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'Harry Potter' spells, ranked

In celebration of "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them," we rank popular spells from the books and movies, from humble to badass.

Julia Lechner
Julia Hays is a staff writer for CBS Interactive. She specializes in pop culture trivia, social media, and improv comedy.
Julia Lechner
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Which spell is the most magical?

In celebration of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," we have some business to attend to.

First, we need all of the Muggles to please leave the room.

OK, now that it's just us magical folk, it's time to rank the popular "Harry Potter" movie spells, from simply useful to super hard-core.

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14. Reparo

It's a simple and humble spell, but a handy one. Hermoine uses a variation, "Oculus Reparo," as her first spell in the film series to fix Harry's glasses.

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13. Riddikulus

This boggart-banishing spell takes something scary and turns it into something silly. You know, like when Neville Longbottom pictured the frightening Professor Snape...then put him in his grandmother's clothes.

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12. Accio

The ideal spell for the lazy, this summoning charm can be used to bring an object closer to you.

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11. Alohomora

Forgot your keys? Sneaking into a place you don't belong? Managing mischief? This unlocking charm means you'll never need a locksmith again.

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10. Crucio

One of the three unforgivable curses, this torturous spell causes excruciating pain for your victim.

Powerful? Yes. Morally OK? Absolutely not. Still this one makes the list for its memorable usage by Barty Crouch Jr., when he was disguised as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody.

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9. Petrificus Totalus

A pretty basic spell for a young wizard or witch, this is a full-body-bind curse.

You can easily paralyze your opponent with this little spell, like Hermoine did to Neville Longbottom.

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8. Wingardium Leviosa

One of the first spells taught to underclassmen at Hogwarts, this levitation charm can make objects like feathers fly or levitate.

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7. Sectumsempra

This curse was created by Professor Severus Snape when he was a young man. This dark spell leaves cuts on your victim that may never heal.

Though horrifying, the curse provided a major dramatic moment when Harry used it on Draco.

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6. Lumos

Why carry a flashlight when you can use this charm to illuminate the tip of your wand? This is a surprisingly useful spell.

For a bit of phone magic, Android users can now also use "OK Google, Lumos" and "OK Google, Nox" to turn their handset's flashlight on and off.

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5. Expelliarmus

Go on the defensive with this disarming incantation that knocks things, like your opponent's wand, out of hand.

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4. Avada Kedavra

Another unforgivable spell, this is the killing curse...a Dark Arts tool. It's clearly the worst spell of them all, but its power cannot be ignored on a list like this.

That said, we can't put this spell at the top of this list, because Harry did beat it with his own mojo.

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3. Obliviate

This incantation can erase memories from your subject's mind. If you're Gilderoy Lockhart, you may accidentally cast this spell on yourself.

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2. Confundo

The perfect spell for messing with people, this charm confuses a person or bewitches an object, like a broom.

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1. Expecto Patronum

This is undoubtedly the most popular spell in the film series. This powerful defensive incantation uses a happy memory to conjure something positive, like a silvery-white animal that can chase off Dementors.

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