With our increasingly busy schedules, it can feel as if the simple pleasures – like a few trivia questions – are harder and harder to come by. Of course, you can go through a few fun trivia questions using apps but there’s nothing like having a trivia night with friends and family.
While I can’t help with the logistics of it all, I can help you get ready with over 150 general trivia questions. A few of them are guaranteed to stump you while others will make you laugh. Whatever the case, these are designed to be fun trivia questions you can use at home or as a way to engage your audience through interactive quizzes.
So how do you make the most of them?
Go through the list (they’re divided by category) of trivia questions here and pick out the ones that make the most sense for you. Once you’ve selected a few, you can save them for later or go ahead and create a quiz using KyLeads (it’s free to get started).
Of course, they’re amazing for personal use but many people don’t realize that quizzes are also a great tool to grow your business. The same way you enjoy answering questions and learning about new things is the same way other people enjoy the process.
The only difference is that instead of using general trivia questions, you’re using trivia questions directly related to your business or industry. For example, if you were a florist, you could create a quiz that tests people’s knowledge about different types of flowers or when each one is in bloom.
Not only is it fun, it gives you deeper insights about who your audience members are. This allows you to automatically segment new contacts and deliver tailored follow-up messages which hit the mark and reduce that feeling of being salesy.
Irrespective of how you end up using the trivia questions on this list, make sure you have fun with them. Let’s dive in.
You can view more trivia questions here
And history trivia questions here
Table of Contents
Easy trivia questions
No one likes to start off with an impossible question so it makes sense to ease them in. These easy trivia questions are ideal to break the ice and let your challengers score a quick win before you give them the hard questions.
What does CNN stand for?
- Cable News Network
What does the symbol ‘H’ stand for on the periodic table?
- Hydrogen
What’s the tallest building in the world?
- Burj Khalifa
How long is an Olympic swimming pool (in meters)?
- 50 meters
In the 1997 film Titanic, what actor played the main protagonist?
- Leonardo di Caprio
What countries made up the original Axis powers in World War II?
- Germany, Italy, and Japan
What is the capital of Japan?
- Tokyo
How many items are in a baker’s dozen?
- 13
What does the ‘YSL’ in the fashion brand’s name stand for?
- Yves St Laurent
Who sang the 2016 hit ‘Needed Me’?
- Rihanna
General Trivia questions
These general trivia questions will test your knowledge about the world as a whole. They’re not limited to any topic or difficulty level but most people, even if they don’t know the answer, will have a general idea.
What did the first vending machine dispense?
- Holy water
How many watts of electricity are in a Kilowatt(KW)
- 1,000
Where in the body is blood produced?
- The bones
What was the Greek city originally built around the acropolis?
- Athens
Mitsubishi, Toyota, and Sony all started in which country?
- Japan
What is the name of the captain on Cap’n Crunch cereal?
- Horatio Magellan Crunch
3.785 liters is equal to how many gallons?
- One
What is the largest French speaking city outside of France?
- Montreal
What is the name for a small current of air with a vertical motion?
- Updraft
What current day country is the Temple of Artemis located in?
- Turkey
Random trivia questions
These random trivia questions are a bit off the wall and most people will likely miss them. Unless, of course, they have tons of random facts floating around in their heads. These are the kind of questions you throw out there when someone has gotten a few questions right in a row and you want to trip them up.
When is National Trivia Day in America?
- January 4th
What is the technical name for the hashtag symbol?
- Octothorpe
What do the hundred folds in a chef’s hat represent?
- 100 ways to cook an egg
The unicorn is the national animal of which country?
- Scotland
What’s the largest animal on earth?
- The Blue Whale
What language has 4x more people who speak it as a second language than native speakers?
- English
What was the first soft drink in space?
- Coca Cola
What NFL team has a plant for it’s logo?
- The New Orleans Saints
How much does a Penny cost to make?
- $0.02
What US state has the longest border with Canada?
- Alaska
Sports Trivia questions
Sports competitions are the stuff legends are made of. It’s only right to grill diehard sports fans about their favorite teams or sports in general. These sports trivia questions span some of the most popular sports in the world and can stump even the most avid fans.
Basketball trivia questions
In inches, what is the diameter of a basketball hoop?
