Weird Conversation Topics: Fun Ideas

Weird conversation topics are odd, playful questions that pull people out of boring small talk. Think useless superpowers, strange food combos, childhood beliefs, or which animal would make the worst roommate. They work best when they’re easy to answer, a little surprising, and open enough that the other person can tell you a story.

Key takeaways

Weird conversation topics are unusual questions about dreams, food, animals, and made up scenarios that make a chat more fun and easier to remember.
The best ones are light, open ended, and something you’d happily answer yourself.
Share your own answer first so the other person doesn’t feel put on the spot.
If someone isn’t into it, drop the topic and try something else.

You know how it goes. “Where are you from?” “What do you do?” “Cool.” Then silence.

Small talk has its place, but even good small talk runs out fast. A weird question can change the whole mood in one line. Ask someone which animal would make the worst roommate and they’ll laugh, think about it, and give you an answer you’d never get from “How’s your week?”

That’s why weird conversation topics are worth having in your back pocket. They give both of you something to play with. Below are 15 topics to try, plus tips for using them with someone you just met and keeping the chat going once it starts.

Why use weird conversation topics?

Small talk tends to loop. Same questions, same safe answers. A weird topic breaks the loop because nobody has a rehearsed answer for “What’s a useless superpower you’d still want?”

It also makes the chat stick. You might forget someone’s job title by tomorrow. You won’t forget the person who argued that pigeons are secretly judging us.

Odd questions invite people to be creative and a little silly. That’s where the humor shows up. And humor is often how you find out you have things in common, like hating the same food as kids or still checking under the bed sometimes.

There’s a bonus, too. Light weird questions can open the door to deeper conversations. “What did you believe as a kid?” can turn into a talk about family or who someone used to be. A set of 12 experiments led by Nicholas Epley at the University of Chicago found that people expect deep talks with strangers to be more awkward than they really are. Those talks felt less awkward and more connecting than people predicted.

What makes a good weird conversation topic?

A good weird topic is strange enough to surprise someone but simple enough to answer in a few seconds. “Would you swap lives with a houseplant for a day?” works. A question that needs five minutes of setup doesn’t.

It should also invite a real answer. “Do you like weird food?” gets a yes or no. “What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten that was actually good?” gets a story.

Read the room. A question that’s funny with a close friend might feel odd with a coworker or someone you met two minutes ago. Keep it harmless when you don’t know the person well. Funny conversation topics are a safe place to start.

Here’s a simple test. Would you be happy to answer it yourself? If not, don’t ask it.

15 weird conversation topics to try

1. Strange food combinations

Food is an easy place to start. Everyone eats, and everyone has opinions, which makes food one of the easiest ways to bond with a stranger online. Some people swear by fries dipped in a milkshake. Others think that’s a crime.

What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever tried?
What odd food combo do you secretly love?
What food would you never eat, even for money?
If you had to build the strangest sandwich possible, what goes in it?

2. Random superpowers

Forget flying. The fun is in the useless powers, like always knowing exactly what time it is or making perfect toast every single time. Then flip it around and ask which powers would make life harder.

What’s a totally useless superpower you’d still want?
Which superpower would be a nightmare to have at work?
What boring chore would you fix with a superpower?
Which superpower sounds cool but would get annoying fast?

3. Weird animal facts

Animals are strange, and real facts make great openers. Wombats, for example, poop in cubes. A team that included engineers at Georgia Tech found that the shape comes from the way a wombat’s intestines squeeze. Drop a fact like that and see where it goes.

What’s the weirdest animal fact you know?
What unusual animal would you keep as a pet?
Which animal would make the worst roommate?
What animal would be the funniest if it could talk?

4. Unusual hypothetical situations

Hypotheticals work because there’s no wrong answer. They also show you how someone thinks. Some people go straight to chaos. Others start making a plan.

What would happen if everyone could read minds for one day?
What if humans had to sleep standing up?
If animals ran society, which one would be in charge?
What would you do if you woke up and nobody remembered you?

5. Strange childhood beliefs

Most people believed something wild as a kid. Maybe you thought swallowing a seed would grow a tree in your stomach. Or that adults never had to go to bed. These stories are funny, and almost anyone can share one.

What did you believe as a kid that turned out to be totally false?
What did you misunderstand for way too long?
What scared you as a kid that seems silly now?
What rule did you think all adults had to follow?

6. Weird dreams

Most people have had at least one dream that made zero sense. Dreams are easy to talk about because the story is already there.

What’s the strangest dream you’ve ever had?
Do you have a dream that keeps coming back?
Have you ever had a dream that felt completely real?
If you could plan tonight’s dream, what would happen in it?

7. Unusual fears

Keep this one light. You’re not asking about anyone’s deepest fears. You’re asking why a coat on a door looks like a person at 2 AM.

What’s a weird thing you’re afraid of that makes no sense?
What everyday object looks creepy at night?
What small situation makes you weirdly uncomfortable?
Do you run up the stairs after you turn off the lights?

8. Time travel

Time travel questions never get old. Past or future? Watch history or change it? Everyone has a take.

Would you rather visit the past or the future?
What would you tell your younger self if you met them?
Which time period would you want to live in?
What moment in history would you want to see in person?

9. Alternate versions of yourself

These questions let people imagine the life they didn’t pick. The answers can be funny or surprisingly honest.

