soothing names for each other that best describe how they feel. It makes them feel like they have a special spot in the heart of their significant other. 

I bet you feel tingly butterflies everytime you hear it in such a sensual, romantic, and protective tone. If you would rather call your partner by his first name or you’ve chosen something other than “baby” it doesn’t make you less affectionate. There’s no rule book on how to run a relationship. 

Sometimes, calling your partner an inside joke name is way more fulfilling than using “babe”. Partners call each other babe in public to mark territory. Sometimes, phrases like “that’s my babe!” Or “what do you want, baby?” send a signal to everyone else that both of you have a thing between yourselves. Couples use endearments a lot during the honeymoon phase of the relationship, usually after that first name basis works too. 

6. He likes you

When a friend calls you “babe,” it could mean he likes you. However, keep in mind friends call each other endearing words normally. If this is the first time he’s using the word and not in a casual conversation, we can hope it means he likes you. 

When it comes to issues like this, I would rather you ask him a direct question as opposed to assuming what it means. Trust me, you don't want to develop feelings or nurture feelings for a person over nothing. 

The context in which the term is being used is sometimes more important than the endearment itself. The fastest way to tell if he has feelings for you is by the way he addresses you whether privately or in public. Calling someone a sweet pet name is such a corny way of sliding out of the friend zone. However, if that works for you go ahead, just don't aim for the man who does the bare minimum to get your attention. 

7. Friendliness

“Babe” is also a friendly title. Most people use it to create an informal atmosphere either at work or in a social environment. People who are affectionate are prone to speaking to you using endearments. 

Sometimes, it's completely platonic and more just a nice gesture. It creates an open atmosphere where you are calm and comfortable speaking freely with such an acquaintance. One day at work an older lady walked up to me saying “Hey babe, could you please point me in the direction of the bathroom?” Being called that made me so open to giving her directions and helping her further with the project she came for. 

When someone calls you babe, they're most likely aiming to make you feel good about yourself or lighten up the environment between both of you. It's not weird or out of place at all except it's used pervertedly. If you ever feel uncomfortable with someone addressing you by an endearment, you could give them your first name and politely ask them to address you by that. 

8. Conversation starter.

I bet even you have done this before when you meet a stranger, calling them “babe” or something sweet to open a conversation. It's safer to just address the person by an endearment until you ask for their name. Most bar tool conversations begin with “hey honey” as opposed to catcalling which is more irritating. 

Even in formal environments endearments are used to lighten the mood for easy communication. Apart from spoken conversations, endearments are also used in texts as a conversation starter. I mentioned in the earlier points how “good morning babe” has a better ring to it.

That it's a conversation starter doesn't mean you can use it on anyone. Don't go calling your boss “baby” cause you want to lighten the mood. That could be interpreted as being flirtatious. Read the room before throwing up endearments. Endearments could also be used to show excessive gratitude towards a person's kind gesture. 

9. Nothing really

No matter how difficult it is to admit, being called babe could mean nothing at all. He probably just said it as a force of habit. I have a male friend who refers to almost every girl as babe, sweetheart, honey, and all sorts. He's not trying to be flirtatious or anything. Calling each other babe doesn't mean we are in a relationship, only that there's a close bond between us. 

I know it's hard to believe that anyone could live throwing the word “babe” around but they're people who use endearments to look cool. They are not interested in you and there's nothing they want from you at all. 

10. They want your attention 

It's very easy to grab a person's attention when you call them something sweet. Everyone was to feel special and loved. Your friend probably called you babe to get you to notice them or something. Imagine the shock waves that would go through your spine if your crush called you “babe”, that's why they do it. 

They just want you to feel good. Once you hear an endearment, you want to know who said it and to whom it's addressed to. It's a pickup line and a call of interest for most men who have a weak pick-up game. They say babe to sound familiar to you and be flirtatious. 

11. They want to know what you think

Your reaction to the call “babe” sends a message to the caller about how you feel about them. If the call makes you feel somewhat uncomfortable, it means that you are not attracted to them as they would want. If you want to know if your crush likes you, call him “babe” and watch for how he reacts to it. If he decides to call you babe too, the feeling might just be mutual and you both should talk it out.

When girls do it, they're calling you into a sisterhood. It feels great to know that a group of women like you have your back. Be open to making a person's day by saying something sweet to make them feel good about themselves.

Conclusion

Can friends call each other babe? Of course, girls do it all the time and so do some guys apparently. It's not only used when a person is interested in you, strangers refer to people they don’t know as babe all the time.

The idea that the endearment is strictly between lovers is overrated. The above points show the various reasons the nickname is used. However, I would love to read your thoughts on the subject in the comment section below, and please share this article with your friends.