- 18 inches
Before changing in 1894, what kind of ball was used to play basketball?
- A soccer ball
What was Michael Jordan’s nickname in high school (hint: it comes from another famous basketball player)?
- Magic Johnson
What is the real name of Dr. J?
- Julius Erving
Who was the first NBA player to score 2,000 points in a single season?
- George Yardly
Football trivia questions
There’s a team in the NFL that has neither hosted nor played in the Superbowl – what team is it?
- Cleveland Browns
Who was the first NFL player to rush 1,000 yards in a single season?
- Beattie Feathers
What is the only team to have their logo on one side of their helmets?
- Pittsburgh Steelers
Who holds the best rookie passer rating in the entire history of the NFL?
- Dak Prescott
What team has fans known as ‘cheese heads’?
- The Green Bay Packers
What was the first team to win a night football game?
- Philadelphia athletics
Baseball trivia questions
How large is the circumference of a baseball
- It ranges from 9 to 9 ¼ inches
How many minutes of action does the average baseball game have?
- 18 minutes
What year did baseball players go on strike?
- 1994
The baseball term ‘home run’ was borrowed from what sport?
- Cricket
Soccer (football) trivia questions
What is a hat-trick in football?
- When a player scores three goals in one game
What player scored the fastest ever hat-trick?
- Sadio Mane (2 minutes and 56 seconds)
What was the name of the first world cup trophy (which was replaced by the current one)?
- Jules Rimet trophy
What three countries have won the world cup twice?
- France, Argentian, and Uruguay
What Football club did Elton John own – twice?
- Watford
Geography trivia questions
How much do you know about the world in which we live? There are many places off the beaten path that you’ll have a hard time knowing. Even if you know place names, the weird geography of our planet will give you sleepless nights. These geography trivia questions will stump all but the most informed humans. Even they’ll have a hard time.
What capital city is situated at the mouth of the Liffey River?
- Dublin
What is the name of the cave with the world’s longest cave system?
- Mammoth Cave
The Diet is the legislative body of which country?
- Japan
Which ocean is home to Christmas Island?
- Indian Ocean
Where are the Blue Mountains located?
- Jamaica
Grozny is the capital of which country?
- Chechnya
What is the second largest country in South America?
- Argentina
In England, what city has more miles of canals than Venice?
- Birmingham
There’s a country name that ends with the letter Q, what is it?
- Iraq
The Aurora Borealis is also known as what?
- The Northern Lights
The Bermuda Triangle is located in which ocean?
- The Atlantic ocean
Food and Drink Trivia questions
We all eat right? It’s interesting to note that most people eat the same or similar foods over and over again. What’s more surprising is that the average person eats 6 pounds of dirt in their lifetime. On a more serious note, we often know little about the things that are in our food, especially processed foods. If you have a foodie friend or you’re a foodie yourself, these food trivia questions are perfect for you.
There’s a red food coloring called carmine, where is it extracted from?
- Beetles
What does Vodka mean in English?
- Little water
What is the scale used to measure the spiciness of pepper called?
- Scoville Scale
What is the hottest pepper in the world?
- The Carolina Reaper (1.57 million Scovilles. For perspective, Tabasco sauce ranges from 2,500 – 5,000 Scovilles)
In the case of a medical emergency, coconut water can be used as what?
- Blood plasma
Why do food processing companies apply carbon monoxide to food?
- To improve redness
Where do Kiwifruit originate?
- China
What kind of food is Monterey Jack?
- Cheese
The Blue Ribbon Burger changed its name and is now referred to as what?
- Big Mac
Bammy is a bread made in Jamaica from what plant?
- Cassava
Music trivia questions
I consider myself quite the music fan. I’ll give any genre a try but I can’t say I’m well versed in its history and the nuances of the music industry. I’ve found that most music lovers have a few genres that they stick too and are basically clueless about the other ones. If you feel like you’re up to the challenge, these music trivia questions will give you a run for your money.
You can view more music trivia questions here.
What group starred in the first ever music video aired on MTV?
- The Buggles
Who started their professional musical career by being featured on Ja Rule’s album titled Rule 3:36
- Christina Milian
What song did Lady Gaga derive her name from?
