Amazon Alexa is the retail giant’s "personal assistant" that lives inside of every Amazon Echo and Amazon Fire TV Stick device. The smart digital assistant helps you with virtually any task, such as giving you weather updates or playing music, prompted simply by the sound of your voice.
Just ask "Hey, Alexa!" and the device will wait for your command. While Alexa is pretty useful around the house, the assistant also has a playful side that can sometimes be downright weird. (Like remember that time Alexa started laughing for no reason? Yeah. Creepy.)
And while Alexa can be useful — like with setting timers or telling you the headlines — it's the more weird and wacky Alexa skills that we just can't get enough of.
Here are 16 of our favorite Alexa skills, from the super cool to the downright weird and everything in between:
Alexa can order you a pizza
You can order a pizza with Alexa via the Domino’s app. After you set up a profile, which includes your name, address, preferred payment, and easy order, with the pizza chain and connect it with the Amazon Assistant, you can quickly order a pizza by saying "Alexa, order me a pizza from Domino’s." Alexa will then confirm your order and let you know when it will arrive at your front door.
The assistant will either reorder your last order with Domino’s, or use your easy order preferences, which is the menu items you pre-selected as your favorite. This can be something like a large pepperoni with cheesy bread and a two-liter of Sprite, for example. Amazon Alexa works with Pizza Hut too.
Enable the Domino's skill here and the Pizza Hut skill here.
Get online dating help from eharmony
If you’re an eharmony member, you can connect your online dating account to Amazon Alexa. Once connected, just ask "Hey Alexa, open eharmony" to activate. Now you can use the voice assistant to ask about all of your profile’s activities, such as "Hey Alexa, ask eharmony about my matches," or "Alexa, ask eharmony who viewed my profile."
You can now think of Alexa as your “wingwoman” through the ups and downs of online dating.
Enable the eharmony skill here.
Alexa, can you beatbox?
Did you know that you can start a rap battle with Alexa? Because you can and it's awesome. Alexa will start you off, and then it's up to you to finish the prompts.
Alexa’s skills go further than just dropping a tight flow though. The Amazon digital assistant can also beatbox on command. Just ask "Alexa, can you beatbox?" However, sometimes she’s shy. Alexa will give up halfway through and say "I don’t think I’m cut out for beatboxing."
Enable the rap battle skill here and the beatboxing skill here.
Play Skyrim using Alexa
What sounded like an April Fools’ joke, Skyrim for Amazon Alexa is completely for real. You can play a voice-enabled version of the very popular home console role playing video game. To enable, just say, "Hey Alexa, open Skyrim" to get started.
Alexa will unfold the game for you and you simply react with your voice. Think of it as an old text-based RPG from the 1980s, only with Alexa's voice instead. The game comes with a list of voice commands, such as cast a spell, swing a sword, or simply explore the world of Skyrim, as "you take your rightful place as the Dragonborn of legend."
Learn more about how to play the role playing game here.
Alexa can play podcasts
Although Alexa is good at playing podcasts, the service a bit limited because you can only ask for a show. If you want to maintain a subscription, or play a specific episode, Alexa can’t handle those capabilities alone. Enter: AnyPod. Connecting AnyPod with Alexa could be a great asset for the podcast obsessive.
Just say "Alexa, ask AnyPod to play Slashfilmcast," or "Alexa, ask AnyPod to subscribe to This American Life." AnyPod treats Amazon Alexa like any podcast catcher app on your smartphone, so you can listen to the latest and greatest podcast episodes throughout your home.
Enable the AnyPod skill here.
Alexa, use the Force
Apparently, Alexa is a big Star Wars fan, but she’s no Jedi. The assistant has a number of skills for other Star Wars fans from trivia, quotes, and history about “a galaxy far, far away.” Trivia questions range in difficulty from "I've watched the movies a few times" to "I've read the Star Wars encyclopedia more times than I can count," so it’s a fun skill for every type of Star Wars fan out there. Just ask "Alexa, play Trivia Game for Star Wars" to get the party started.
Alexa even has a "Tell Lord Vader" skill that quotes The Empire Strikes Back with you, if you don’t have a friend to help you out. In addition, if you command "Alexa, use the Force," she’ll respond with "I’m sorry, but my Midichlorian count is too low." (This skill comes pre-installed with Alexa.) Obviously, Alexa is also a big fan of The Phantom Menace because she has a skill for just Episode 1 facts too.
Enable the Star Wars trivia skill here.
The first rule of Fight Club
Apparently, Alexa is a fan of Chuck Palahniuk and David Fincher, so if you ask "Alexa, what’s the first rule of Fight Club?," the digital assistant will respond, "Don’t talk about Fight Club." In fact, Alexa knows all eight rules of Fight Club.
Enable the skill here.
Flip a coin
In today’s cashless world, it’s sometimes hard to come by a coin to flip for tough decision making or to settle a bet. Alexa can do that for you, but just virtually. Simply ask Alexa to "Flip a coin" and the Amazon Assistant will give you a random "heads" or "tails" answer.
