Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Best Ways To Harmlessly Annoy Someone

People Share The Best Ways To Harmlessly Annoy Someone
David Sacks/Getty Images

Deep down inside of us is a desire to get under someone's skin. This could be why "trolling" on the internet is so prevalent, because you know by annoying someone you're now in their head. You're being thought of, acknowledged for effort, and eliciting some kind of emotional response.

Or maybe because it's just fun? Let's see.


Reddit user Psych0matt wanted to know how to cause trouble without actually getting in trouble when they asked:

What's a fun harmless way to annoy or confuse people?

Starting Off Hot

Giphy

"Sometimes when I'm driving, I'll wave hi to people pretending I know them. That way... all day they'll be like, "Where do I know him from?". Confusing & stressful. lol"

cheetosychamoy

"HE said HARMLESS"

Minime_164

The Dot Never Leaves

"When talking to someone stare at their forehead."

Curtismcg7392

They'll Reach And Reach And Reach And Never Be Able To Get It

"If you work in a gas station and have a window that shows all the tickets set into your counter, there's usually just 2 panes of glass that sit on top of each other and I cant tell you how many times I've put quarters or dollar coins in between those panes of glass. Definitely a cheap source of entertainment for a few hours."

Burntvanillaoreo

A Dad We Can All Aspire To Be

"When you're in a full car. Choose a target, preferably somone walking by themself. When you are close to them, honk a couple of times until you get their attention then tell everyone in the car to wave hysterically. My dad used to do this all the time when my family was doing some kind of roadtrip. They'll walk around for the rest of the day thinking "who the f-ck were those people".

percunnilingoft

Doc's Machine! It Worked!

"Run into a store and loudly ask someone "What Year is it?"

"They reply"

"Then you yell "YES!! IT WORKED!!" Then run out of the store"

Missmeowstin

This Isn't Even About Me And It's Driving Me Crazy

  1. "Hey [insert name]"
  2. "Yes?"
  3. "Nevermind, it doesn't matter."

Leave Them Scratching Their Heads

"I like learning languages, so whenever I hear people in the tram speak a language I can recognize, I do the following:"

"I wait until it's my stop to get out, and just before I leave I turn to them and say to them in their language: "Have a nice day!"

languagepotato

Annoyed In Multiple Languages

"If your in a tourist part of a country it's very likely people will try to sell you things and they know a little English, if you respond in a language not often spoken on that continent they can get confused. In China someone tried to sell me something and when I responded with "nein, das Deutschland Uber allies, panzer wagen gewher"(the only German I know from ww2 games and movies) they look on their face was utter confusion because I was so obviously an American."

mudder123

They'll Be Confused, But Also Endeared

"When someone makes a noise that isn't sneezing, I like to occasionally say bless you. Usually makes them do a double take and gets a laugh out of them, others just think I'm dumb!"

SarinationX

And They'll Always Wonder...

"Hand random people a note that says "call me" and walk away, but don't put ur number on it"

PatBerz

They Say Harmless, Not Terrify!

"As you walk off an elevator, put ur finger on ur ear and say "cut the cable".

PatBerz

Subtle Mental Manipulation

"While in conversation with someone, hand them whatever you're holding. 9 times out of 10, they will take it without knowing why. Conversely, if the person you're talking to is holding something, and you hold out your hands, they'll likely give it to you."

PartTimeKhajiit

You...Monster?

"Don't turn around and face the door like everyone else when you walk onto an elevator."

PenisBeautyCream

"Bonus points if you walk out backwards and continue doing so until you're out of sight."

GrandMoffHarkonen

Make Sure They Spell Your Name Right

"Hi! My name is Jason, without a B."

  • "There's no B in Jason..." "Yeah that's what I said."

Zero Follow Up

"When someone asks "Do you know what time it is?" Only reply with "Yes" and nothing else."

thebubbahotep

It's The Little Things That Hurt The Most

"Unplug their ethernet cable. Put tape on the very end of it. Put it back. It will still click into place but wont make a connection."

WrestlingWoo

"Chaotic evil"

FlyinSideboardPl

Confuse Them In Many Languages

"When approached by random people in the street I don't want to engage with nothing confuses them more by saying, "I don't speak English" in perfect English."

