Word association Visualization Hypotheticals Word play Misdirection Anti-climax Reversal Observations Obviousness Mockery Literality Subsequence Response Parody Exaggeration

Characterization Understatement Absurdity Irony Stupidity Definitions Descriptions Comparisons Contrasts Eccentricity Subtext Details Sarcasm Satire Shock

General Notes Brevity Organization Threes Discipline Insults Learning References Secrets Douchebaggery

Talk to trees
It may take a while for them to respond, but while you're waiting, do some word association. This is probably the most commonly used technique in comedy writing and can help even the most humorless among us find the funny.

Case in point:

While developing this site, we needed to come up with a caption for the story about the head of Hewlett Packard getting accused of sexual harassment. So we started thinking of words associated with office equipment and fornication. And then there were two: "Toner Boner."

Or from a slightly more worthy exemplar:


And one for the tweeps, from the man who would be king...of TBS:


Visualize the victim
All jokes have a subject, whether it be a person, place, or thing -- or a situation, event or idea. Or some other thing. Whenever possible, visualize your subject and you'll be amazed at how many funny ways you can tweak it, especially when you add in some word association and the wonder of "what if"? Perhaps this combo was used to create these gems:


Get wacky with words
Another commonly used trick of the quip trade is to bait and switch the audience with words that have alternate meanings (i.e., homonyms, homophones, and other homo-things). There's a really long Greek word for this technique, but it sounds super hairy so we'll spare you.

A couple examples from a couple of the best:


And a pair of classics from our great-grandparents:


Or a favorite from the deadest pan of them all:


Mislead the masses
An especially effective comic technique is misdirection. It's used in all of the word play examples above and can be used on its own as well. Misdirection is the art of leading the audience in a certain direction in your setup and then sending them in the opposite or an otherwise surprising direction in your punch line. Ideally in a funny way, like this oddity from beyond the pale:


Or prick their presumptions with an amusing anti-climax:


And if you wanna get fancy, back over your setup with a comic reversal:


Keep it real
Call it like you see it, as confidently and cleverly as you can. And summon the swagger of the man who does it the best:


Or keep it even realer, with the art of the obvious:


Perhaps add a little mockery:


Combine the last two moves with your comic kung fu:


Try some overly literal word play:


Or keep it real French Enlightenment style:


It's funny cuz it's true.

Make it up
Looking to make a joke about something that was said? Or something that took place? Imagine what might've happened right after, or what somebody said when it went down, like this crafty combo:


Or imagine what somebody might've said or done in response:


Spoof it
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, parody is the most insincere. Or maybe murder is. But our site isn't about that, so let's stick with parody. And let's define it as poking fun at something by imitating it in a humorous or ridiculous way.

You can see this style on frequent display in the works of Mel Brooks, Monty Python, or any episode of Saturday Night Live. Or if your target is say, Fox News, you'll find no better guide than parody (and pomposity) personified:


Get over it, or under it
Exaggeration and understatement are a couple more tried and true techniques. Make a bigger deal out of something than it truly is, like these pros:


Throw in a character to convey the extreme:


Or have your character go the other way, like a knight who's just had both his arms cut off:


Revel in the ridiculous
Find the absurdity or irony in the subject. Had we been the ones to prematurely post his passing, the artist formerly known as Samuel Clemens might have kwipped:


Or on the other side of the page:


A more recent example, with an inspired use of irony:
And a special entry for our beloved Kwipsters:


Be dumb
We've all got some dumb inside us, some a bit more than others. Fortunately it can make you funny if you channel it correctly, like these guys:


Or even dumber, from his straight-faced forefather:


And the dumbest of them all:


Define or describe
Make like Webster and come up with your own comedic definition for something, like this pair from one of New York's finest:


Or find a witty way to describe something mundane:


Compare and contrast
It's not just a dreaded opener from the essay questions of your youth. It's also a great way to form a joke. And there's one comic whose knack for comparisons is beyond compare:


Or try an analogy, like this one from the loquacious limey with some of the luckiest junk alive:


Or for a clever contrast, and another homonym bonus winner:


Or with an extra touch of eccentricity:


And somewhere very special in between:


Sex up the subtext
Oftentimes the secret to a great joke isn't in what you say, it's in what you don't say. So don't say stuff. Say stuff that suggests stuff. And say it like you run a country:


Or say it another way, and like you wrote the Great American Novel:


Or ignore this (and all other techniques) and just be hot. And on E! At 11. (10 central.)