- Radio Ga Ga
What famous band was involved in an incident known as the Redlands drug bust?
- The Rolling Stones
What artist was called the biggest threat to American children since Polio’ by President George W. Bush?
- Eminem
Where does the rock band AC/DC originally come from?
- Australia
What was the number 1 US ringtone in 2005?
- Candyshop
An album is certified diamond after it has sold how many copies?
- 10 million
In 2016, what famous musician won the Nobel Prize for literature?
- Bob Dylan
What artist, apart from Frank Sinatra, has won three Grammys for album of the year?
- Stevie Wonder
Movie trivia questions
A good movie is worth way more than the price of admission but with the current events in the world, many blockbusters have been pushed back. Even though there’s nothing we can do about that, you can test your knowledge with these movie trivia questions. Let me know how many you got right.
A poor showing at the box office for the film Heaven’s Gate in the 80s killed the career of which director?
- Michael Cimino
What movie star plays themselves in the film Zombieland?
- Bill Murray
What actor got an Oscars nomination for their role in The Lord of the Rings movies?
- Ian McKellen
Julie Andrews won the Academy Award for best actress due to her 1964 performance in what movie?
- Mary Poppins
In the movie, Who Framed of Roger Rabbit, who voiced Jessica Rabbit?
- Kathleen Turner
In the 1979 film, James Bond goes to space – what’s the name of the film?
- Moonraker
What actors have reprised the role of James Bond the highest number of times?
- Sean Connery and Roger Moore (7 times)
Who first played Jack Ryan in a movie?
- Alec Baldwin
Alfred Hitchcock has a thriller which was made famous (or infamous) for it’s shower scene. What was the name of the movie?
- Psycho
Who is the only person to receive an Oscar nomination for acting in a Star Wars movie?
- Alec Guinness
Health & Medicine trivia questions
It’s important to understand what’s happening to our bodies at any given time but most people don’t know the first thing about health and medicine. These questions will test whether you understand the most basic principle around medicine and some important terms you should know.
When there is trauma to the body, what does the trauma code give first priority?
- The airway
Pruritus is a fancy name for what?
- Itching
What’s the medical condition resulting from a lack of iodine called?
- Goiter
To treat Type 1 Diabetes, people are injected with what?
- Insulin
Pes Planus is the fancy name for what condition?
- Flat fleet
On average, adult heart beats how many times a minute?
- 72
What causes the yellow pigment associated with Jaundice?
- Bilirubin
What is a common trade name for the drug diazepam?
- Valium
Hypertension is another name for what condition?
- High blood pressure
A cardiologist treats what part of the body?
- The heart
Technology trivia questions
Technology is moving faster than ever so I wouldn’t be surprised if you missed a couple of these questions. If you’re a true technophile then you’ll be familiar with many of the answers and terms among these technology trivia questions. Share them with your friends and see how current they are.
What does SEO stand for?
- Search engine optimization
Given the rise of technology, what is the discipline of selling and marketing products online called?
- Digital marketing
In 2013 Staples became the first major American retailer to sell what kind of device?
- 3D printer
What was the first social media or social networking site launched on the internet circa 1994?
- GeoCities
How many bytes are contained in a kilobyte of memory?
- 1,024
The first Tweets only had how many characters?
- 140
What website has a feature known as repinning?
What does the .TIFF file extension stand for?
- Tagged Image File Format
What does ‘RAM’ stand for when talking about computers
- Random access memory
How much did MySpace sell for in 2005?
- $580 million
Science trivia questions
Science prides itself on rigorous testing and experimentation but did you know that there are no facts – only theories. That aside, these science trivia questions will test your knowledge about the things you should know but probably don’t. I don’t say that to sound trite, it’s just that our body of cumulative knowledge has gotten so large that no single person can ever hope to keep up.
How many elements are on the periodic table?
- 118
The phenomenon where people won’t offer help when there are other people around in an emergency is called what?
- The bystander effect
What is it called when light changes direction after passing through a lens?
- Refraction
What is the bond between atoms that share an electron pair?
- Covalent bond
There are animals that are majorly active during dawn and dusk – what are they referred to as?
- Crepuscular
ATP is considered the powerhouse of the cell. What does ATP stand for?
