Most people don’t picture editors as romantic material. The stereotype runs more toward solitary, fluorescent-lit, quietly exasperated at other people’s apostrophe usage.

But spend five minutes thinking about what editors actually do for a living, and you’ll start to see the overlap with qualities that make an excellent partner: patience, precision, the ability to find the best version of what you were trying to say.

Below, we’ve made the case across eight qualities — some obvious, some less so. We’re an editing company, so yes, we’re biased. We’re also right.

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1. Editors are smart

They may not be able to cure a disease, but they’re all over the English language. The English language contains well over a million recorded words. Just think, your editor date probably knows most of them, can pronounce them properly, and will probably even know what the heck that 0.8 of a word is.

If that doesn’t excite you, then perhaps dating isn’t for you.

2. Editors will adapt what you say into something better

We all dread putting our foot in it on a first date, whether we accidentally mention your criminal past or imply that your date looks like your mother.

However, that’s not the end of the world when you’re dating an editor. Professional editors fix writers’ mistakes for a living, and their personal relationships are not immune. They’ll dig up the most positive interpretation of what you’ve said, no matter how blathered your delivery was.

Your date will naturally help you backtrack from your rambling and throw in a few words to help you explain yourself.

3. Editors will help you clarify your thoughts

Have you always struggled to define yourself, whether in an interview or just your Twitter bio? Or, do you struggle to tell a story without interrupting yourself with forgotten information?

Fear not, your editor girlfriend or boyfriend will help you clarify your identity or clean up your story. They do that all day, after all. Forget about expensive psychoanalysts; your date will provide a completely unique source of therapy at no extra charge.

4. Editors are great listeners

Editing requires a lot of patience. Hours can be spent rereading the same section of writing and shuffling words about. Therefore, an editor’s tolerance for boredom is endless.

If you’re looking for someone to share your feelings with or explain very detailed, long-stretching arguments to, then you’ve definitely found your match. You won’t catch your date with his or her eyes glazing over; they will patiently listen to every word without a glimmer of a yawn.

5. Editors are social butterflies

Don’t be fooled by their isolated work, editors are not shrinking violets. Those in the editing profession have an intrinsic love of words, language and communication, which comes across in every conversation they have.

Judging the taste of their audience and delivering the perfect message is also their forte, so you won’t find them telling inappropriate jokes at a family gathering. Not only do they pride themselves on presenting their words just right, they also know the best way to tell a story. So, you can guarantee that after every party, all your friends will be talking about your date’s great anecdote.

6. They have great attention to detail

Editors often don’t get the acknowledgement they deserve when it comes to creativity. In light of their methodical work, it’s easy to imagine them in a stuffy teacher’s office, sternly marking essays with a red pen.

However, editing is often considered a great fit for creative, detail-minded people. They often notice tiny changes that others wouldn’t pick up on, and the overall effect of every adjustment.

Their attention to detail is not limited to grammar and spelling either, they’ll also notice the new haircut you got or the belt you just bought. Never again will you have to say ‘notice anything different?’ and watch beads of sweat forming on a blank face as your partner looks you up and down.

7. Editors are super organized

Being organized is the new spontaneous!

Forget the impromptu trip to a place you’ve never heard of. Your editor date will have an itinerary, hotel reservations, and possibly a working knowledge of the local language before you’ve packed a bag. That’s not a lack of spontaneity — that’s the difference between a holiday and a crisis.

The same system that tracks three manuscript versions simultaneously will also remember your mother’s birthday, the name of the restaurant you mentioned once in passing, and exactly how you like your coffee.

8. They are intense

Editors spend hours forensically close-reading other people’s sentences. That level of focus doesn’t switch off at five o’clock. If your last partner was too laid-back to notice you’d had a haircut, consider the other end of the dial.

You won’t be waiting long for a reply — text, email, or otherwise. (Fair warning: autocorrect left uncorrected is a red flag. “ur” is a dealbreaker.) The same attention they give to a manuscript they care about, they’ll give to you.

Final thoughts

If you’ve ever felt that you dated someone who was a bit too laid back, nonchalant, or just plain uninterested, then you need to date an editor. They are dedicated, intense perfectionists, which is unsurprising considering they pore over words for hours on end.

They will often replicate this intensity in their relationships, so you’ll never be waiting too long for a text, an email, or even a carrier pigeon. (However, be warned that text talk is grounds for a break-up.) One can only imagine that they are as rigorous in all aspects of romance.

Overall, editors may not design beautiful buildings or save lives (although writers may beg to differ), but they have a host of great characteristics. If intelligence, organization, and being a social butterfly sound like your cup of tea, then look no further.

So the next time you’re sizing up a potential date, don’t overlook the editor in the room.