50 Awesome "Would You Rather" Writing Prompts

Everyone runs into dilemmas from time to time. Sometimes, the situation is complicated enough that you can’t determine the correct answer immediately. Other times, there might not be a single optimal solution because everything depends on subjective considerations.

Whatever the case, Indeed and other sources offer a wide range of problem-solving models you can use to work your way through these scenarios. Moreover, you can get some good practice by checking out “would you rather” writing prompts.

Get started with these 50 “would you rather” writing prompts:

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1. Would You Rather Take an Art Class or a Science Class?

This is an easy writing prompt you can answer based on your preferences.

2. Would You Rather Eat Hamburgers or Hot Dogs?

Similarly, hamburgers vs. hot dogs is another issue that differs from person to person.

3. Would You Rather Eat Fruits or Vegetables?

Here, you are presented with a false dilemma, which is good because you don’t want to develop tunnel vision when tackling a problem. Fruits and vegetables are grounded in different fields.

4. Would You Rather Have a Dog or a Cat?

Dogs and cats are the most popular pets by a wide margin. As a result, people often have passionate opinions on the matter.

5. Would You Rather Be Intelligent or Wise?

Quartz states that intelligence isn’t the same as wisdom. Both are good things. However, having one doesn’t necessarily mean someone is guaranteed to have the other. It is interesting to see how people choose between the two, particularly since they have to define them beforehand.

6. Would You Rather Be Beautiful But Sickly or Ugly But Healthy?

Deciding between these two options can give you insight into your priorities. Of course, you can make a convincing argument that being healthy means being beautiful. Unfortunately, that would miss the point because that fails to answer the writing prompt.

7. Would You Rather Write Well But Be Unable to Speak or Speak Well But Be Unable to Write?

Dilemmas are often about choosing between two packages of mixed consequences. Each option in this writing prompt offers a much-coveted skill in exchange for something that would seriously hinder people in day-to-day life. Ironically, being unable to speak speaks for itself. Meanwhile, Reuters and other news agencies provide frequent reminders of how damaging illiteracy is in modern times.

8. Would You Rather Have Super-Vision or Super-Hearing?

Choosing between superpowers can make for fun thought exercises.

9. Would You Rather Have the Ability to Fly or Breathe Underwater?

Superpower-related writing prompts can help people realize their preferences about a wide range of matters.

10. Would You Rather Have the Ability to Become a Giant or Microscopic?

Fantastical writing prompts are chances for people to practice analyzing the situation without being able to fall back on someone else’s thoughts.

11. Would You Rather Travel Into the Past or the Future?

It seems safe to say most people would jump at the chance to time travel. The great question is whether they would travel to the past or the future.

12. Would You Rather Visit Space or the Bottom of the Sea?

Space is sometimes called the final frontier. That is misleading because the overwhelming majority of the deep sea remains unexplored. Both are obvious options for those hungering for adventure.

13. Would You Rather Be an Astronaut or a Deep Sea Explorer?

Even if you prefer visiting one place over another, that doesn’t necessarily mean you would prefer working there.

14. Would You Rather Live Someplace Hot or Cold?

Climate has a ubiquitous impact. Due to that, it is worth asking yourself what kind of climate you would rather live in.

15. Would You Rather Live Someplace Hot and Humid or Cold and Dry?

Adding further details can clarify writing prompts, thus enabling you to produce a more focused analysis.

16. Would You Rather Live in the Jungle or the Tundra?

You won’t always have the relevant information presented upfront in real life. Here, the writing prompt requires you to find out what jungles and tundras are like before you decide between them.

17. Would You Rather Be Raised By Animals or Chased By Animals?

Research can reveal that one option is worse than the other. Being chased by animals is unpleasant at best. Meanwhile, Britannica and other sources make it clear being raised by animals comes with lifelong problems.

18. Would You Rather Live On Earth or Mars?

Mars has become a focus of space exploration. It is natural to wonder whether you would live on Earth or Mars.

19. Would You Rather Live Peacefully On Earth or Dangerously On Mars?

Changing the way information is presented can change how people respond. Realistically, the colonization of Mars would be extremely dangerous. That is particularly true because the colonists would be cut off from convenient sources of support. Presenting this upfront tends to change how people interpret the writing prompt.

20. Would You Rather Live Underground in an Earthquake-Prone Area or High Up in a Skyscraper in a Windy Area?

This is another writing prompt that helps you figure out your preferences.

21. Would You Rather Encounter a Ghost or a Rabid Animal?

Life sometimes forces you to decide based on incomplete information. We know what to expect from rabid animals. The same is not the case for ghosts.

22. Would You Rather Live As a Noble During the Medieval Era or an Average Citizen of Modern Times?

Comparisons play an enormous role in how we perceive our status. Medieval nobles lacked a wide range of things that most people take for granted in modern times. However, they would have been much better off than the overwhelming majority of the population, who would have been subsistence farmers.

23. Would You Rather Be a Monarch or a President?

This writing prompt is another example of a false dilemma. Both terms cover a wide range of figures, so much so that it is difficult to compare them without making potentially erroneous assumptions. Indeed, monarchies can be elected, while presidencies can be inherited.

24. Would You Rather Rule Well For a Year or Rule Poorly For 20 Years?

Ethical dilemmas are always interesting to think through. This one asks whether people would prioritize their power over the well-being of a large number of people.

25. Would You Rather Invent Something Meaningful But Makes You No Money or Something Meaningless But Makes You a Lot of Money?

