There are now more than 70,000 certified Alexa skills you can use with Amazon Echo devices and a growing number of Alexa-compatible third-party products. If 70,000 seems like a daunting number of things to check out when you just want to have fun, Amazon organizes Alexa Skills online to help you find what you’re looking for.
This year Amazon also presented the Alexa Skills of the Year 2018. This collection of 24 Alexa skills includes what Amazon’s Alexa team considers the top skills for games, family fun, wellness, and daily habits.
We list all 24 of 2018’s Alexa Skills of the Year below, with brief comments on the top two in each category.
Game Skills
When you feel like playing a game, whether you’re alone or with a group, Alexa is always ready.
Beat the Intro – Musicplode Media Ltd.
This skill is an Alexa version of “Name That Tune” where the object of the game is to name the song title and artist as quickly as possible. For one to six players, Beat the Intro can also be used with two to four Echo Buttons.
Heads up! – The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Play the same game Ellen plays on her television show. Using clues provided by Alexa, try to guess a word or a name before the timer runs out.
More top game skills
- National Geographic Geo Quiz – National Geographic Society
- Question of the Day – VoicePress.AI
- Skyrim Very Special Edition – Bethesda Game Studios
- The Magic Door – The Magic Door, LLC
- Trivia Hero – Labworks.io USA
- World Mathematics League – Shanthan Kesharaju
- Would You Rather for Family – Voice Games
- Yes Sire – Volley, Inc.
Family Skills
Family Skills are fun and educational, suitable for all family members, with an emphasis on younger children.
Animal Workout – For Jack & Jill
“Welcome to Animal Workout, where you are no longer a human but an animal.”
That’s how Animal Workout begins. You can say “more” to keep going or “all done” to stop while following instructions to exercise like an animal.
First species? A penguin. First exercise? Waddle like a penguin while the music plays.
“All done.”
Chompers – Gimlet Media
Having trouble getting your kids to brush their teeth for the recommended two minutes? Just say, “Alexa, start Chompers” and she’ll tell jokes, riddles, stories, fun facts, and more for two minutes. This skill is also useful for adults.
More top family skills
- Kids Court – Pretzel Labs
- Lemonade Stand – Mark Einhorn
- Sesame Street – Sesame Workshop
Wellness Skills
From cooking tips to fitness goals and help with meditation, Alexa Wellness Skills teach and support health and fitness.
Chop Chop – Bondad
Best if you have an Echo Show or Spot so you can watch the produce prep videos, but even without video, Chop Chop talks you through simple instructions on how to chop fruits and veggies. Just say, “Alexa, chop chop” and she’ll ask what you’d to chop. The instructions are accompanied by cheery music and mild corny jokes.
Fitbit – Fitbit, Inc.
If you don’t have a Fitbit account this skill won’t do anything for you, but Fitbit users can check in to get daily progress on exercise, sleep, and the fitness metrics that matter to you.
More top wellness skills
- Headspace: Guided Meditation for Everybody – Headspace
- Sleep and Relaxation Sounds – Voice Apps, LLC
Daily Habit Skills
Daily habit isn’t about breaking bad habits, but making new ones.
Find My Phone – Opearlo
The main application for this skill is calling your lost smartphone from one of four 866 numbers you previously stored in your contacts list so they won’t be blocked or muted. Find My Phone can also serve as a dialing assistant, calling people on your contact list.
AnyPod – Harrison Digital Media
The AnyPod Alexa skill is a podcast player. You can request specific podcasts by name or subscribe to podcasts, accessing the massive content on AnyPod. While playing a podcast you can ask Alexa to skip to the next episode or go back to the previous one. You can also fast forward or rewind specific time periods.
More top daily habit skills
- Big Sky – Philosophical Creations
- Make Me Smart – Marketplace
- TuneIn Live – TuneIn
Create Your Own Skills
Amazon encourages everyone to write their own skills or to publish for the world to use. You don’t need to be a programmer to build Alexa skill because Amazon’s Alexa team created a selection of blueprints for various types of skills. You can also build a skill from scratch using the Custom Q&A Blueprint.
