Guide
Pickleball vs Wiffle Ball
Both are plastic balls with holes in them, invented decades apart for completely different reasons — and they are not interchangeable.
By Stephen V. · Updated August 2026 · How we pick
Where the confusion comes from
Pick up a pickleball for the first time and it is a perfectly reasonable reaction to say "isn't this a Wiffle ball?" They are both hollow plastic spheres with holes punched in them, they are both light, and both were designed so people could play in spaces where a proper ball would break something. The resemblance is genuine.
But they are two different objects designed to do opposite things, and if you are shopping for someone who plays pickleball, a bag of Wiffle balls is not a substitute for a pack of pickleballs. The paddle sport needs a ball that flies predictably. Wiffle ball needs a ball that does not.
The quick comparison
| Pickleball | Wiffle ball | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A paddle sport played over a net | A backyard variant of baseball |
| Invented | 1965, on Bainbridge Island, Washington | 1953, in Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Ball size | Roughly 3 in across | The size of a baseball |
| Ball weight | Light hollow plastic | About two-thirds of an ounce |
| Holes | All over the ball — about 26 indoor, 38 to 40 outdoor | Eight oblong holes on one half only |
| Why the holes | To keep flight predictable and slow the ball | To make the ball curve |
| Hit with | A solid paddle | A thin plastic bat |
The Wiffle ball, and why it has holes on one side
The National Baseball Hall of Fame records that the Wiffle ball came out of a backyard in Fairfield, Connecticut in 1953. David N. Mullany, a former semipro pitcher, was watching his twelve-year-old son and his friends play an improvised game and wanted to give the boy a ball he could make curve without straining his arm. Mullany experimented with hollow plastic spheres originally intended to package perfume, and settled on a design with eight oblong holes cut into one half of the ball.
That asymmetry is the entire invention. Because the holes are on one side only, air behaves differently across the two halves of the ball, and it swerves dramatically without the pitcher doing anything clever. The ball is the size of a baseball but weighs about two-thirds of an ounce — roughly an eighth of a regulation baseball — so it also cannot break a window or a neighbor's car, which was the other half of the problem Mullany was solving. The name came from neighborhood slang: to "whiff" is to swing and miss, and the h was dropped to simplify the trademark.
The pickleball, and why its holes are everywhere
A pickleball is solving the opposite problem. Pickleball is a rally sport played over a net on a 20 by 44 foot court, and a ball that swerved unpredictably would make it unplayable. So the holes are distributed evenly across the whole surface, which slows the ball through the air and keeps its flight true.
The number of holes is how the sport tunes the ball for its setting. Outdoor balls carry more, smaller holes — typically around 38 to 40 — and are made of harder plastic, so wind pushes them around less. Indoor balls have fewer, larger holes, usually around 26, in a softer plastic that produces a gentler bounce on a gym floor. We cover that split in detail in our indoor versus outdoor pickleballs guide, and it is the one ball decision a gift buyer actually has to get right.
The sports were invented twelve years apart and are unrelated: USA Pickleball dates pickleball to 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, where it was improvised as a family game. The shared plastic-ball aesthetic is a coincidence of the era rather than a lineage.
What this means if you're buying a gift
Three practical takeouts. First, do not buy Wiffle balls for a pickleball player. They are the wrong size, the wrong weight and the wrong flight characteristics, and the mistake is obvious the moment they open the pack.
Second, if you are buying pickleballs, the indoor-versus-outdoor decision is the one that matters, and the hole count in the product name is how you check. Around 26 means indoor; around 38 to 40 means outdoor.
Third, if the person you are buying for genuinely plays Wiffle ball rather than pickleball, this site is the wrong shape for you — but it is worth a moment to be certain, because "plastic ball with holes" describes both and people are not always precise. If they mention a paddle, a net, doubles, or a court, they mean pickleball. If they mention a bat, pitching, or innings, they mean Wiffle ball. Start from what is pickleball if you want the full orientation.
Frequently asked questions
Is a pickleball the same as a Wiffle ball?
No. A Wiffle ball is the size of a baseball with eight oblong holes on one half only, designed to curve. A pickleball is smaller with holes distributed evenly all over it, designed to fly true and slow down in the air. They are different objects for different games.
Why does a Wiffle ball have holes on only one side?
Because the asymmetry is what makes it swerve. Air behaves differently across the perforated half and the solid half, so the ball curves dramatically without the pitcher needing any technique. That was the entire point of the design when David N. Mullany created it for his son in 1953.
Can you play pickleball with a Wiffle ball?
Not usefully. A Wiffle ball is the wrong size and weight, and its one-sided holes make it swerve unpredictably — the opposite of what a rally sport over a net needs. Pickleballs are deliberately symmetrical so that flight stays true and players can place shots.
Which came first, pickleball or Wiffle ball?
Wiffle ball, by twelve years. It was invented in Fairfield, Connecticut in 1953. USA Pickleball dates pickleball to 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The two are unrelated — the shared plastic-ball look is a coincidence of the era.
How many holes does a pickleball have?
It depends on whether it is made for indoor or outdoor play. Indoor balls typically have around 26 larger holes; outdoor balls have around 38 to 40 smaller ones so that wind affects them less. Manufacturers usually put the number in the product name, which makes it easy to check.
What should I buy for someone who plays both?
Keep the balls separate — they are not interchangeable — and put the money into things that cross over. A good bag, a court towel, an insulated bottle or a cap all work for any outdoor backyard sport, and none of them depends on which game is being played that afternoon.
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