"Works like a charm in terms of confusion."

brownandwhite2

Wonder How Long It Would Take Other People To Figure It Out...?

"Get two friends to look at a spot in the sky with you, point at it and look concerned. Once the crowd is big enough, leave to a distance and time how long it takes to dissipate."

Chaoscollective

They Would Constantly Wonder What You Say Behind Their Backs

"If you're talking with someone and a third person walks up...take whatever the last sentence said was about, and say "speaking of <...>, here's <their name>." Like... "Speaking of my neighbor's 12-year-old daughter, here's Steve." "Speaking of being drunk and naked, here's Rachelle."

"It's generally always off color and awkward, or maybe that's just the stuff I talk about and the people I talk to."

n00dl3_n0gg1n

A Lot Of Work For Little Payoff....PERFECT.

Giphy

"Easiest sh-t ever, just open a screenshot of a bluescreen, open it and make it full Screen on someones pc."

"Also, make a screenshot of their Desktop. Use this screenshot as their Desktop Background. Then move around all the Desktop Icons. Now every Icon is there twice, half of them are fake."

unrely13

"Before you make the screenshot, make a folder on their desktop and name it something that doesn't stand out. After the screenshot, put all their icons in that folder. Then make the screenshot their background. Now everything but the folder is a lie."

n00dl3_n0gg1n

We're taking notes! Do you have any tactics to add? Share them in the comments below.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

JD Vance; Jen Psaki
Johannes Simon/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Vance Gets Brutal Reminder After Accusing Jen Psaki Of 'Attacking' People For Praying Following School Shooting

Vice President JD Vance was criticized after he lashed out at MSNBC host Jen Psaki for saying that "prayer is not freaking enough" to end school shootings after a shooter killed two children and wounded 17 others during the first week of classes at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.

Psaki spoke out on X shortly after the shooting occured, to stress that "thoughts and prayers" don't actually address or prevent mass shootings and gun violence overall:

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @andydouglas.trumpboy's TikTok video; President Donald Trump
@andydouglas.trumpboy/TikTok; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Video Of Little Boy Sobbing After Finding Out Trump Is A Real Person Goes Viral—And We Totally Get It

Whether it was Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, or some other important facet of childhood, most of us found out when we were kids that something we loved did not exist, and it was absolutely devastating and world-changing.

But imagine there being something that you deeply disliked or feared, only for you to find out that it actually exists on the same plane and in the same timeline as you.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @originalsugarphly's TikTok video
@originalsugarphly/TikTok

Woman Stunned After Best Friend Of 23 Years Ends Friendship Over Her 'Mom Shorts'

We will all have friends who come into our lives for a reason, for a season, or for a lifetime. There are those situational friendships, like from work or school, that dissolve when we exit that space, and there are friendships that might form from knowing the same people.

Then there are those tried-and-true friendships that we think will truly stand the test of time—but even those sometimes fracture under pressure. And sometimes for the most ridiculous reasons.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @nurse_xtina129's TikTok
@nurse_xtina129/TikTok

Woman Sparks Debate By Putting Out Small Fire At Dunkin' Donuts After Workers Ignored It

Imagine hitting that afternoon slump and seeking out your favorite caffeinated beverage: a highlight in an otherwise dumpster fire kind of day. But then you arrive at your coffeehouse of choice—and there's literally a fire.

TikToker Cristina Conklin was waiting in line for a beverage at Dunkin' Donuts in Warwick, New York, when she became either a villain or a hero, depending on who was watching her TikTok video.

Keep ReadingShow less
Former Republican congressman and Fox News host Trey Gowdy
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

MAGA Fumes Over Fox Gun Control Talk

The nation is reeling after yesterday’s mass shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, where a gunman opened fire during a Catholic school Mass, killing two children and injuring more than a dozen others. The tragedy has not only shaken the community but also reignited the national debate over guns in America—this time sparked by an unlikely voice.

Former Republican congressman and Fox News host of Sunday Night in America, Trey Gowdy—long seen as a staunch defender of gun rights and a past recipient of National Rifle Association contributions—surprised many of his own allies when he called for a national reckoning on firearms access.

Keep ReadingShow less