Devil emoji

Two devils, opposite moods

😈 (smiling face with horns) is purple, grinning and harmless. It means mischief, a cheeky plan, naughty, and in flirting it is the standard suggestive wink, which is why it appears in the freaky emoji guide. 👿 (angry face with horns) is the same purple face with a scowl, and it means real anger or malice: I’m furious, evil, villain. People sometimes send 👿 thinking it is the playful one; check the mouth.

The two Japanese folklore masks, 👹 (ogre) and 👺 (goblin), are often lumped in as “devil emoji”. 👹 is a red oni, used for monsters, Halloween and intimidation; 👺 is the long-nosed tengu, used for being nosy or arrogant. They are not devils, but they cover similar ground in horror and villain themes.

Compare the options

Emoji	Name	Use it for	Watch out for
	smiling face with hornsU+1F608	Mischief, a plan, flirting, playful evil	Reads as suggestive in a flirty chat
	angry face with hornsU+1F47F	Anger, malice, actual villainy	Not playful; see the angry emoji guide for milder options
	ogreU+1F479	Monster, Halloween, “beast mode”	Japanese ogre, not a devil
	goblinU+1F47A	Nosy, arrogant, a mask	Japanese tengu; niche
	fireU+1F525	Heat, “hot”, hell jokes	See the fire emoji guide

How people use 😈

• Plans: “surprise party is a go 😈”
• Competition: “see you on the field 😈”
• Flirting: a single 😈 after a suggestive line
• Halloween: 😈🎃👻
• Dark humour: “ate the last slice 😈”

Text faces you can copy

Plain-character faces that paste anywhere. Tap one to copy.

• (｀∀´)Ψdevilish
• ψ(｀∇´)ψmischief
• (`皿´)evil grin
• (◣∀◢)ψvillain
• Ψ(￣∀￣)Ψup to no good

Demon emoji and other sinister faces

😈 is the closest the standard set has to a playful devil. If you want something more openly menacing, the same family includes 👿 (angry face with horns), which reads as a demon emoji when you need a villainous tone. Both can read as an evil grin or evil smile, especially after a dark joke or a playful threat. There is no separate red devil emoji, though 👿 often reads as more demonic because of its angry expression. The Japanese oni 👹 and tengu 👺 can also be used to represent demon faces in some messages, though they are traditional masks rather than devils. For a more sinister evil smiley face, 👿 often works better than 😈, which keeps a playful tone. Other characters like 🤡 or 💀 can suggest a villain in certain contexts, but for horned faces, 😈 and 👿 are the main options.

Plotting, evil laughs, and the meme side

😈 is the classic plotting emoji: that tiny smirk says a plan is being formed and you’re not entirely innocent. It can also suggest an evil laugh when you want to celebrate a clever or slightly cruel move — think “muahaha 😈”. In memes, it often pairs with captions like “when you know exactly what you did” to suggest cheeky guilt. On TikTok, creators often add the devil emoji to cheeky comments or setup videos where they’re about to reveal something mischievous. 😈 does not show a full laugh, but it suggests a knowing, suppressed cackle. It pairs well with 😇 to show the two sides of a choice — the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other.

How 😈 is used in messages

The smiling face with horns is usually sent for playful mischief rather than actual anger. A purple face with a wide grin and horns reads as cheeky or flirtatious, not threatening. For example, someone might send 😈 after suggesting a late-night snack or a harmless prank. If you want to show genuine frustration, 👿 is the better choice; its scowl makes the anger clear. Both emojis share the same purple horns, but the mouth and eyes change the tone completely.

Chat examples

Real messages with 😈, and a reply that fits.

1. I told them it was your idea 😈

   you didn’t

2. ordered dessert before mains 😈

   living dangerously

3. surprise party planning 😈

   shh, she reads this chat

Questions people ask