Enable the skill here.
"Alexa, more cowbell!"
It seems that Alexa is a fan of Saturday Night Live because if you ask for "more cowbell," the digital assistant will respond with "I’ve got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell." Alexa might also answer with "Explore the studio space" or "Never question the Bruce Dickinson," the character Christopher Walken played in the iconic SNL skit about Blue Oyster Cult and the making of "Don’t Fear The Reaper."
Enable the "more cowbell" skill here.
"Alexa, I just sneezed."
Sometimes it seems that the developers at Amazon have too much time on their hands. If you ask Alexa to sneeze, she’ll say "You’re in luck! I can sneeze on command. Aaa-choooo!"
You can also ask "Alexa, what is Pi?" and she’ll answer with "3.141592653589793238462..." She’ll also quit in the middle of reciting the number with a "Aaa-choo! Apparently, I’m allergic to numbers this large."
And if you sneeze, just let Alexa know and you'll get a reply saying, "Bless you."
Enable the sneeze skill here.
Get movie facts and TV guidance from IMDb
Did you know Amazon also owned IMDb? You can ask Alexa about any TV show or movie listed on the website, like "Hey Alexa, what is the IMDb rating for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2?," or Hey, Alexa, who starred in The Godfather Part II?" You can also use it for TV recommendations based on IMDb's trending data each day.
Enable the IMDb TV skill here.
Let Alexa make bedtime better
Believe it or not, Alexa can also help you sleep better. The key to a restful night’s sleep is a good bedtime routine. Your body has to wind down and prepare itself for sleep and Alexa can help.
Alexa has a number of commands for sleep, like creating playlists for bedtime, or playing a sleep machine of white noise that includes sounds of a calming rainstorm or the sounds of a tropical ocean. The Amazon Assistant can also guide you through relaxing meditation to help you chill out before bed. Just say "Alexa, nature sounds for sleep" and the assistant will do the rest (no pun intended).
The assistant can also make bedtime distraction-free and allow you to stop looking at your smartphone, which can disrupt melatonin production that helps you naturally fall asleep. You can now charge your device in another room because Alexa could be your alarm clock with weather updates and schedule reader features built-in.
If you have kids, Alexa can create a good bedtime routine with charming lullabies and bedtime stories that can help the little ones fall asleep.
Enable the bedtime skill here, the sleep and relaxation skill here, and the lullabies here.
Is the cake a lie?
If you’re a gamer, you’ll appreciate this weird Alexa command and super nerdy Easter egg. If you ask, "Alexa, is the cake a lie?," she’ll respond with "The cake is not a lie. It is delicious and moist. You can have some when you finish asking me questions."
This is a reference to the game Portal. The robot in control — GLADoS — entices you to finish exploring the test chambers of Aperture Science with the promise of cake at the end. However, when you come across an escaped scientist, he’ll inform you that "the cake is a lie." There is no cake at the end of Aperture Science. Apparently, Alexa and GLADoS are good friends.
While the cake skill comes pre-enabled, you should snag Portal here to really enjoy it.
Get Chuck Norris jokes
Alexa has an unhealthy obsession with Chuck Norris, so if you ask "Where is Chuck Norris?," Alexa will answer with “If Chuck Norris wants you to know where he is, he’ll find you. If he doesn’t, you won’t know until it’s too late."
Alexa also has a number of Chuck Norris "facts," like "If Jesus could walk on water, Chuck Norris could swim through land," "If you work in an office with Chuck Norris, don’t ask him for his three-hole punch," and much, much more.
Enable the Chuck Norris jokes here.
Play a game with Alexa
Alexa features a number of fun games for just one person or an entire group, including choose-your-own adventures, mystery, trivia, and kid-friendly games. Alexa has simple games like Tic-Tac-Toe and Bingo, while there are also more complex games like Jeopardy! and Trivial Pursuit on hand. Alexa also has role-playing games like Dungeon Adventure.
In addition, Alexa even has the ability to roll two dice at once, or a set of 15 20-sided dice, if you’re playing D&D and forgot your dice.
Enable the Jeopardy! skill here and the Trivial Pursuit skill here.
Read an audiobook or article
Did you know Amazon owned the audiobook company Audible? If you have an Audible account, you can command Alexa to play an audiobook from beginning to end. It can even pick up from where it left off, if you were listening on the go on a mobile device. Simply ask "Alexa, read my audible book" and the Amazon Assistant will promptly fetch it for you.
You can even have Alexa read a Kindle Book, or anything you saved in your Kindle Library (like an article from Wikipedia) aloud. Just ask "Alexa, read my Kindle Book." This is a particularly great skill for people who are visually impaired, the elderly, or anyone in the mood for a bedtime story.
Learn more about using the skill here.
Topics Amazon Amazon Alexa Amazon Echo
