12 Biggest How I Met Your Mother Couples, Ranked From Worst To Best

The long-running sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" spent nine seasons thrilling audiences with its tale of searching for happily ever after, a story that has remained part of the cultural conversation for more than 20 years. While the series is framed around protagonist Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) and the search for his one true love, it also features plenty of unforgettable romances involving other characters. That includes relationships that were memorable in all the wrong ways, presenting comedically toxic pairings and TV couples that we wish never got together, underscoring just how complicated and arduous dating in your twenties and thirties can be.

Below, we rank the 12 biggest "How I Met Your Mother" couples from worst to best across the show's history. To be clear, this list doesn't include one-night stands or flings. These are the relationships that lasted multiple episodes, some positioned as major love stories for the series' core characters.

One of the final relationships Ted enters before meeting his future wife is with Jeanette Peterson (played by Abby Elliott). Introduced in the Season 8 episode "P.S. I Love You," Jeanette crosses paths with Ted under circumstances that immediately raise red flags. Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lily (Alyson Hannigan) are both suspicious of the too-perfect meet-cute, sensing that something about the situation feels forced. Even after Jeanette admits to stalking Ted, the two move forward with a relationship, ignoring the increasingly obvious warning signs.

From the outset, Future Ted (Bob Saget) tells his children that Jeanette was the last dating mistake he made before meeting their mother — and the show wastes little time backing that up. Jeanette quickly establishes herself as the most toxic girlfriend Ted ever dates, serving as a chaotic final chapter in his long run of romantic misfires.

Years before her acclaimed turn on "The Bear" as Natalie Berzatto, Elliott delivered a memorably unhinged performance here. As a romantic low point, Jeanette represents the relationship Ted needed to survive before finally understanding what he did — and did not — want in a partner.

Robin (Cobie Smulders) is introduced as Ted's primary love interest at the start of "How I Met Your Mother," even as the pilot makes clear that she is not the titular mother. Beyond her relationships with Ted and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), Robin dates several other men over the course of the series, including Don Frank (Benjamin Koldyke). A fellow morning news anchor, Don is initially presented as slovenly and unprofessional before eventually winning Robin over. Though the couple moves in together, their relationship ends when Don accepts an anchor job in Chicago — a position Robin had previously turned down for the sake of their future.

Don ultimately registers as one of Robin's less convincing love interests. While the character is likable enough, he never quite fits alongside the show's core ensemble, and the romantic chemistry between him and Robin is barely palpable. More than anything, the relationship serves a functional purpose, proving that Robin is capable of committing seriously, even if Don isn't willing to make the same sacrifice in return.

Another significant boyfriend of Robin's is Nick Podarutti (Michael Trucco), who is first introduced through a Season 6 flashback revealing that he and Robin met while she was still dating Ted. Nick later resurfaces in Season 8, when the two finally pursue a relationship. While their attraction is obvious, it quickly becomes clear that Nick is emotionally needy and not particularly bright once the relationship moves beyond its initial physical spark. Those shortcomings come into focus in the eighth-season episode "Splitsville," where the relationship collapses amid Barney's public declaration of love for Robin.

Trucco is a funny addition to "How I Met Your Mother," playing Nick as the ultimate himbo and good-naturedly skewering his own handsome self-image. Still, it never feels like Nick and Robin are built to last, making their breakup feel inevitable rather than surprising. Ultimately, Nick stands out less as a serious romantic contender than as a comedic placeholder.

Ted's major sixth-season love interest, Zoey Pierson (Jennifer Morrison), is introduced in a deliberately adversarial role. A social activist, Zoey vehemently opposes the construction of one of Ted's biggest architectural projects, arguing that it would destroy a historic Manhattan building. This puts the two at odds from the start, creating a frenemy dynamic charged with romantic tension — further complicated by the fact that Zoey is initially married. After her divorce, she and Ted begin dating, but the relationship collapses once it becomes clear that Ted is unwilling to abandon his professional ambitions for their future together.

Though they certainly share clear romantic chemistry, Ted and Zoey were always headed for a sad split. Their larger goals and motivations remain in conflict throughout the relationship, derailing any real chance at something longer-lasting or healthier. Ted's friends recognize this early on and dissuade him from rekindling the romance, one of the smarter decisions he makes over the course of the series.

The girlfriend Ted comes closest to marrying, outside of the mother, is Stella Zinman (Sarah Chalke). Introduced in Season 3, Stella is a dermatologist who helps Ted remove an embarrassing tattoo over a series of appointments. Despite her packed schedule, she is eventually won over by Ted's charm and creativity, and their relationship grows more serious into the fourth season. With her ex-husband Tony (Jason Jones) attending their wedding, however, Stella ultimately leaves Ted at the altar to reconcile with Tony and raise their daughter together.

Stella does get her happily ever after — it just isn't with Ted. The relationship begins sweetly enough, including their memorable two-minute date, but cracks soon emerge. Ever perceptive about his best friend”love life, Marshall worries that Ted is rushing things, foreshadowing the relationship's implosion. Stella remains one of Ted's stronger relationships outside the core ensemble, but circumstances ultimately make it clear that the timing was never right.

Often the scheming womanizer, Barney Stinson matures intermittently over the course of the series and has several serious relationships of his own. One of his strongest is with Quinn Garvey (Becki Newton), introduced in the Season 7 episode "The Drunk Train." Deeply attracted to her, Barney initially denies having deeper feelings as Quinn repeatedly rebuffs him, only becoming more intrigued after learning that she's a stripper. The two eventually begin dating and even get engaged, before realizing early in Season 8 that their mutual lack of trust makes a lasting relationship impossible.

