Hypothetical questions
A hypothetical question asks what you would do in a situation that isn't real, like "What would you do if you could stop time for one hour a day?" Here are 100 hypothetical questions in seven groups: funny, money, superpowers, the end of the world, moral dilemmas, relationships and deep ones.
What would you do if you woke up with a cartoon character's voice for a week?
Funny and Superpowers are the easiest way in. Moral dilemmas and Deep start the longest debates. All 100 are also listed below.
Tap the card to draw a random what if, and switch groups on and off to fit the mood. Every question is open, so there are no two options to choose from: the answer is whatever you come up with.
- Questions
- 100
- Groups
- 7
- Players
- 2 or more
100 hypothetical questions
Each group has its own kind of answer. Funny gets the silliest plans, Money shows what people really want, Moral dilemmas splits the room, and Relationships is written to ask your boyfriend, your girlfriend or your partner.
Funny and silly hypothetical questions
15- What would you do if you woke up with a cartoon character's voice for a week?
- What would you do if every song you heard stayed stuck in your head for exactly seven days?
- What would you do if your houseplants could vote on your life choices?
- What would you do if you had to narrate everything you did out loud for a whole day?
- What would you do if a pigeon followed you everywhere for a month?
- What would you do if you could only speak in song lyrics for 24 hours?
- What would you do if you were accidentally elected mayor of your town?
- What would you do if every sneeze teleported you one meter to the left?
- What would you do if your reflection started moving one second late?
- What would you do if your sock drawer turned out to be a portal?
- What would you do if you found out your life was a reality show with a small but loyal audience?
- What would you do if you had to wear a full suit of armor to work for a week?
- What would you do if your phone turned every message you sent into a rhyme?
- What would you do if you woke up 30 centimeters tall?
- What would you do if a stranger paid you to be the best man or maid of honor at their wedding tomorrow?
Hypothetical questions about money
15- What would you do if someone gave you a million and you had to spend it all in 24 hours?
- What would you do if you found a pile of cash on an empty street?
- What would you do if you won the lottery but couldn't tell anyone for a year?
- What would you do if you never needed to earn money again?
- What would you do if someone gave you a shop for free? Which kind of shop?
- What would you do if a distant relative left you a falling apart castle?
- What would you do if you got your salary for a year to do nothing, but couldn't leave the country?
- What would you do if you had 10,000 to start a business by Monday?
- What would you do if your bank accidentally added an extra zero to your balance?
- What would you do if you could buy one thing that money normally can't buy?
- What would you do if you had to give half your money to strangers?
- What would you do if you could fund one friend's dream?
- What would you do if you could live rent free anywhere in the world for a year?
- What would you do if you had unlimited money but only one day a week to spend it?
- What would you do if you were rich but nobody you know could ever find out?
Hypothetical questions about superpowers
14- What would you do if you could stop time for one hour a day?
- What would you do if you could understand every language, but only for one day?
- What would you do if you could fly, but only at walking speed?
- What would you do if you could read minds, but only of strangers?
- What would you do if you could rewind ten seconds once a day?
- What would you do if you could talk to one extinct animal?
- What would you do if you could teleport, but only to places you've already been?
- What would you do if you could learn any skill by sleeping next to a book about it?
- What would you do if you could see exactly one hour into the future?
- What would you do if you could shrink to the size of an ant whenever you wanted?
- What would you do if you never got tired again?
- What would you do if you could control the weather in your town?
- What would you do if you could breathe underwater?
- What would you do if you could make any one object in your home come alive?
Hypothetical questions about the end of the world
14- What would you do if a zombie outbreak started on your street tonight?
- What would you do if the internet went down worldwide for a month?
- What would you do if you woke up as the last person in your city?
- What would you do if you had 24 hours before a giant asteroid hit?
- What would you do if you could bring only five people into a bunker?
- What would you do if all electricity stopped working tomorrow?
- What would you do if you were stranded on a desert island with one item from your room?
- What would you do if aliens landed and asked you to speak for humanity?
- What would you do if you got snowed in at a giant furniture store for a week?
- What would you do if the sun didn't rise tomorrow?
- What would you do if animals suddenly became as smart as humans?
- What would you do if you had one hour to pack before leaving home forever?
- What would you do if every car in the world stopped working?
- What would you do if you had to help rebuild society? Which job would you take?
Moral dilemma hypothetical questions
14- What would you do if you saw your best friend's partner on a dating app?
- What would you do if you found out a coworker earned double for the same job?
- What would you do if a cashier gave you far too much change?
- What would you do if you could save five strangers by harming one?
- What would you do if you found out your favorite brand was doing something shady?
- What would you do if a friend asked you to lie for them in court?
- What would you do if you could read your partner's messages without them ever knowing?
