200 Hypothetical Topics for Thought-Provoking Chats

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Communication coach Eddy Baller offers topics and questions to start conversations and get to know people better

Co-authored by Eddy Baller and Dan Hickey

Last Updated: July 22, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Icebreakers
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• Interesting
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• Funny
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• Thought-Provoking
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• Tricky
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• Lighthearted
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• Couples & Friends
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• Random

|Show more |Show less

If you had to propose the greatest hypothetical topic of all time, what would it be? If that question’s got you stumped, just keep scrolling! We spoke to communication and game experts to bring you the best funny and thought-provoking hypothetical scenarios and icebreakers for any situation. Whether you’re with friends, colleagues, students, or strangers, these topics are sure to strike up a lively conversation.

The Best Theoretical Questions & Conversation Topics

Communication coach Eddy Baller suggests these funny and thought-provoking hypothetical topics to get to know others better, ponder deep ideas, and make each other laugh:

• If you had a theme song every time you walked into a room, what would it be?
• If your pet could talk, what embarrassing things would it expose about you?
• You get one day to swap lives with anyone. Who do you pick and what chaos do you create?
• Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 50 duck-sized horses?
• If aliens landed today and asked you to represent humanity, should we be worried?

Steps

Section 1 of 8:

Icebreaker Hypothetical Topics

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1. 
   Ask these fun but approachable hypotheticals to get to know someone. Asking questions is a great way to get to know somebody, but you want to be careful you don’t get too personal or quirky until you’ve built some rapport. These icebreaker questions are perfect for growing closer, whether you’re colleagues, classmates, or meeting someone at a party.

   • If you could hang out with any cartoon character, who would you choose and why?
   • If you could add a word to the dictionary, what would you add and what would it mean?
   • If you could meet any living person for dinner, who would you pick and why?
   • Would you rather be invisible or be able to read minds?
   • If you could be an animal, what animal would you be and why?
   • If you could bring back any fashion trend, what would it be?
   • If you had 25 hours a day, how would you spend your extra time?
   • If you had to delete all but three apps from your smartphone, which ones would you keep?
   • If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life what would it be?
   • If you had to teach a class on one thing, what would you teach?
   • Would you rather be the funniest or smartest person in the room?
   • What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics?
   • If you could pick up a new skill in an instant what would it be and why?
   • If you could be in any movie, what would it be and what character would you play?
   • If you were a wrestler what would be your entrance theme song?
   • If you had to play one album forever, which one would it be?
   • If money and time were no object, what would you be doing right now?
   • Where would you time-travel, if it were possible?
   • If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
   • If you were the captain of a pirate ship, what would be the name of your ship?
   • If you could travel to any other planet (real or fictional), where would you go and why?
   • If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?
   • Would you rather it be daytime or nighttime forever?
   • If you could visit one moment in history, which would you pick?
   • If you could instantly master any skill, which would you choose?

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Eddy Baller is a communication coach who specializes in confidence-building, advanced social and communication skills, and building meaningful relationships. He is the owner of Conquer and Win, a dating consulting and coaching service.

   Jonathan Wells is a games expert and the founder of Dig the Games, sharing the joys of playing games and friendly competition with a wider audience.

   Hayley Quinn is a dating coach who teaches men and women globally how to get to know each other in real life.
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Section 2 of 8:

Interesting Hypothetical Topics

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1. 
   Use these gripping topics to explore the depths of your thoughts. These scenarios are perfect for making you and your friends think outside the box and consider topics that have probably never crossed your mind before. Pull these out when you really want to make somebody think!

