Type a yes-or-no question and press Ask: the ball shakes and an answer floats up in its window. It knows the 20 classic answers — ten yes, five maybe and five no — and you can rewrite any of them.
How to ask the magic 8 ball
- Think of a question that can be answered with yes or no.
- Type it in the box — or just keep it in your head — and press Ask.
- The ball shakes, and the answer appears in the blue triangle and in large type under the ball.
Your earlier questions and answers stay listed under the ball, so you can compare what the ball said about Friday and about Saturday. Prefer a show? Spin the wheel: it holds the same 20 answers, colored green for yes, amber for maybe and red for no.
The 20 classic answers
- Yes (10): It is certain · It is decidedly so · Without a doubt · Yes definitely · You may rely on it · As I see it, yes · Most likely · Outlook good · Yes · Signs point to yes.
- Maybe (5): Reply hazy, try again · Ask again later · Better not tell you now · Cannot predict now · Concentrate and ask again.
- No (5): Don’t count on it · My reply is no · My sources say no · Outlook not so good · Very doubtful.
That split is why the ball feels optimistic: half of all answers are some form of yes.
Make your own answer ball
The ball reads its answers from the Entries list, so it is easy to make it your own. Add “Ask your mom”, “Only after homework” or inside jokes for a party; delete the maybe answers for a ball that always commits; or replace everything with your options — Pizza, Tacos, Sushi — and it becomes a decision ball. Switch to Advanced to give some answers more weight. Share turns your custom ball into a link for friends.
Fun ways to use it
- Party game: everyone asks one silly question and the ball answers out loud.
- Classroom warm-up: students ask about the weekend, the weather or the next test.
- Tie-breaker: when two choices are equally fine, let the ball have the last word.
- Writing prompt: ask a question about your story’s hero and write what happens next.
For a plain yes or no, use the yes or no wheel; for bigger lists of options, the decision wheel.
Magic 8 Ball is a trademark of Mattel. This online answer ball is an independent tool and is not affiliated with Mattel.
- What answers does the magic 8 ball give?
- The classic ball has 20: ten positive, such as It is certain and Yes definitely; five non-committal, such as Ask again later; and five negative, such as Don't count on it. All 20 are on the wheel.
- Can I change the answers?
- Yes. The ball answers from the list in Entries, so edit, delete or add lines and its next answer comes from your list. Weights in Advanced make an answer more or less likely.
- What are the odds of a yes?
- With the classic answers, 10 of the 20 are positive: a yes comes up half the time, a maybe a quarter of the time and a no a quarter of the time.
- Is my question saved or sent anywhere?
- No. The question stays on this page and only appears in the list under the ball. The answer is drawn in your browser by its cryptographic random generator, and the wording of the question does not change the odds.