Quinn is one of the few women in Barney's life who can consistently throw him off his game, instantly setting her apart from his many other love interests. That dynamic gives their relationship real spark, but it also exposes deeper issues. At the end of the day, what Barney and Quinn want from each other is too controlling and unrealistic, lending their romance an unhealthy edge. Newton is a standout recurring presence on "How I Met Your Mother," but Quinn and Barney ultimately prove incompatible.

With all due respect to Robin, Ted's defining romance in the first season is with Victoria (Ashley Williams), a baker he meets at a wedding. As the relationship grows serious, Victoria accepts a fellowship at a German culinary institute. They agree to give long distance a shot, but Ted nearly cheats with Robin and gets caught, ending their relationship. Victoria later resurfaces in Season 7, eventually fleeing her own wedding to rekindle her romance with Ted. Alas, still wary of their past, Victoria insists that Ted end his friendship with Robin for the sake of their future — an ultimatum he refuses.

While fans debated whether Ted sacrificed the wrong relationship in Season 8 of "How I Met Your Mother," their final breakup underscores Victoria's entirely justified trust issues. This pairing would rank much higher if it had ended with their initial split, as their second attempt proves far less healthy. Victoria remains one of Ted's sweetest and most compatible partners, but his inability to let go of Robin ultimately costs him a relationship that might otherwise have lasted.

The first woman to truly challenge Barney Stinson's identity as an unrepentant womanizer is Robin, with the two becoming a couple after a series of false starts in Season 5. That initial relationship goes poorly, as Barney and Robin quickly realize that they make each other miserable, leading to a breakup just a few short episodes later. Barney eventually wins Robin back in the Season 8 two-parter "The Final Page," proposing in the process. Although the couple marry in the antepenultimate episode, the series finale reveals that they divorce just three years later.

For all their undeniable chemistry, Barney and Robin are not each other's strongest romantic match. Their first attempt makes clear how poorly suited they are in the long run, while their second benefits from maturity and shared history but still struggles under the weight of competing priorities. Ultimately, their demanding careers and incompatible visions for the future prove too much for the relationship to survive, driving them apart despite how well they work on paper.

Rather than Robin, the strongest romantic relationship Barney experiences on "How I Met Your Mother" is with Nora (Nazanin Boniadi). Introduced in Season 6, Nora gives Barney his first-ever Valentine's Day date, even as he struggles to fully understand his feelings for her. By the start of Season 7, Barney pushes past his anxieties and commits to the relationship in earnest — only to derail it by cheating on Nora with Robin and admitting that the betrayal was more than a casual mistake.

Simply put, Nora deserved far better than how Barney treated her, even as the two shared genuine rapport. This is the relationship that forces Barney to grow up in a way none of his others do, with Nora bringing out a softer, more sincere version of him. Moments like introducing Nora to laser tag, juxtaposed with the elaborate lengths Barney goes to impress her, give the pairing a rare warmth. Of all the women Barney dates over the course of the series, Nora stands out as the one he should have married.

For all his efforts, Ted never truly gets over Robin, even though the two aren't a couple for most of "How I Met Your Mother." From Ted's perspective, it's love at first sight when he meets her in the series premiere, though they don't get together until the Season 1 finale. After breaking up at the end of Season 2, the romantic tension between them never fully disappears, and the two periodically drift back into each other's lives. In the series finale, Ted rekindles his romance with Robin with his children's blessing, suggesting a more grounded relationship in the year 2030.

Ted and Robin's conflicting priorities — particularly their opposing visions for the future — are what drive them apart in the first place. Ted's fixation on Robin is often one-sided and occasionally unhealthy, but when the relationship works, it's deeply meaningful for both of them. Ted understands Robin in a way Barney never quite does, creating an undercurrent of tension between the three of them. Ultimately, Robin may be Ted's greatest (if most challenging) love story — even if there is one person who ultimately proves to be a better fit.

There was immense expectation surrounding the reveal of Ted's eventual wife and the mother of his children. The long-promised Tracy McConnell (Cristin Milioti) rose to that challenge, forging an immediate and natural rapport with Ted. First introduced in the Season 8 finale, Tracy is the bassist for Barney and Robin's wedding band, quietly woven into the lives of each core character before ever meeting Ted himself. The series finale reveals that Ted and Tracy marry in 2020, following the births of their daughter Penny and son Luke — just four years before Tracy succumbs to a terminal illness.

Milioti faced the near-impossible task of living up to years of anticipation and far exceeded it. Tracy fits seamlessly into the ensemble, and her chemistry with Ted is instant and undeniable. The character not only had to eclipse Ted's previous love interests, but also make her loss feel devastating in a limited number of episodes. In fulfilling the show's inciting promise, Tracy McConnell proves to be the partner Ted was always meant to find — even if their love story was ultimately cut short.

Another relationship that proves to be love at first sight is between Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin. Flashbacks reveal that the two meet early in college, becoming virtually inseparable for the rest of their lives. After getting engaged in the series premiere, the couple hits a rough patch in the first-season finale and briefly breaks up. They reconcile early in Season 2, however, and go on to get married and raise three children together.

The healthiest relationship in How I Met Your Mother, Marshall and Lily's romance is not without conflict — and that's precisely what makes it feel authentic. They aren't always on the same page, even after marriage, but they consistently communicate, compromise, and choose each other. Neither overly co-dependent nor one-sided, their partnership is built on mutual respect, shared growth, and genuine affection. In a series defined by romantic uncertainty, Marshall and Lily stand out as its most enduring and emotionally grounded love story.