In the right context, conversation starters can be incredibly useful. But if you choose the wrong one, your attempt to get people around you talking may come off a little stiff and stale. To help you break the ice, we've put together a list of funny questions to promote engagement and camaraderie within a group. These questions address a range of topics, from the animal kingdom to the future, and may even encourage your friends to learn more about themselves in addition to each other. So at your next party or get-together, don't suffer through awkward silences; try out some of these funny questions and see how quickly the conversation takes off.
RELATED: 180 Interesting Questions to Ask Friends You Want to Know Better.
How Funny Questions Can Help You Make New Friends
We tend to like meeting new people, but we especially like meeting funny new people. And connecting with someone else's sense of humor can provide even more benefits. A 2015 study published in the journal Evolutionary Psychology found that the more often a man makes a woman laugh, the more likely she'll develop an interest in dating. The reason? "Humor is a good sign of a good brain or intelligence," the authors say. Laughter also offers a whole host of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, reducing stress hormones, triggering endorphins, and boosting the immune system.
Funny Questions to Ask About Animals
Viorel Kurnosov/Shutterstock- Why don't woodpeckers get headaches from slamming their faces on trees all day?
- What would be the coolest animal to scale up to the size of a horse?
- Which animal seems like the rudest?
- Do one-legged ducks swim in circles?
- If your pets could talk, what would they say about you behind your back?
- Do sheep get shocked when they rub against one another?
- Would you rather have lobster claws for hands or squid tentacles for legs?
- What color would a chameleon be in a room full of mirrors be?
- What animal can you impersonate best?
- If you could be turned into any animal, which would you choose and why?
- If you could combine two animals to make a new one, which animals would you choose?
- Why does milk go bad when it is not refrigerated but stays fresh in a cow that is not refrigerated?
- If a bull terrier is a cross between a bulldog and a terrier what would you call a cross between a bulldog and a Shih Tzu?
- If you had a pet parrot and could teach it one phrase, what would it be?
- What would your pet name you if they could?
- Would you rather have webbed fingers or webbed toes?
- What are you supposed to do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?
- What would be the most annoying thing about having a pet parrot?
- How many chickens would it take to kill an elephant?
- Which animal do you think would be best at raising human kids?
Funny Questions to Ask Kids
George Rudy/Shutterstock- What's the weirdest thing your mom has ever packed you for lunch?
- What's the funniest thing that's ever happened during recess?
- What's the most embarrassing moment you've ever experienced in class?
- What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
- Can you say the alphabet backward?
- Where would you go if you could drive?
- Would you rather be invisible or super strong?
- If you could add any word to the dictionary, what would it be, and what would it mean?
- If you had to take a bath in something besides water, what would you choose?
- What was your best Halloween costume ever?
- If you could bring your favorite toy to life for a day, would you?
- If you got to meet the president, what would you ask them?
- If you had to come up with a new name for the rainbow, what would you call it?
- If you had a store, what would you sell in it?
- What would you do if you had four arms?
- What is your favorite room in your home?
- If you were in the circus, what would your act be?
- When was the last time you had a really good laugh?
- What's the most trouble you've ever gotten into?
- If you could go back in time and have lunch with any historical figure, who would you choose and why?
Silly Questions to Ask At Parties
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock- What's the funniest joke you've ever heard?
- What would be the best worst name for different types of businesses?
- What would the world be like if it was filled with male and female copies of you?
- What is something that you just recently realized that you are embarrassed you didn’t clock earlier?
- What’s the weirdest thing you wanted to be when you grew up?
- What would be the tagline to the sitcom of your life?
- Would you rather live for a week in the past or the future?
- Have you or someone you know seen your doppelgänger?
- Which body part do you wish you could detach and why?
- What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done in someone else's home?
- What would your favorite fairy tale be like if it took place in the present and included modern technology and culture?
- If you had to replace your hands with something other than hands, hooks, or claws, what would you choose?
- What kind of secret society would you like to start?
- What's the weirdest dream you've ever had?
- What's the scariest mythical creature you can think of?
- What's the first thing you would buy if you unexpectedly inherited a million dollars?
- What's the most imaginative insult you can think of?
- If you had access to a time machine what era would you want to travel to?
- If over time you replace parts on a car, at what point does it stop being the same car you bought? How many parts do you need to replace to make it brand new?
- What two totally normal things become really weird if you do them back to back?
RELATED: 21 Questions for a New Relationship.
Fun Questions About Food
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock- What's the weirdest thing someone could serve for breakfast?
- What's the grossest food you've ever eaten?
- What's your most unpopular opinion about food?
- Describe the perfect ice cream sundae.
- If you could eat whatever you wanted, but you had to also eat your least favorite food in the same sitting, would you?
- Is cereal soup?
- What is the best kind of food for a food fight?
- What's the weirdest combination of food you'd be willing to try?
- Why do they put holes in crackers?
- If you could make the ultimate sandwich, what would be on it?
- Why is vanilla ice cream white if vanilla extract is brown?
