Eight films, seven books, three theme parks, and one entire genre of Tumblr core. Harry Potter gave us a magical world full of latin-inspired incantations, and the spells were arguably the best part. You could absolutely run a household with about twelve of them.
Here are the best spells and charms in the Harry Potter universe, ranked by usefulness in real life (a bar that is admittedly low, since none of them work).
Expecto Patronum
Photo by Klim Musalimov on Unsplash
The Patronus Charm. Summons your spirit animal to fight off Dementors and, by extension, the existential dread of a Sunday evening. Hardest spell in the curriculum, and not even most full-grown wizards can do it.
The kind of magic that doubles as therapy. Plus, the silvery glow is unbeatable visually.
Wingardium Leviosa
"It's LeviOsa, not LeviosAR." The first proper spell taught at Hogwarts and an absolute classic. Levitate a feather. Levitate a troll's club to its own head. The applications are endless and the swish-and-flick wand movement is iconic. First-year essential.
Accio
The Summoning Charm. Need the remote? Accio. Need your phone charger? Accio. Need your dignity back after singing in a karaoke booth? Accio. The single most useful spell for everyday lazy living, and Harry used it to summon a broom against a dragon, so it scales.
Lumos
Harry Potter phone case, available at Fun Cases
Wand tip light. The pre-iPhone torch. Brilliant in a power cut, brilliant in a tent, brilliant for sneaking around at night.
Every modern person uses Lumos five times a day, they just call it "phone flashlight." Hermione invented the iPhone in 1998.
Expelliarmus
Harry's signature spell. Disarms an opponent without harming them. The fact that he beat Voldemort with a non-lethal spell is the whole point of the story, and Expelliarmus delivered. Plus, "Expelliarmus" is genuinely a great word.
Alohomora
Unlocks doors. Removes the entire concept of locksmiths from the wizarding economy. Hermione uses it about thirty times across the series and you can't blame her. Practical, effective, the magical equivalent of a TikTok lifehack.
Reparo
Fixes broken things. Smashed glasses, snapped wands, cracked vases, ruined furniture. The DIY shop in your village would go bust the day Reparo became real. The single most environmentally friendly spell on the list.
Avada Kedavra
The Killing Curse. Obviously not endorsing this one. Iconic for being one of the Unforgivable Curses, narratively important, dramatic green flash. Don't try this at home, even theoretically.
Riddikulus
Turns a Boggart into something funny. Lupin's lesson with the third years is one of the best teaching scenes in the entire series, and Riddikulus is a genuinely lovely metaphor for handling fear by laughing at it. Wholesome content from a children's book.
Sectumsempra
Snape's invented spell that absolutely shreds anything it hits. Drama. Backstory. Plot consequence. The whole sequence in book six is one of the series' most upsetting moments and a turning point for Harry. Brilliant writing.
Magic In Real Life
None of these work in real life, which is genuinely tragic. The closest you'll get to Accio is asking your housemate to throw you the remote, and they probably won't.
The other way to keep some magic in your pocket is our Harry Potter phone case collection. House crests, quotes from the books, deathly hallows, the lot. Pair with butterbeer and a rewatch of Prisoner of Azkaban.