   • What would be your dream last meal?
   • If you could solve one historical mystery right now, which would you choose and why?
   • Would you rather learn a lot about a little or a little about a lot?
   • If you had to suffer through a massive natural disaster but could choose which disaster to face, which would you choose?
   • If your hands were frozen in one position or gesture, what position would want them stuck in?
   • If you could bring back any canceled TV series, which TV show would you choose to bring back?
   • If you could know the truth behind any one secret or mystery, what would it be?
   • If you could know when and how someone would die just by shaking their hands but couldn’t change their fate, how would you use that power?
   • What would be your strategy for a zombie apocalypse?
   • If money wasn’t a concern where would you live, what would you do, and what would your lifestyle look like?
   • If you could move anywhere and still have a livable wage, where would you like to move?
   • If you could get a ticket to any show or event, what would you want a ticket to?
   • If you were head of product development at a major fast food chain, what food abomination would you create?
   • If you worked in the entertainment industry and had a pseudonym, what would your alias be?
   • If you could create any one reality TV show, and it was guaranteed to air, what show would you want to put on TV?
   • What movie worthy heist would you pull if you knew, in the end, you would get away with it?
   • Would you rather be incredibly witty and outgoing or quiet and incredibly intelligent or just stay the way you are now?
   • If someone created a bar or cafe with just your tastes in mind, what would it look like?
   • If you were offered $50,000 to dance for 2 minutes with no music in front of a stadium full of people, would you do it? What type of dancing would you do?
   • If you could call yourself when you were fifteen years old for a twenty-minute conversation, what would you tell yourself?
   • If you had to join the circus, what type of performer would you be?
   • What kind of business would you like to start if you were given a chance?
   • If you could control your dreams, what would you dream about?
   • If you could deck out one room in your house in any way you’d like, which room would you choose and what would you do to it?
   • If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you visit and why?

Section 3 of 8:

Funny Hypothetical Topics

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1. 
   Choose unexpected and silly questions to get a big reaction out of people. Games expert Jonathan Wells explains that funny hypotheticals can be playfully polarizing, like the question, “Would you rather always wear socks or never be able to wear socks?” Baller also recommends silly questions that can also help you get to know someone better. Here are some more outrageously silly and gutbusting hypothetical topics.

   • If you had a theme song every time you walked into a room, what would it be?
   • Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 50 duck-sized horses?
   • If aliens landed today and asked you to represent humanity, should we be worried?
   • If you became my life coach, what’s the worst advice you’d accidentally give me?
   • What’s the most harmless thing you’ve done that made you look suspicious?
   • If your sheets had to be made of deli meats, what meat would want them made of?
   • If you were a zombie, what famous person’s body would you take over?
   • What would be your names for the seasons? (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter).
   • If you were a transformer, what vehicle would you turn into?
   • If someone offered you $10,000 every time they punched you in the face, how many times would you want to be hit?
   • You can transport one furious elephant into any point in history, where would you put it?
   • Would you go three months without shaving, brushing your teeth or using deodorant for $55,000?
   • What would you tell someone if their underwear was showing?
   • What animal would be much better if it were scaled?
   • Would you rather be bald for the rest of your life or get a massive mullet?
   • If a turtle does not have a shell, is he considered homeless or naked?
   • Would you leave your name and address if your car bumped into another car and no one witnessed it?
   • Which of the two animals’ sounds would you like to swap?
   • What would you prefer if you had a year’s worth of free, unlimited services from a chef, masseuse or chauffeur?
   • Will it be considered a ‘walk’ if you removed the wings of a fly?
   • Would you rather be completely nude for the rest of your life or wear only underwear?
   • Which animal would you prefer if you could give wings to any species?
   • What would you replace burping sounds with if you could replace the sounds your body makes with something else?
   • If you could only wear one type of shoes for the rest of your life, what would they be?
   • Would you be willing to have your left middle finger surgically removed if it meant you’d never get sick again?
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Section 4 of 8:

Thought-Provoking Hypothetical Topics

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1. 
   Prod someone’s emotional or intellectual thoughts for a deep conversation. If you’re looking to really learn about someone, dating coach Hayley Quinn recommends hypothetical questions that “encourage emotional candor,” or openness. Here are some thought-provoking questions to do just that:

   • Would you rather have a pause, a rewind, or a fast-forward button on your life?
   • If you had to relive one day from the past year, which day would it be?
   • If we stopped seeing each other today and met again in five years, where and how would we meet again?
   • If every time you got a raise, one stranger lost their job, would you keep climbing the ladder?
   • Suppose you could end world hunger but you had to cancel Christmas forever — would you do it?
   • Would you give up 30 years of your life to save a stranger's life?
   • If you could steal one luxury item with a 100% chance of getting away with it, what would you steal?
   • If you had to fail at one thing for your entire life, what would it be?
   • If you could make one thing that is now legal illegal and one thing that is illegal legal, what laws would change?
   • Would you rather live for another 50 years and never leave your house or live for another 10 years and be free to go wherever you want?
   • Would you rather have a perfect memory or be able to forget anything you wanted at will?
   • Would you rather always feel understood or always feel appreciated?
   • Would you rather be recognized for your intelligence or your kindness?
   • Would you rather know when or how you’re going to die?
   • Would you rather have more time or more energy?
   • Would you rather be loved for everything you’re not or liked for everything you are?
   • If you could design a planet, what would your perfect planet look like?
   • Would you want to permanently feel zero pain if given the chance?
   • If you could erase one thing from existence, even the memory of the thing, what would it be?
   • If you had an animal or plant renamed in your honor, what would you want to carry your name?
   • You get one text—no more than 160 characters—that’s sent to everyone’s phone on Earth. What does it say?
   • If you could implant one false memory in the minds of everyone in your country, what would that memory be?
   • Would you choose to know your future if it meant forgetting your past?
   • If you could go back and uninvent something, what invention would you erase from history?
   • If you could go back and undo one thing you did, what would you undo?

