How to Determine Your Harry Potter House

Last Updated: April 7, 2024

Are you a fan of Harry Potter, but don't know which house you belong to? Many people are puzzled at which house they're in. Different houses have different traits, and sometimes it can be hard to decide. If this is your case, then this wikiHow is for you!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Understanding House Traits

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1
Understand the traits of the Gryffindor house. People in Gryffindor are usually fearless and brave, hence the lion as the house symbol. The Gryffindor house values bravery. See if you are willing to do things outside your comfort zone.
- Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were in Gryffindor. They are great examples of the house's traits, and they both show great courage.
- The house colours of Gryffindor are scarlet and bronze. Their symbol is a lion.
- The Gryffindor house corresponds to the element of fire.
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2
Understand the traits of Slytherin. Though in books Slytherin is seen as mean and cruel, they are probably not in real life. Sometimes, people believe that Slytherins are bad, but this is not true. Slytherins are ambitious, cunning, strong leaders, and want to reach goals. It’s not a bad thing to be Slytherin, in fact, many celebrities, like Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, and Ariana Grande are Slytherin.
- The house colours for Slytherin are green and silver. The symbol is a serpent.
- The Slytherin house corresponds to the element of water.
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3
Understand the traits of Hufflepuff. People in Hufflepuff tend to be kind and fair. Some of the more hidden traits include:
- Trouble finding things.
- Good looking.
- Humble.
- Great at working with plants.
  - The house colours for Hufflepuff are canary yellow and black. Its symbol is a badger. This house corresponds to the element of earth. ^{[1]
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4
Know the traits of Ravenclaw. People in Ravenclaw value intelligence and wisdom over most things. They want to be known as the smart one. Hermione Granger is a good example of a Ravenclaw, as she was very close to being sorted into Ravenclaw, but was eventually sorted into Gryffindor. Luna Lovegood was also sorted into Ravenclaw, being very knowledgeable.
- The house colours of Ravenclaw are blue and silver/bronze. Its symbol is an eagle.
- This house corresponds to the element of air.

Quiz

wikiHow Quiz: Which Harry Potter Character Am I?

You’ve always dreamt of getting your Hogwarts letter. You know what House the Sorting Hat would put you in and where you would visit in Hogsmeade. But have you ever imagined who you'd be in the Wizarding World? Would you be the boy who lived or the brightest witch of her age? Answer these questions about your magical preferences and personality to learn which Harry Potter character you resemble most.

1 of 14

You’re at Ollivander’s getting your first wand. Which wand speaks to you?

The one with the phoenix feather core.

The one made of vinewood.

The dark one with a unicorn hair core.

The most durable one (I’m pretty accident-prone).

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Finding Examples of House Members

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1
Observe Harry Potter's behavior to see if you are in Gryffindor. Harry Potter's personality is exactly Gryffindor's—bravery, courage, and fearlessness.
- Watch what Harry Potter does in the movie/book and think if you are close to him.
- If you tend to do similar things as Harry Potter, you have a strong Gryffindor side.
- One example of Harry's bravery is when he went into the Chamber of Secrets and almost got killed.
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For example, in Book 4 (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Cedric is humble and tells Harry to take the cup first. He believes in fairness.
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Luna was very educated in magical creatures, as her family were very interested in them and looked for them. She knew how much some creatures were misunderstood, like thestrals, and she knew what they were actually like.
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Even though Snape was mean to Harry Potter at the beginning of the series, he still showed bravery and ambitiousness, the main traits of Slytherin.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Putting it Together

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1
Compare your traits to each of the house traits. Think of which traits you have most—bravery, desire to learn, cunning, kindness, or fairness?
- You may be a mixture of two houses—that's fine. It's okay to be, say, Slytherclaw or Gryffinpuff.
- It can also help to think about what you like doing. For example, you may like helping people. This might give you a chance for Hufflepuff.
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Other people usually know you better than yourself. They experience your personality and may bring up viewpoints you don't know about or aren't aware of yourself!
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3
Take an online test. Online tests are a great way to find out your house and/or make sure your estimate is correct. Try to take as many as you can to see which result you got most often.
- The official Pottermore/Wizarding World test is the best test to take when it comes to figuring out your Hogwarts house.
- Make sure to answer the questions honestly!

Community Q&A

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Question

I'm in Slytherin, but some of my friends say I'm in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. What should I do about it?

Community Answer

Nobody knows you better than you! If you think and know that you're in Slytherin, stay true to your beliefs. Your friends think that you have a Ravenclaw/Gryffindor side, but if you think you're in Slytherin, then be a proud serpent!

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Question

Can I have an INTJ personality, but be a RavenPuff?

Samantha

Community Answer

Your personality type will never determine your house. I am an INFJ and my friend is a ENFP and we are both in Hufflepuff.

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Question

I've identified with Ravenclaw, but I now think I'm a Puff. I'm smart, but I don't value smarts over friendships, fairness, and hard work. Also, I've been called the nicest person at school. Thoughts?

SunPuppy

Community Answer

To you, smarts are less important than kindness, so you could definitely be a Hufflepuff.

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Tips

Make sure to be true and don't try to mimic other houses. This can confuse.

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Everyone (even Gryffindors), have their cons.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Don't let anyone else determine which house you are. You know yourself best, so whichever house you think you are in is your house! You can ask people who are more knowledgeable about the houses for their opinion, but stay true to yourself!
In the end, your house is your choice. Pick a house with the traits that you value and want to develop, even if you think you also have other houses' traits.
Being a mix of 2 houses is fine, as many people are! If you want to choose a dominant house, think about which traits you value over the others.

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How to Determine Your Harry Potter House

Steps

Understanding House Traits

wikiHow Quiz: Which Harry Potter Character Am I?

You’re at Ollivander’s getting your first wand. Which wand speaks to you?

Finding Examples of House Members

Putting it Together

Community Q&A

Tips

Tips from our Readers

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