- Would you rather eat only green food or only white food?
- Would you rather only eat chocolate or sour candy for the rest of your life?
- Is a hot dog a sandwich?
- If prunes are dehydrated plums, where does prune juice come from?
- Why can't you order a hot dog at McDonalds?
- Would you rather eat spaghetti with maple syrup or pancakes with marinara sauce?
- What’s the best type of cheese?
- In your opinion, what food gives off the weirdest smell?
- Is putting pineapple on pizza gross?
- Why is peanut butter called peanut butter?
RELATED: 102 Unanswerable Questions That Will Boggle Your Mind.
Funny Questions About Entertainment
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock- What video game would be way less fun to play without sound?
- Has your favorite movie changed over the past five years?
- Name a movie you would definitely fall asleep to.
- What's your favorite show to scream over?
- What movie completely changes its plot when you change one letter in its title?
- Have you ever had a crush on a cartoon character?
- Who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman?
- What reality TV star do you have most in common with?
- What fictional character is amazing to watch on screen, but would be insufferable if you had to deal with them in mundane, everyday situations?
- What's your favorite theme song from a TV show?
- Who is the most annoying Disney character you can think of?
- Would anyone ever compare you to your favorite Disney princess?
- If your toys were like Toy Story and came to life when you weren't around, what do you think they would do?
- Would you rather go to lunch with Captain Hook or Cruella De Ville?
- What Hogwarts house would you be in?
- What's your favorite bad movie?
- What was your "timeout" ritual like?
RELATED: 251 "What's Your Favorite" Questions to Really Get to Know Someone.
Funniest Questions About Family
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock- What's something you do that always makes your family laugh?
- Using one word, how would you describe your family?
- If you were arrested with no explanation, what would your family assume you had done?
- Can you imitate your mother's laugh?
- What was the weirdest lie your parents told you growing up?
- If you could turn each family member into an animal, which would you choose and why?
- What do you think your grandparents did for fun?
- If a boy named after his father is called "Junior," then what do you call a girl named after her mother?
- What's the best way to ruin a family photo?
- Do you know what your sibling’s favorite food is?
- Which member of your family is most likely to haunt you after they die?
- If you could switch places with anyone in your family for a day, who would it be?
- Did you have any embarrassing nicknames growing up?
- What was the most trouble your parents ever got into as teenagers or adults?
- What was the best prank you ever played on a family member?
- If you could make up one rule that everyone in your family had to follow, what would it be?
- What's the worst thing about being part of your family?
- What's the strangest tradition in your family?
RELATED: 127 Questions to Ask Your Partner About Love, Life, & Intimacy.
Funny Questions About the Future
mimagephotography/Shutterstock- If the apocalypse were to take place, would you rather fight it out on your own or find a community to live with?
- If you manage to survive the apocalypse, what will your new job title be?
- What item do you think will be obsolete in 20 years?
- What do you want to eat for your last meal?
- How do you think you'll injure yourself next?
- If there were an alien invasion on Earth, would you hide or try to make contact?
- Fill in the blank: "If the government made _______ illegal, then I would move to Canada."
- If a movie was eventually made about your life, what genre would it be and who would play you?
- What would be the absolute worst name you could give your child?
- What is one thing you definitely won't miss about being your age?
- What's one advancement we'll have in the future that we should have introduced a long time ago?
- What's one habit you currently have that you'll probably be disgusted by in the future?
- How do you think your neighbors would remember you if you were to eventually move somewhere else?
- What's one major life improvement you hope to see unfold over the next five years?
- Do you think you'll have more or less money than you do now in 10 years?
- What will your next pet's name be?
RELATED: 167 Truth or Drink Questions for Adults in Need of Some Fun.
Random Funny Questions
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock- What's the best wifi name you've ever heard of?
- What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever worn?
- If you were a mad scientist and money and ethics weren’t an issue, what scientific experiment would you run?
- Anchovies on pizza: Yes or no?
- What's the worst pick-up line you've ever heard?
- If you could wear pajamas every day, would you?
- What’s the most niche insult you can come up with on the spot?
- If you were transported 500 years into the past without any clothing or any accessories, how would you prove that you were from the future?
- If you were wrongfully put into an asylum, how would you convince them that you’re actually sane and not just pretending to be?
- What's the trashiest thing about you?
- What's one secret conspiracy that you actually believe in?
- What would be the worst thing for the government to make illegal?
- If you could give one warning to your five-year-old self what would it be?
- What's the weirdest sound you've ever heard?
- What are some interesting alternatives to war that countries could use to settle their differences?
- What is the most annoying noise in the world?
- Toilet paper: Over or under?
- What used to be considered trashy but now is very classy?
- What's your favorite smell?
- If your best friend were to be arrested for one thing, what would it be?
Wrapping Up
That's it for our list of funny questions, but be sure to check back in with us soon for even more laughs! You can also sign up for our newsletter to enjoy similarly funny content, as well as pieces on travel, entertainment, and wellness.