- Adenosine Triphosphate
On average, how long is the human intestine in adults?
- 17 feet
What vitamin, when lacking in the body, causes scurvy?
- Vitamin C
What causes bubbles to pop after being blown?
- Dirt in the air
What is the process called when matter moves from a solid to a gas state without turning into a liquid?
- Sublimation
Animal trivia questions
Apart from man’s best friend and cats, most people don’t interact much with the animal kingdom if they can help it. It’s a shame because there’s so much to learn from them and when you understand animals, you’re less likely to watch passively as their ecosystems are destroyed.
Anyways, that’s not the point, these animal trivia questions will determine how much you know about their kingdom.
What animal has fingerprints that are nearly identical to humans?
- Koala bear
What group of animals, when together, are referred to as an ambush?
- Tigers
What is the slowest animal in the world?
- The three-toed sloth
How long can a snail sleep?
- Three years
There’s an amphibian that never sleeps, what is it?
- The bullfrog
What is a group of hedgehogs called?
- Prickles
There’s a rodent that doesn’t drink water, what is it called?
- Kangaroo rat
What is a group of pigs called?
- A drift
What is the other name for a guinea pig?
- Cavy
What animal urinated so much that it formed 3% of the ice in the Antarctic Ocean (now the Southern Ocean)?
- The penguin
Trivia questions for adults
These are questions for the big kids. Do I need to say anything else?
What is the largest island in the world?
- Greenland (Australia is considered a continent so it doesn’t count)
What is the largest ocean in the world?
- The Pacific Ocean
What is the largest dam in the world?
- The Three Gorges Dam
How many bones does the human body have?
- 206
How many member states are there in the United Nations?
- 193
On the day after Christmas, what is celebrated?
- Boxing day
What is the other name for the painting La Gioconda?
- The Mona Lisa
What city was Ludwig Van Beethoven born?
- Bonn, Germany
What is the language with the most words?
- English
How many phases does the moon have?
- 8
Trivia questions for kids
While kids seem to grow up too fast these days, there’s still a lot they don’t know so they need trivia questions tailored just for them. These ones are challenging for children but are just easy enough for them to get a few right.
How many teeth does an adult have?
- 32
How many meters are in one kilometer?
- 1,000
What is the official national game of the United States?
- Baseball
What is the official bird of the United States?
- The bald eagle
What does WHO stand for?
- World Health Organization
What city does PJ Mask live in?
- Tarabiscoville
What is the capital city of Italy?
- Rome
Who invented the light bulb
- Thomas Edison
Who founded Microsoft?
- Bill Gates
Who created Mickey Mouse?
- Walt Disney
Conclusion
There are countless trivia questions you can ask your friends, family, and audience. In the end, it’s up to you to decide. This guide has shared more than 150 trivia questions you can use to get started.
If want to create a trivia quiz that helps you grow your business, start a free trial of KyLeads and see how powerful they can be. As I said before, have fun and mix up easy questions and difficult questions. It’s not an enjoyable experience to get all your questions wrong.
Let me know what your favorite questions are in the comments and don’t forget to share.
This is very good. There are some errors. Cheese heads are Green Bay Packer fans, not the Brewers. The main city in a country is the capital not capitol, which is a building.
Thank you for that. We’ve updated the post :).
Nice questions! It makes a long road trip more tolerable 🙂
I noticed however, Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, not Berlin.
Thanks for reading and the heads up – it’s been updated :).
This article was super helpful. Making a kahoot for the kids I work with and got to have fun bringing some of these up to my coworkers. (But why on Earth are hedgehogs a prickle!) Nice work Daniel!
haha, glad you enjoyed it.
To be honest, I have no idea. Maybe because they’ll prick you?
Great questions. Koalas are not called koala bears though 🙂
I guess is us Americans that want them to be bears so badly :).
Sadie Mane*
Sadio Mane?
Hey some good questions here. You might want to move the cheese heads question to football now because the packers are a football team not a baseball team. Secondly, another mistake: What famous band was involved in an incident known as the Redlands drug bust? Should be the rolling stones not the Beatles. George Harrison was the only Beatle there and he wasn’t there very long.
Hey Tyler, thanks for the feedback. It seems you really know your stuff. Cheers,
Daniel