Types of Crushes: 9 Kinds You’ve Probably Had (and What to Do About Each)

Types of crushes: there are more than “the one you can’t stop thinking about.” You can have a crush on a celebrity, a fictional character, a friend, a stranger from the bus, or someone you don’t want to date at all but badly want to be best friends with. All of it is normal, and most of it is fun.

Below are nine kinds of crushes, what each one usually feels like, and what to do with it. Some of them overlap, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself in three.

First, what even counts as a crush?

A crush is a rush of special interest in someone: you think about them more than you planned to, you get a little giddy or nervous, and you want to know everything about them. If you’re not sure whether what you feel is a crush, our guide to how to know if you like someone walks through the signs.

KidsHealth says it’s common to have crushes on people you know and even those you don’t know. It also says some people don’t have crushes, and that this is normal too. So if your friends are all swooning and you’re not, nothing is wrong with you.

9 types of crushes

1. The celebrity crush

You know their birthday, their favorite snack from an interview, and what they said in that one podcast. You will never meet them, and that’s actually part of why this crush is so easy. Nobody can reject you, ghost you or leave you on read.

Researchers have studied this. A 2017 study in Frontiers in Psychology asked ninth graders in the US about their favorite media figures, and most of them thought of that person as a kind of relationship partner. So you are far from the only one.

What to do: enjoy it. The only rule is to keep it in proportion. If it starts eating your sleep, your homework or your money, or you feel worse about your real life after scrolling their page, take a step back and mute for a while.

2. The fictional character crush

The brooding guy in the book series. The anime character with the great hair. The lead in the show you rewatch every winter. Crushes on fictional people are the same as celebrity crushes with one bonus: they come with a script, so they always say the right thing.

What to do: nothing, honestly. Maybe notice what you like about them (funny? loyal? good listener?). That is useful information about what you’d want in a real friend or partner someday.

3. The friend crush

This is the scary one. You’ve been friends for a while, and then one day they laugh at your joke and your stomach does a flip. Now you’re wondering if you like them, or if you just like how comfortable they are with you.

The risk is real: if it goes badly, you can lose a friend. That doesn’t mean you should never say anything, but it does mean you should give it time first. Ask yourself whether the feeling has lasted a few weeks, and whether you could handle being just friends if they don’t feel the same. When you’re ready, here’s how to tell your crush you like them without making it weird.

4. The secret crush

You’ve never said a word to them. Maybe they’re in your grade, maybe they work at the coffee place, maybe you only know their name from a group chat. Secret crushes feel intense because your imagination fills in all the blanks, and you only see the best parts.

What to do: if you want the crush to turn into something real, the first step is just talking to them like a normal human. Start with the boring stuff (class, music, the coffee order). Our tips on how to talk to your crush make that first conversation less scary. If you’d rather keep it private, that’s okay too. Not every crush needs a plot.

5. The slow-burn crush

No lightning bolt. You just realize, over weeks or months, that you look for them in the hallway and you’re happier on days they’re around. Slow-burn crushes usually grow from actually knowing someone: what they’re like when they’re tired, how they treat people, whether they keep their word.

What to do: trust it. Crushes built on knowing the real person can feel steadier than crushes built on a first impression. You can also watch for the good signs while you’re at it, like whether they’re kind to other people.

6. The instant crush

The opposite of slow-burn. You see someone and your brain goes: oh no. It can be powerful and a little dizzying, and it’s usually based on how they look, how they carry themselves or one moment (they held the door, they laughed with their whole face).

Instant crushes are fun, but they’re built on very little information. Some of them grow into something real when you get to know the person, and some quietly fade when you realize you have nothing in common. Both outcomes are fine.

7. The crush on a teacher, coach or another older person

This one happens to a lot of people and it’s embarrassing to talk about, so here’s the plain version: it’s a common crush, and having the feeling doesn’t make you weird or bad. Teachers and coaches are often kind, funny, good at their jobs and focused on you. Of course it can land on your heart sideways.

But a crush on an adult is a feeling to keep to yourself, not a relationship. A teacher, coach, tutor, youth leader or any adult in charge of you must never flirt with you, text you privately about personal things, give you gifts or ask you to keep secrets. If that ever happens, it is not your fault and not a sign they like you “for real.” It is the adult crossing a line.

What to do:

• Let the feeling be there without acting on it. It will usually fade, especially as you spend time with people your own age.
• Don’t make a big move, a confession or an overly personal message. Keep contact about school or the activity.
• If an adult acts romantic toward you, or asks you to hide something, tell a parent, your school counselor or another adult you trust, even if it feels awkward. You won’t be in trouble.
• Talk it out with a friend or journal if it’s taking up space in your head.

8. The squish (a platonic crush)

You meet someone and you instantly want to be their best friend. You want to sit next to them, make them laugh, be in their group chat. It gives the same flutters as a crush, but you don’t want to date them. Some people call this a “squish” (a platonic crush).

It’s real, and it’s more common than people admit. Friendships can have a spark too.

What to do: invite them to do something. Study together, grab a snack, ask them about the thing they’re into.

9. The ex-crush that won’t leave

It’s been months. They’re not into you, or they moved on, or it ended. And somehow you’re still checking whether they posted. Old crushes can hang around because your brain remembers the good feelings, and every time you see them it starts again.

What to do: give yourself distance. Mute or unfollow for a while (you can always follow again later), fill your days with other things, and be patient with yourself. Our guide on how to get over a crush has the full plan.

Which type of crush do I have?

Here’s a quick way to sort it:

Is it normal to have more than one crush at once?

Yes. Your brain doesn’t have a one-at-a-time rule. You can have a celebrity crush, a squish on the new girl in your class and a slow-burn crush on a friend, all in the same month. Crushes can also come and go quickly. Neither of those means something is wrong with you or that you’re “fake” or “boy crazy.”

What matters is how you treat the real people involved. If you have a crush on someone who’s taken, it’s worth reading what to do when your crush has a girlfriend before you do anything you can’t take back.

Want to know if they like you back?

If you have a real-life crush and you’re curious how they feel, take our does my crush like me quiz for a fun, low-stakes guess. Just remember it’s for fun. The only way to find out for sure is to talk to them.

Questions people ask