Section 5 of 8:

Tricky Hypothetical Topics

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1. 
   Stump your friends with these hard-to-answer hypothetical situations. Hypotheticals are meant to spark a conversation, but these questions require you to stop and think for a minute first! How would you answer these tricky topics?

   • What do you think would happen if there were no seasons at all?
   • Would you dare to give up true love for a million dollars?
   • Suppose your kid turned out to be a genius, but only at scamming people. Would you encourage it or shut it down?
   • Would you rather wake up in Freaky Friday or Groundhog Day?
   • Would you rather time travel to the past or future?
   • Would you rather give up social media or movies and TV forever?
   • Would you rather always tell the truth or always be able to tell when someone is lying?
   • Would you rather never be able to celebrate your birthday again or have to throw a big party every year?
   • Would you rather be able to control the weather or the traffic?
   • Would you rather have unlimited knowledge or unlimited creativity?
   • Would you rather give up all the memories or money you made this year?
   • Would you rather know what the happiest day of your life or the worst day of your life will be?
   • Would you rather never be able to show emotions or never be able to hide them?
   • If you had to prove you were human and not an AI in 5 minutes via a text conversation, how would you do it?
   • What would be your conspiracy theory if someone had one made up for them?
   • If extra lives were actually a thing in the real world, how would you be able to get them?
   • If humans lost the ability to see all colors except one, which color would you want to survive?
   • Every day 12 things appear in your backyard. They are random, but all start with a letter of your choosing. What letter do you choose?
   • If when you died, you could either cease to exist or wander the earth forever never being able to interact with anything. Which would you choose?
   • If you could be invisible, but it would mean being permanently invisible, would you want to be?
   • If you could go back and hands-down win any argument you’ve had with anyone, what argument would you choose to win?
   • If you were a superhero/villain, but could only have superpowers that weren’t already taken, what new powers would you choose and what would your name be?
   • If you could only eat the same breakfast, the same lunch (different than breakfast), and the same dinner (different than lunch) every day, what three meals would you choose?
   • If you could live in anyone’s head for fifteen minutes, who would you choose?
   • If you could body swap with any person for 24 hours, who would you choose?
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Section 6 of 8:

Lighthearted Hypothetical Topics

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1. 
   Use these simple, fun, but telling questions to strike up an interesting conversation. Not all hypothetical topics have to be super deep or challenging—they can be light and easy, too! These questions are great for small talk, kids or students, and icebreakers (pretty much any scenario you can think of).

   • Would you rather have invisibility or flight?
   • Would you rather live on the lake or the beach?
   • Would you rather have to eat 300 donuts or one plate of your least favorite food?
   • Would you rather live with one human-size puppy or one mouse-size gorilla?
   • Would you rather hang out with two friends with nothing to do or go to a party of strangers doing all your favorite things?
   • Would you rather dance like an old person or like a toddler?
   • Would you rather be able to talk to animals or read minds?
   • Would you rather be super strong or super fast?
   • Would you rather go to a tropical island or visit a big city?
   • Would you rather be able to breathe underwater or fly in the sky?
   • Would you rather invent a time machine or a teleportation device?
   • Would you rather meet a famous actor or a famous athlete?
   • Would you rather be the best player on a losing team or the worst player on a winning team?
   • Would you rather have the talent to sing beautifully or the skill to paint masterpieces?
   • Would you rather be forced to sing every song you hear or dance to every song you hear?
   • Would you rather make a new rule for your house that everyone has to follow or never have to follow any rules?
   • Would you rather have the ability to shrink to the size of an ant or grow to the size of a giant?
   • Would you rather have a magical treehouse or a magical underground fort?
   • Would you rather live in a world made of LEGOs or a world made of candy?
   • Would you rather have a tail like a monkey or ears like a rabbit?
   • Would you rather talk like a chipmunk or run like a penguin?
   • Would you rather scream every time you hiccup or sneeze as loud as thunder?
   • Would you rather be able to know the future in advance or be invisible?
   • Would you rather have a huge house with a few things or a small apartment with a lot of stuff?
   • Would you rather have a million followers who barely know you or one best friend?

