A mallet is a hammer with a large head, usually made of wood, rubber, or another soft material instead of metal. Unlike a regular hammer that's designed to pound nails, a mallet is meant for gentler work where you don't want to damage what you're hitting.

Carpenters use wooden mallets to tap chisels when carving wood, because a metal hammer would mushroom the chisel's handle. When assembling furniture, you might use a rubber mallet to tap pieces together without leaving dents or scratches. In a high school chemistry lab, you might see someone use a small mallet to carefully crush ice or break apart clumps of solid chemicals.

The word also describes the long-handled stick used to strike the ball in croquet, a lawn game where players knock wooden balls through wire hoops. Orchestra percussionists use specialized mallets with soft, padded heads to play instruments like xylophones, marimbas, and timpani drums.

The key difference between a mallet and a hammer is the softness: mallets deliver force without the harsh impact of metal-on-metal contact. When you need to apply pressure or make something move but don't want to break, crack, or mar the surface, a mallet is usually the right tool for the job.