Everyone likes value. The critical thing is that not everyone values the same things.

26. Would You Rather Be Liked By Humans or Non-Human Animals?

Either of these two options would be a huge boon. Your priorities determine which one you would prefer.

27. Would You Rather Understand Every Human or Every Non-Human Animal?

This is another writing prompt meant to be fun while giving you some insight into your likes and dislikes.

28. Would You Rather Look Like Yourself or Look Like Someone Else?

Writing can be surprisingly beneficial for purposes of self-reflection.

29. Would You Rather Hear Everyone’s Thoughts or Have Everyone Hear Your Thoughts?

Practicing how to choose between unpleasant options can be practical.

30. Would You Rather Have One Person Find You Funny or One Thousand People Pretend to Find You Funny?

Several individuals might pretend someone is funny to avoid hurting their feelings. The same is unlikely to be the case for a thousand people doing the same. How you interpret this writing prompt could reveal much about your thinking.

31. Would You Rather Be Right But Ostracized or Wrong But Welcomed?

The NIH reminds us of the power of peer pressure. As a result, it is worth wondering how well we would stand up to it.

32. Would You Rather Speak Up and Risk Being Wrong or Stay Silent?

Fear of humiliation is another powerful social force. That makes it another thing to consider when we wonder how well we would fare under pressure.

33. Would You Rather Speak Up If You Think Your Best Friend Is Cheating On Their Partner or Stay Silent?

Personal relationships have an enormous impact on how we behave toward other people. Recognizing that helps us bring those tendencies under control rather than continue letting them run wild.

34. Would You Rather Speak Up If You Think Your Best Friend’s Partner Is Cheating On Them or Stay Silent?

For instance, some people behave differently when it is their best friend being wronged by someone rather than their best friend wronging someone.

35. Would You Rather Report an Abusive Pet Owner If You See a Pet Being Mistreated or Stay Out of It?

You might find it interesting to ask yourself whether you would intervene if you saw a case of animal abuse.

36. Would You Rather Confront an Abusive Pet Owner If You See a Pet Being Mistreated or Stay Silent?

If so, you should also ask yourself whether you would intervene when there are higher stakes.

37. Would You Rather Turn Your Best Friend In When They Commit a Minor Crime or Do Nothing?

One of the state’s most incredible successes was getting most people to buy into the legal system rather than stand by their friends and family members in every case. Still, it is worth asking whether people would turn their best friend when they know their best friend has committed a crime.

38. Would You Rather Turn Your Best Friend In When They Commit a Major Crime or Do Nothing?

A natural follow-up to the previous writing prompt is whether people would change their minds under certain circumstances.

39. Would You Rather Take All the Credit or Divide It Properly?

NPR reports fairness is so fundamental that even animals understand it. Still, it can be tempting for people to disregard it in preference for pursuing personal advantage.

40. Would You Rather Take All the Credit or Divide It Properly When There Is No Chance of You Being Caught?

The possibility of being caught is a real deterrence. This is much the same as the previous writing prompt, except you aren’t at risk of getting caught if you choose to take all the credit.

41. Would You Rather Ensure Your Survival At the Expense of Others or Risk Yourself to Help Everyone Make It in a Survival Situation?

This writing prompt touches upon everything from statistics to survival strategies. You can choose either option. Furthermore, feel free to argue that helping people is the optimal survival strategy.

42. Would You Rather Live a Short, Pleasurable Life or a Long, Painful Life?

Everyone wants to live a good life. The difficulty is that there is no consensus on what constitutes a good life.

43. Would You Rather Do Something Extraordinary No One Will Ever Know About or Something Ordinary Everyone Will Know About?

People prize public recognition. It seems safe to say its absence would have a noticeable effect on their decision-making.

44. Would You Rather Tell a Victimless Lie or Hurt Your Loved Ones?

There are longstanding arguments about whether victimless lies are wrong or not. Here, the relevant part is whether you would make one of these statements if refusing to do so hurts your loved ones.

45. Would You Rather Experience a Perfect Life In a Dream World or an Imperfect Life in the Real World?

The value of the real world is a longstanding philosophical debate that shows up in the strangest places. For example, it was a somewhat important question in The Matrix movies.

46. Would You Rather Be Rich But Wicked or Poor But Righteous?

Checking the news reveals no shortage of people who pursue wealth at the cost of their morals. This is a question worth asking, particularly if you are required to abide by a code of ethics.

47. Would You Rather Continue Eating Your Favorite Food or Make Your Loved Ones a Bit More Miserable?

Humans are sometimes altruistic. That means we are willing to sacrifice ourselves for others under certain circumstances. This writing prompt might shed some light on your thoughts on the matter.

48. Would You Rather Speak Up When You Hear an Uncomfortable Joke or Stay Silent?

Many people stay silent when they hear others make jokes that make them uncomfortable, thus making this a worthwhile question.

49. Would You Rather Speak Up When You Hear an Uncomfortable Joke From Your Loved One or Stay Silent?

The situation changes when you are close to the person making the joke. You might be more likely to speak up because you want them to be better than that. Alternatively, you might be less likely to speak up because you care more about preserving your relationship.

50. Would You Rather Stay Friends with Someone Unpopular or Drop Them to Prevent Yourself From Becoming Unpopular?

This is the kind of scenario one expects to see in high school. Unfortunately, it can show up in other contexts, potentially leaving you flat-footed if you weren’t expecting to run into it.

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