- What would you do if you scratched a parked car and nobody saw?
- What would you do if your boss took credit for your idea in front of everyone?
- What would you do if you could erase one memory from someone else's mind?
- What would you do if you found a wallet with a lot of cash and an ID inside?
- What would you do if you knew a secret that could ruin a friend's wedding?
- What would you do if you could cheat on a test with zero chance of getting caught?
- What would you do if you overheard a friend's partner planning a surprise breakup?
Hypothetical questions to ask your boyfriend, girlfriend or partner
14- What would you do if we swapped bodies for a day?
- What would you do if I forgot your birthday?
- What would you do if your ex walked into our favorite restaurant?
- What would you do if we won a trip but had to leave tomorrow morning?
- What would you do if I suddenly wanted to move abroad?
- What would you do if you met me for the very first time today?
- What would you do if our first date had gone terribly?
- What would you do if you found my old diary?
- What would you do if your best friend fell for your sibling?
- What would you do if your parents planned a surprise holiday for us?
- What would you do if we could only write each other letters for a month?
- What would you do if you had to plan our perfect day with a budget of 20?
- What would you do if I took up a really loud hobby?
- What would you do if we got stuck in a lift together for six hours?
Deep and interesting hypothetical questions
14- What would you do if you knew you had one year left?
- What would you do if you could send one text to yourself ten years ago?
- What would you do if you could know the date of your death?
- What would you do if you could live to 200?
- What would you do if you woke up with no memories but the same personality?
- What would you do if you could live one year of your life again?
- What would you do if you could see your life through someone else's eyes for a day?
- What would you do if you could hear what people really think of you for one day?
- What would you do if you had to choose one job for the rest of your life, starting tomorrow?
- What would you do if you could ask one question and get a completely true answer?
- What would you do if you met yourself at 80?
- What would you do if you could fix one problem in the world?
- What would you do if you'd been born a hundred years earlier?
- What would you do if you could start over in a new country with a new name?
What is a hypothetical question?
A hypothetical question imagines a situation that hasn't happened and asks how you would react. It usually starts with "what would you do if" or "what if". The point is not the scenario, it's the answer: what someone does with a free million or a rewind button tells you what they care about.
Hypothetical questions are often mixed up with Would You Rather, but they work differently:
| Hypothetical question | Would You Rather | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Open: "What would you do if..." | Two fixed options to choose between |
| Answers | Anything, often a whole plan | A or B, then the reasons |
| Best for | Long debates, getting to know someone | Quick rounds and voting in a group |
| Example | What would you do if you could stop time for an hour a day? | Would you rather stop time or rewind it? |
How to play with hypothetical questions
Hypothetical questions are great on their own, but a simple game structure keeps everyone involved.
- Draw a cardRead the question out loud. Everyone gets 30 seconds to think.
- Everyone answersGo around the circle. Answers can be serious, ridiculous or a full plan with a backup plan.
- Vote for the best answerEveryone points at the answer they liked best, not their own. The winner draws the next card.
- First to five winsOr skip the points entirely and just keep going until someone says "okay, one more".
Prefer a choice between two?
In Dronk's Would You Rather, the app shows two options and everyone picks a side. 120 questions, on one phone or LIVE, where up to 16 people vote from their own phones and see the results together.
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How to write a good hypothetical question
The best what ifs are simple to picture and hard to answer. Three tricks:
- Add a catch. "What would you do if you could fly?" is fine. "...but only at walking speed" is much better, because now people have to think.
- Make it personal. "What would you do if your ex walked into our favorite restaurant?" beats any question about a stranger.
- Keep it short. If the scenario needs a paragraph to explain, nobody will remember it by the time it's their turn.
Questions people ask
What is a hypothetical question?
A hypothetical question asks how you would act in an imagined situation, usually starting with "what would you do if". For example: "What would you do if you could rewind ten seconds once a day?"
What are good hypothetical questions?
Good ones are easy to picture and have a catch, like "What would you do if you could teleport, but only to places you've already been?" This page has 100 in seven groups.
What are funny hypothetical questions?
Try "What would you do if a pigeon followed you everywhere for a month?" or "What would you do if every sneeze teleported you one meter to the left?" The Funny group has 15.
What are hypothetical questions to ask your boyfriend?
The Relationships group works for a boyfriend, a girlfriend or any partner: "What would you do if you met me for the very first time today?" or "What would you do if I suddenly wanted to move abroad?"
What is the difference between a hypothetical question and Would You Rather?
A hypothetical question is open, so you invent the answer. Would You Rather gives two options and you pick one. Both are on Dronk's site: our Would You Rather page has the two option version.
Are hypothetical questions good for getting to know someone?
Yes. What people do with a free million or a rewind button says a lot about them. For more direct questions, see our get to know you questions.
Keep the night going
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