Probe and dissect
For a subject that may not be funny on the surface, try breaking it down into components, then find the most kwippable detail(s) and line up your shot accordingly. This is a frequent go-to technique in observational comedy, as demonstrated by one of its most prolific practitioners:


Or delve in deep to come up with something that makes you go 'hmm':


Take a bite out of it
Use sarcasm or satire to make fun of something or point out how ludicrous it is. But bite at your peril; sarcasm can be quick to come by but tough to pull off, since it's easy to anticipate. Like this example from one of the otherwise greats:


But give the man a chance to redeem himself. Perhaps with this past blast delivered at the end of his interview with an (artificially) aloof and unresponsive Joaquin Phoenix:


Redeemed...times 8. Even Joaquin broke character and laughed. Ok, so some academics may argue that this is irony delivered with a sarcastic tone, while others would call it straight sarcasm. Semantics. But few would argue that anybody does either as well as Dave.

And few do satire as well as The Onion. You could spend a week laughing through tons of great examples in the archives of America's Finest News Source. Or just admire this (shameless) favorite headline of ours:


Take them by surprise
The best comics can find the humor in anything, and the most daring find it where all others fear to tread (like the Special Olympics above). Whether it's taking on a taboo topic, giving it an unthinkable twist, or just telling a story about some aristocrats, they brave the darkest corners of their comic minds to make us laugh when we shouldn't. Check out the works of Louis C.K. or any episode of Tosh.0 for monkey-shocking examples aplenty. Or, so maybe she'll shock mine:


Heed your 'Hamlet'
Remember the words of Polonius, or better yet, his twitchy scribe (Billy Shakes). "Brevity is the soul of wit." So whether you're addressing the royal family or just typing into a text box, keep it short - or at least under 200 characters. His words might be 400 years old, but they were good enough to get Gwyneth Paltrow naked, so you'd be wise to abide.


Put the thunder down under
Generally speaking, you'll find that the best jokes save their punch for the very end. Don't soften the blow by starting with the funny and ending with the not. That's why lightning is so hilarious.


Think in threes
One may be the loneliest number, but three is the funniest. If you're listing or repeating stuff as part of your joke, stop listing or repeating after the third. See how well it helps your comic rhythm, as in this example from America's finest pundit spanker:


And it works at any volume:


Write, rinse, repeat
As your high school English teach hopefully beat into your brain, writing is rewriting. Don't focus on getting it perfect right away. Get it on paper, then peck and polish it till it's the best you've got. Then try writing one that doesn't suck.


Don't drink hater-ade
There's a line between insult humor and hate-speak. Don't find it. Hate isn't funny. Plus it violates our Rules and Terms of Use. Self-deprecation is another story, and if you're gonna do it, you'll find no better guide than the man who got no respect:


Learn from the legends
We're all lucky to be alive at the same time as some true comic legends in the making. There's a reason we named our top level after them. Listen and learn from the greats of late night as they mix and match the methods above. You'll also bear witness to a bonus technique: the comic cross-reference - connecting a pair of current subjects and/or cultural references with a funny thread. It's topical times two!

A recent cross from late night's boss:


And for the premium-cable crowd:


Learn from the cats too
There's a simple explanation for why cats are so lol-able, and in our humble view, it's without question the most essential ingredient for all the best comedy. Watch them ply their craft on your favorite feline fetish site and see if you can figure out their secret. It's in almost every example on this page.

And if you've heard it before...
So have they. Don't be a parrot or a copycat. Or as both are known outside their species: a plagiarist. Don't lift your fellow man's material; learn from it. As our favorite example generator once put it: