Though “Alohomora” was the first spell to grace our ears in the Harry Potter universe, it certainly wasn’t the spell used most commonly in the wizarding world. It turns out that the most utilized spell in the entire Potterverse is actually “Accio,” the summoning spell that we didn’t hear until Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts.
Harry Potter fan Skyler Johnson took to Tableau Public — an online platform to share visualized data to determine how many times each spell was uttered aloud in the Harry Potter book series. Yes, every single spell, even the seriously random ones. If you haven’t read the books in a while and have the movies fresh in your mind, then the order of some of these rankings will surprise you.
Canonically, Harry is fond of using the spells: “Expecto Patronum,” “Stupefy,” and “Expelliarmus.” And all three of those are certainly up there in the ranks — coming in at second, third, and fourth, respectively. But it’s the “Avada Kedavra” killing curse, one of the three Unforgivable spells in the Potterverse, that really catches our attention. It holds a concerning sixth place on the list with a total of 21 uses throughout all seven books.
But there are far more happy things to focus on in this interactive list (less murder-y things). There are 34 spells in Harry Potter that only have one mention in all seven books.
A Death Eater uses “Expulso” in The Deathly Hallows to explode a table Harry is standing on in a diner. “Mobiliarbus” is used by Hermione to move a Christmas tree in The Prisoner of Azkaban. Poor Ron accidentally charms himself with the “Eat Slugs” spell in The Chamber of Secrets. And, of course, who can forget “Piertotum Locomotor,” which Professor McGonagall used in The Deathly Hallows to summon the statues and armor of Hogwarts to protect it against Voldemort’s army.
The film version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them might give us even more new spells in Potterverse when it airs on November 18. But, for now, be gone! Riddikulus!
