A prank is a harmless practical joke played on someone to surprise and amuse them — not to genuinely scare, hurt or humiliate — and, crucially, one that gets revealed as a joke. A good prank is safe, reversible and kind: the second it causes real fear, damage or lasting embarrassment, it stops being a prank and becomes something else. Below is the full meaning, the main types, a little history, and how to pull one that actually lands.
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What does "prank" mean?
A prank is a trick played on a person for fun — a practical joke designed to catch them off guard and get a laugh once the truth comes out. The word dates back to the 16th century (from an older sense of prank, "to dress up or show off"), and the meaning has held steady ever since: a bit of playful mischief with a wink at the end.
The defining feature isn't the trick — it's the reveal. A prank you never own up to is just a lie. The joke only works when both people end up laughing.
The main types of prank
| Type | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Practical joke | A physical or situational trick set up in the real world | Cling-film over a doorway; a fake spider in the fridge |
| Wind-up | Stringing someone along with a straight face until they twig | Insisting it's a bank holiday so they don't go to work |
| Gag | A comedic prop or bit built to get a reaction | A joke shop whoopee cushion; a trick sweet |
| Hoax | A deception aimed at a group or the public, not one person | The BBC's 1957 "spaghetti harvest" report |
| Social-media prank | A believable fake screenshot or post shared for a laugh | A fake text or fake tweet |
What makes a good (harmless) prank?
Three rules separate a prank people retell for years from one that ends a friendship:
- Harmless — nobody gets hurt, nothing valuable gets broken, no one's genuinely frightened.
- Reversible — you can undo it in seconds and leave no mess or cost behind.
- Revealed — you tell them it was a joke, quickly, and you both get to laugh.
The golden rule: punch up or sideways, never down. Prank a confident mate, not someone having a hard day — and never target someone's real insecurities.
Prank vs. hoax vs. gag: what's the difference?
- A prank is personal — aimed at someone you know, for a laugh between you.
- A hoax is public — a deception meant to fool a crowd, the news, or the internet (see our greatest hoaxes in history).
- A gag is a comedic device — a prop, running joke or bit, with no one specific being "got."
A short history of pranks
Playful trickery is ancient, but the calendar home of the prank is April Fools' Day. Its exact origins are unknown, but by the 1700s it was a fixture across Europe. The modern golden age of the hoax arrived with mass media: the BBC's 1957 spaghetti-tree film had viewers asking where to buy a spaghetti plant, and in 1996 Taco Bell "bought" the Liberty Bell for a day. Today the tradition lives on the phone in your pocket — which is exactly what our prank tools are for.
How to pull a prank the right way
- Pick a good target — someone who'll laugh, not crumble.
- Keep it safe and cheap to undo — no damage, no cost, no fear.
- Commit with a straight face — the setup is half the fun.
- Reveal it, and reveal it kindly — the payoff is you both laughing.
Short on ideas? Try 30 harmless pranks to pull on friends or text pranks for the group chat.
Are pranks illegal?
Harmless pranks are perfectly legal. It only becomes a legal problem when a "prank" crosses into property damage, harassment, trespassing, real threats, or fraud — or, for phone pranks, into caller-ID spoofing or recording someone without consent (we cover that in detail in is prank calling illegal?). Keep it harmless and reversible and you stay firmly on the right side of both the law and your friendships.
Related reading
- Prankster meaning — what a prankster actually is, and how to be a good one
- The best pranksters of all time — the hidden-camera icons and great hoaxers
- Is prank calling illegal? — where the legal line sits
For laughs only. Keep every prank kind — pull them on people who'll see the funny side, reveal the joke quickly, and never to genuinely frighten, harm or humiliate anyone.