What Is the Magic 8 Ball?
The magic 8 ball is a fortune telling toy shaped like an oversized pool ball. You ask it a yes or no question, give it a shake, and one of 20 answers floats up into a little window, from “It is certain” to “Very doubtful”. This is a free online version you can ask on any phone or computer.
Like the other tools on this site, it does not pretend to know anything. The answer is picked at random before the ball shakes, and this page shows you exactly how often it says yes, maybe and no, which the toy never does.
Magic 8 Ball is a trademark of Mattel. Yes No Decide is an independent site and is not affiliated with Mattel.
How to Use It?
Asking takes a couple of seconds. Here is each step, with the part of the page it happens in.
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Think of a yes or no question
Type it in the box if you like, such as “Will I have a good day tomorrow?” The ball only gives yes, no and maybe style answers, so questions that start with will, should, is or can work best.
Your question stays in your browser. -
Shake the magic 8 ball
Press Ask, press Space, tap the ball, or turn on Shake to ask and shake your phone. The ball wobbles, turns over and the answer floats up through the dark liquid.
The triangle is green for a yes, yellow for a maybe and pink for a no. -
Read what the answer means
The card below the ball repeats your question and the answer, and says whether it counts as a yes, a maybe or a no. Tap how the answer makes you feel to see what your reaction means.
Share the result as an image, or send the question to a friend.
Classic Odds or Balanced Odds
The original toy is an optimist. Ten of its 20 answers are a yes, so it says yes twice as often as it says no. That is part of its charm, but it is worth knowing before you take an answer to heart.
- Classic odds. Every one of the 20 answers is equally likely, exactly like the toy. That works out at 50% yes, 25% maybe and 25% no.
- Balanced odds. The ball first picks yes, maybe or no at exactly 1 in 3 each, then one of the answers in that group. You still see the classic wording, without the lean toward yes.
Shake Your Phone to Ask
On a phone, tap Shake to ask under the ball. If your phone asks for permission to use motion, allow it, then give the phone a firm shake to ask, just like the real thing. Shaking only asks the question. The answer is still picked at random, not by how hard you shake.
If your phone does not support motion, or you would rather not allow it, tapping the ball works the same way.
All 20 Magic 8 Ball Answers
These are the 20 classic answers, grouped the usual way into 10 affirmative, 5 non-committal and 5 negative. The last two columns show the chance of each exact answer on this page.
| Answer | Counts as | Classic odds | Balanced odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| It is certain | Yes | 5% | 3.3% |
| It is decidedly so | Yes | 5% | 3.3% |
| Without a doubt | Yes | 5% | 3.3% |
| Yes definitely | Yes | 5% | 3.3% |
| You may rely on it | Yes | 5% | 3.3% |
| As I see it, yes | Yes | 5% | 3.3% |
| Most likely | Yes | 5% | 3.3% |
| Outlook good | Yes | 5% | 3.3% |
| Yes | Yes | 5% | 3.3% |
| Signs point to yes | Yes | 5% | 3.3% |
| Reply hazy, try again | Maybe | 5% | 6.7% |
| Ask again later | Maybe | 5% | 6.7% |
| Better not tell you now | Maybe | 5% | 6.7% |
| Cannot predict now | Maybe | 5% | 6.7% |
| Concentrate and ask again | Maybe | 5% | 6.7% |
| Don't count on it | No | 5% | 6.7% |
| My reply is no | No | 5% | 6.7% |
| My sources say no | No | 5% | 6.7% |
| Outlook not so good | No | 5% | 6.7% |
| Very doubtful | No | 5% | 6.7% |
In balanced odds each group is 1 in 3, so the ten yes answers share that third between them, while the five maybe answers and the five no answers each share theirs.
Does the Magic 8 Ball Say Yes More Often?
Yes, by design. With classic odds, half of all answers are a yes, a quarter are a maybe and a quarter are a no. The test below shakes the ball 10,000 times with each setting so you can see the difference for yourself.
Shake it 10,000 times
Classic odds against balanced odds
The test uses the same code as the ball, 10,000 times for each odds setting, and counts the yes, maybe and no answers.
Every answer is chosen by your browser's cryptographic random number generator, crypto.getRandomValues, the same code behind the Yes or No Wheel and the coin flip.
What I Found Shaking It a Million Times
On 31 October 2026 I ran this page's own answer code one million times with each odds setting, with the same random function as the Ask button, and wrote down what happened.
| Test | What happened | Exact odds predict |
|---|---|---|
| Classic odds, yes | 50.00% | 50% |
| Classic odds, maybe | 25.05% | 25% |
| Classic odds, no | 24.95% | 25% |
| Most and least common single answer | 50,496 and 49,337 times | 50,000 each |
| Three yes answers in a row | 12.51% of the time | 12.5% |
| Longest stretch without a single no | 47 shakes | About 43 |
| Balanced odds, yes, maybe, no | 33.34%, 33.33%, 33.33% | 33.33% each |
Two numbers explain why the classic ball feels so positive. Three yeses in a row come up about one time in eight, so a run of good news is ordinary, not a sign. And the longest stretch without a single no was 47 shakes, which is why it can seem as if the ball never says no.