What job does the alternate universe version of you have?
If you lived in another country, which one would it be?
What is alternate universe you doing right now?
What would the total opposite of you be like?

10. Weird jobs

Some real jobs sound made up, and that’s half the fun. Ask about the strangest job someone has heard of. Then invent a few of your own.

What’s the weirdest real job you’ve heard of?
What job would you try for just one day?
What’s the worst job you can imagine?
If you could invent a totally pointless job, what would it be?

11. Conspiracy-theory-style questions

This one is pure silliness. You’re making up fake theories about everyday things, and you both know it’s a joke. Keep it there. Don’t pass off real misinformation as fact, even for a laugh.

Where do socks really go in the washing machine?
Are pigeons secretly judging us?
Why does the elevator always show up the second you decide to take the stairs?
What everyday object do you think is secretly up to something?

12. Weird things people do alone

Almost everyone has a few odd habits they only do when nobody’s around. If you admit yours first, the other person will find it easier to share.

Do you talk to yourself? Out loud?
Have you ever practiced a conversation before it happened?
What made up scenarios do you play out in your head?
Do you dance when nobody’s watching? To what song?
What harmless habit do you rarely admit to?

13. Strange “would you rather” scenarios

The trick is to make both choices equally weird so there’s no easy answer. Then ask why. The reason is where the fun is.

Would you rather have fingers as long as your legs or legs as long as your fingers?
Would you rather only whisper or only shout for the rest of your life?
Would you rather sneeze glitter or hiccup bubbles?
Would you rather have a pause button or a rewind button for your life?

14. Imaginary rules for the world

Most people have one rule they wish the world followed. Ask for theirs. Then picture what would happen if it were real.

What’s one pointless law you’d make if you were in charge?
What rule should everyone have to follow for one day?
What strange rule would you add to restaurants or schools?
What would happen if everyone had to follow your rule?

15. Random things you’d collect

Collections say a lot about people. Some are useful. Most aren’t, and those are better to talk about anyway.

What weird thing would you collect if money didn’t matter?
What’s the most useless collection you can imagine?
Do you keep anything just because it means something to you?
What’s the weirdest collection you’ve ever seen?

Weird conversation topics for someone you just met

If you’re figuring out how to start a conversation with a stranger online, start light. Pick a funny, harmless topic like useless superpowers or odd food combos. Skip anything too personal, and skip topics that could turn into an argument.

Watch how they respond. If they laugh and play along, keep going. If they give a short answer and change the subject, that’s fine. Not everyone warms up to weird right away.

Share your answer first. “I’d want the power to always find my keys. What about you?” That way they don’t feel like they’re taking a quiz.

If you meet new people online, Emerald Chat is a good place to test different openers. You can try a few weird questions with different people and see which ones get a laugh.

How to keep a weird conversation going

A weird question only gets things started. What keeps the chat alive is what you do with the answer.

Build on what they say. If they’d want to live in the 1920s, ask what they’d do on their first day there. It’s the easiest way to keep a conversation going online or in person. Add your own take, even if it’s the opposite of theirs. Arguing about whether cereal counts as soup can be more fun than agreeing.

Let it wander. A question about dreams might end up as a talk about old jobs or favorite movies. That’s a good sign.

And if a topic falls flat, let it go. Not every question will land, and the next one might.

How to practice talking about unusual topics

This gets easier the more you do it. Try coming up with a few random questions while you wait in line or before bed. Some will be bad. That’s part of it.

Talk to people who aren’t like you. Over time, talking to strangers can boost your confidence, which makes the next weird question easier to ask. Different interests mean different answers, and you’ll start to learn which questions work with which people.

Don’t expect every conversation to go smoothly. Some will stall. With practice, you’ll get faster at thinking on your feet when one does.

Emerald Chat is one of the best options for practicing spontaneous conversations with new people. You meet someone new each time, so you can try a weird question, see how it goes, and try again with the next person.

Frequently asked questions

What are some weird things to talk about?

Some weird things to talk about are strange dreams, things you believed as a kid, useless superpowers, odd food combos, and silly hypotheticals like what would happen if animals ran the world. Pick topics that are easy to answer and fun to explain. A strange question is more likely to get a story than a one word reply.

How do you start a weird conversation?

Start with a light, unexpected question or a random observation. Something like “I just realized I don’t know which animal would make the worst roommate. Any ideas?” works well. Then give your own answer so the other person doesn’t feel put on the spot. It keeps things relaxed and shows them it’s okay to be silly.

What is a random topic to talk about?

A random topic is anything the other person won’t see coming. Try strange animal behavior, like the fact that wombats poop cubes. You could also ask about a useless superpower or a made up rule you’d add to society. Random topics work best when they’re harmless and easy to jump into.

How do you make a boring conversation more interesting?

Change the direction. Ask an unusual question, tell a short story, or share an opinion they might not expect. You can also turn the chat into a game with a “would you rather” question or a silly hypothetical. Even a small shift gives both of you something new to react to.

Where can I practice having interesting conversations?

You can practice anywhere you meet new people, like classes, clubs, or events. Online, Emerald Chat lets you meet new people and practice spontaneous conversations around unusual and unexpected topics. You can try out weird questions, see what gets a laugh, and get more comfortable talking to people you don’t know.

Weird conversation topics: fun questions and unusual ideas to talk about