"...ho silver"?

maybe it's an American thing. (or maybe it's just you, you're a bit "different" aren't you?*)

*i don't mean this badly, i like you.

or "yo" mostly.

I say hello too, but never hi.

replying to emails.

Of a formal nature, but after an introdction.

Hi mate!

unless you say it in a "funny" voice like Well hellooooo there.
I say What's up home boy, but that's just because I'm down with the streetz

I say hi IRL as well, fancy that! DiS is electric on a Friday afternoon!

such as 'hiya' or 'he-ey'('hey' split into two syllables).

Although more often I say 'hello'.

i generally say 'heeeeeeeyhowsitgoing'

sometimes 'hi'
never 'hey'

on a completely unrelated note, daytime dis is so rubbish.

but not when greeting people.

More like

"HI WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!?"

A lot.

..as long as you don't sound super serious when saying them.

this is a really good point which I'd never thought of. It'd just sound weird if someone said 'hi' out loud.

I almost always go with 'hey' although there's nothing wrong with 'yo' once in a while.

which confused my american flatmate as she thought i was seeing if she was ok as she looked sad.

really. boring.

haha. but then i'm prone to silly voices.

Depending on who they are, I usually say "alright" to acquaintances and hello to anyone else. Though I always say "alright" to uber-masculine types for some reason - maybe my head thinks it's less effeminate than hello for some reason.

That seems to be my stock greeting of choice.

I'm not sure. Yeah, I do, but with some weird inflection on it. Usually over the phone, I think. Yup, usually over the phone. In person it's "Hey".

unless you're a girl in pigtails.

i say "hey", irl.

anything else is too much effort.

^insight.

i never really say it ever in any proper situation