Predictions follow from 10 yes, 5 maybe and 5 no answers. The typical longest stretch without a no, when a no comes up one time in four, is about 43 in a million shakes.
How the Real Magic 8 Ball Works
Inside the plastic ball is a white 20-sided die, an icosahedron, floating in about 100 ml of alcohol dyed dark blue. Each of its 20 faces carries one of the answers. When you turn the ball over, the die floats up against a clear window at the bottom and one face presses flat against it, so you read a single answer through the blue.
It was invented in 1946 by Albert C. Carter and Abe Bookman, and it is made today by Mattel. Around a million are still sold every year.
Good Questions to Ask the Magic 8 Ball
The best magic 8 ball questions can be answered with a yes or a no, and are light enough that a random answer is fun rather than worrying. Here are some ideas to start with.
Fun questions
- Will I have a good day tomorrow?
- Should I have pizza for dinner?
- Will it rain this weekend?
- Is today my lucky day?
Questions about friends
- Will my best friend text me back today?
- Should we watch a scary film tonight?
- Is our team going to win the game?
Questions for school and work
- Will the test be easier than I think?
- Should I start the project tonight?
- Will the meeting finish early?
Questions the ball cannot answer, such as “What should I eat?”, get a nonsensical reply. Turn them into a yes or no first, such as “Should I eat pasta?”
How to Get a More Useful Answer
Ask one thing at a time
“Should I go out and call Sam?” is two questions, and any answer can only cover one of them. Split it and ask twice.
Decide what a maybe means before you shake
Five of the 20 answers, such as “Ask again later”, are neither yes nor no. Decide first whether a maybe means wait a day or ask again straight away, so the ball cannot leave you stuck.
Notice the answer you were hoping for
If “Very doubtful” makes your heart sink, you wanted a yes, and that reaction is often more useful than the answer itself. The research behind this is explained on the Yes or No Wheel page. Keep the ball for small questions, never for health, safety or money.
Magic 8 Ball Games
A shared screen turns the ball into a party game. Here are three that work well.
- Predict the answer. Everyone guesses yes, maybe or no before the ball is asked. Correct guesses score a point. With classic odds, guessing yes wins half the time, so switch to balanced odds to make it fair.
- Silly questions round. Each player asks the ball the most ridiculous yes or no question they can think of. The group votes for the funniest answer.
- Hot seat. One player answers questions from the group, but only after the ball has answered first. They have to defend whatever the ball said.
Need Another Way to Make a Decision?
We Want to Hear Your Feedback
Found a bug, have an idea for the ball, or want a new decision tool? Every message is read, and the best ideas end up on the page.
Email usYou can also reach us through the contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this magic 8 ball random?
Yes. Each answer is picked by your browser's cryptographic random number generator before the ball starts to shake. In classic odds each of the 20 answers has a 1 in 20 chance. In balanced odds yes, maybe and no each have exactly a 1 in 3 chance.
What are the odds of a yes from a magic 8 ball?
With the classic 20 answers, 10 are a yes, 5 are a maybe and 5 are a no, so the chance of a yes is 50 percent, a maybe 25 percent and a no 25 percent. Balanced odds change that to one third each.
Why does the magic 8 ball say yes so often?
Because half of its 20 answers are a yes. The classic ball says yes twice as often as it says no. If you want an even split, switch to balanced odds.
How many answers does a magic 8 ball have?
20. Ten affirmative answers, five non-committal answers and five negative answers, all listed in the table on this page.
Can the magic 8 ball predict the future?
No. The answer is random by design and knows nothing about your question. It works best as a fun tie-breaker, or as a way to notice which answer you were hoping for.
Can I shake my phone to ask?
Yes, on most phones. Tap Shake to ask under the ball, allow motion access if your phone asks, then give the phone a shake. You can also tap the ball or press Ask.
Is my question saved or sent anywhere?
No. Your question stays on this page, in your browser, and is never sent to our server or our analytics. If you use Ask a friend, it travels inside the link after a # sign, which browsers never send to a server.
Is this the official Magic 8 Ball?
No. Magic 8 Ball is a trademark of Mattel, and Yes No Decide is not affiliated with Mattel. This is an independent online version that uses the 20 classic answers.
Sources
- Wikipedia. Magic 8 Ball, for the 20 answers, the construction of the toy, its inventors and sales.
- Jaffé, Reutner and Greifeneder (2019). Catalyzing decisions. How a coin flip strengthens affective reactions. PLOS One.
- MDN Web Docs. Crypto.getRandomValues() method.