Akinator

What it is

Akinator is a web genie that guesses whichever character you are thinking of, from film stars and footballers to cartoon villains and obscure video game sidekicks. You answer a string of questions with yes, no, probably, probably not or don't know, and the genie narrows it down with every answer. It has been doing this since 2007, has played well over a billion games, and it is still unsettling how often it gets there in under twenty questions.

How to play

Think of a real or fictional character. Answer each question the genie asks with one of the five buttons. Keep going until he announces a guess. Confirm if he nailed it, or tell him he is wrong and he carries on asking. Then think of someone harder. The settings menu has a sensitive content filter if younger players are around.

What makes it different

Akinator is not working from a fixed list of questions. It runs on a database that has learned from every game ever played on it, so the order of the questions shifts to fit your answers, and characters nobody knew last year get added once enough players teach him about them. That is why it has stayed viral for so long: whoever you pick, someone else probably picked them first.

Why it is on Bored

It has been around since 2007 and it is still the fastest way to make a room go quiet. Everyone has a character they are sure he cannot get, and watching that certainty drain away over twenty questions never gets old. It sits at the very top of our most clicked links, so apparently you agree.

Tips

• Answer honestly, a wrong yes early on sends him down the wrong path for ten questions
• Use don't know only when you really don't know, not as a way out of an awkward question
• Start with a famous character to see how the questioning works, then go obscure
• The odd side questions about hats and hair color are usually the ones doing the real work

FAQ