trick

Compared meaning: something said or done to amuse or fool someone (noun).

比较义项：恶作剧／玩笑（为逗笑或戏弄他人而说的话或做的事）（名词）。

• joke

  Joke usually refers to something spoken — a funny remark or story told to amuse people; it does not necessarily involve deceiving or tricking anyone.

  joke 通常指说出来的话——为了逗人发笑而讲的笑话或趣事，不一定涉及欺骗或捉弄他人。

  He cracked a joke about the weather to break the awkward silence.

  他讲了一个关于天气的笑话，打破了尴尬的沉默。

• trick 本词

  Trick centers on a clever, often deceptive act meant to fool someone, ranging from playful to genuinely dishonest, and typically appears in phrases like "play a trick on" or "trick someone into doing something".

  trick 强调带有欺骗性、意在愚弄他人的巧妙手段，程度可从纯粹好玩到确实不诚实，常见搭配是“play a trick on”（对某人耍花招）或“trick someone into doing something”（骗某人做某事）。

  He tricked his little sister into believing the shed was haunted.

  他骗他年幼的妹妹相信那间小屋闹鬼。

• prank

  Prank denotes a light-hearted trick done purely for fun, usually harmless, typically played among friends or family, and most naturally follows the verb "pull", as in "pull a prank on someone".

  prank 指纯粹为了好玩而搞的轻松恶作剧，通常无恶意，多发生在朋友或家人之间，最自然的搭配动词是“pull”，如“pull a prank on someone”（对某人搞恶作剧）。

  The kids pulled a prank on their mom by taping a fake spider to the door.

  孩子们对妈妈搞了个恶作剧，在门上贴了一只假蜘蛛。

Joke, trick, and prank all mean something said or done to amuse or fool someone. Joke is usually something spoken, a funny remark or story. Trick is a deceptive act meant to fool someone. Prank is a light-hearted trick done for fun, harmless, among friends.

这三个词都可指为了逗笑而说的话或做的事，但侧重点不同：joke 多指说出来的笑话或趣事，trick 强调带有欺骗性质的花招，prank 专指轻松无恶意的恶作剧行为。这里不比较 joke“不值得认真对待的事（当作笑话）”的引申义，也不比较 trick“魔术戏法”或“窍门、诀窍”的义项。