Section 7 of 8:

Hypothetical Topics for Couples & Friends

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1. 
   See how well you know your partner or BFF with these fun hypotheticals. You think you know your bestie inside and out—but do you really? These questions and topics are fun ways to look into your friendship, see how well you truly get each other, and maybe even learn something new about each other!

   • Spontaneous trip with me or plan months ahead?
   • Who’s most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse?
   • If you could read my mind for a day, what’s the first thing you’d look for?
   • Who’s most likely to laugh in the middle of a serious moment?
   • If we could only communicate with movie quotes, which movie would you pick as our “language”?
   • Who’s most likely to befriend a stranger on vacation?
   • Who’s most likely to embarrass themselves in public?
   • If money didn’t exist, what would you spend your days doing?
   • If you were given the power to eliminate one food from the planet, what would it be?
   • If you could see 10 years into the future, would you want to?
   • What would you do to change the evolution of the human body if you could?
   • Who’s most likely to order dessert first?
   • If we got matching tattoos tomorrow, what would they be?
   • Which company would you choose if you could be the CEO of any company?
   • If you had to teach a class on any topic, what would it be?
   • If I were a talking animal, what species would I be and what would be an annoying thing I would say all the time?
   • Would you rather swap bodies with me for a week or swap jobs with me for a year?
   • Would you rather never use social media again or never eat your favorite food again?
   • Which of your friends would you choose as your sidekick if you were a superhero?
   • Who’s most likely to binge-watch an entire season in one night?
   • Would you rather go on endless small adventures together or on one huge trip of a lifetime?
   • Would you rather spend a year traveling the world or a year living in your dream house?
   • Who’s most likely to get lost even with GPS?
   • Who’s most likely to forget where they parked the car?
   • If you could only eat one type of cuisine forever, what would you choose?
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Section 8 of 8:

Totally Random Hypothetical Topics

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1. 
   Make your pals ask, “Wait, what?” with these insane hypotheticals. Of course, part of the fun of creating and asking hypothetical questions is getting weird with it! These bizarre topics are completely out of left field—and that’s exactly why we love them.

   • Would you rather have a huge paper cut on your eyelid or swallow five needles?
   • If you could only be remembered for one wildly inappropriate joke, what would it be about?
   • Would you rather eat a handful of hair or a bowl of toenails?
   • Would you rather have your teeth replaced with nails or nails replaced with teeth?
   • Would you rather vomit slugs once a month or cry blood every time you’re sad?
   • Suppose you had to switch places with the last influencer you unfollowed. How would you live their life?
   • Would you rather accidentally tell your boss “I love you” or send them a flirty meme?
   • Would you rather live with a swamp smell forever or wear permanent clown makeup?
   • Imagine your boss walked in on your browser history. Would you rather it be your work searches or your late-night ones?
   • Suppose you had to swap lives with your least favorite ex for a year. How would you ruin it?
   • Would you rather walk in on your parents or have them walk in on you?
   • If your intrusive thoughts automatically become text messages to random contacts, who blocks you first?
   • If you could mute one type of person forever, who would it be?
   • Would you rather have paper-thin bones or rubbery bendy bones?
   • Would you rather drink a shot of your own blood or eat someone else’s scabs?
   • Would you rather relive the same day repeatedly for three years or be hated everywhere you go?
   • If you could erase one fear but gain an irrational phobia in return, which would you choose?
   • If your life were rated like an Uber ride, what’s your star rating, and who gives you the worst review?
   • Would you rather be caught sexting by your grandma or your boss?
   • If you were guaranteed a huge raise but had to trip one coworker every day forever, would you take it?
   • Would you prefer to have four legs or four arms?
   • Would you rather have permanent bad breath or random diarrhea?
   • Would you rather have to pay for everything in pennies or have to use a pogo stick as your only method of transportation?
   • Imagine your entire search history is carved on your gravestone. What would be the most awkward line?
   • Would you rather drink sour milk every morning or eat raw chicken weekly?

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