Can you put Sharpness on a trident?
No. You can't put Sharpness on a trident in Java 26.3, not even with an anvil.
Why not
Sharpness is not on the trident's list. Here is what a trident can take instead: Curse of Vanishing, Riptide, Channeling, Impaling, Loyalty, Unbreaking, Mending.
What that means in practice
Tridents have their own damage enchantment, Impaling, and Sharpness isn't on their list. The two also exclude each other. In Java, Impaling only adds damage against aquatic mobs, such as guardians, squid and fish.
What to use instead
Impaling is the trident's damage enchantment. It adds 2.5 damage per level, against aquatic mobs in Java and against anything in water or rain in Bedrock. On a fresh trident, Impaling V costs 10 levels and Loyalty III costs 3 levels as a book.
The trident hits hard without help. It deals 9 damage per melee hit, more than an unenchanted diamond sword at 7. So a trident with Impaling makes a decent melee weapon as well as a thrown one.
See Impaling and Loyalty, or the full trident build.
Why the game says no
Sharpness only goes on sword, axe and spear. A trident is not on that list. That matters because each enchantment's data file lists the items it supports, and the anvil checks that list. So the anvil gives no result, and the enchanting table never offers it.
No survival trick changes that. Combining two items, renaming or using a grindstone first all leave the list the same.
The best trident build instead
So a max trident has Channeling, Impaling V, Loyalty III, Unbreaking III and Mending. In the cheapest order it costs 33 levels over 5 anvil steps, and no step goes above 10. Open it in the calculator.
The best trident enchantments page explains every book, and the trident enchant order shows each anvil step.
Where Sharpness goes
- Sharpness goes on sword, axe and spear. The enchanting table offers it on the sword and spear, while the axe needs a book. Related questions: Sharpness on axe, Sharpness on mace, Sharpness on spear.
Commands and creative mode
The /enchant command refuses too, because a trident can't support Sharpness. Only /give with the enchantments component can attach it, which makes a command-only item that survival can never produce. The command generator writes the right syntax for your edition.
Java and Bedrock
Impaling, the trident's damage enchantment, only hits aquatic mobs in Java. In Bedrock it hits any mob in water or rain. Sharpness is weaker in Java: +3 at level V, against +6.25 in Bedrock. The anvil also differs: Java charges the full new level of every book. This page follows Java 26.3.
About Sharpness
Sharpness adds melee damage against every mob and player. Level I adds 1 damage and each level after that adds 0.5, for +3 damage at Sharpness V.
Sharpness has a max level of V. If you need a book, you can get it from the enchanting table, librarian villagers, gear worn by trial chamber mobs, trial chamber vaults and enchanted loot from fishing and chests. A librarian sells a Sharpness V book for 17 to 64 emeralds. Before you buy, read everything about Sharpness, including what each level does.
What else a trident can take
Instead, a trident can take Riptide, Channeling, Impaling, Loyalty, Unbreaking and Mending. Then the best trident enchantments page ranks them and gives the max build.
Related questions: Mending on trident, Looting on trident, Loyalty and Riptide on trident.
Questions
Can you put Sharpness on a trident?
No. You can't put Sharpness on a trident in Java 26.3, not even with an anvil.
What else can Sharpness go on?
sword, axe and spear.
What does Impaling do?
In Java it adds 2.5 damage per level against aquatic mobs, such as guardians, squid and fish.
Does Sharpness work on a thrown trident?
No. Sharpness can't go on a trident at all. Impaling is the trident's damage enchantment.
Can a trident get Sharpness from an enchanting table or a villager?
No. The enchanting table only offers enchantments an item supports. A villager's Sharpness book still can't go on a trident, because the anvil checks the same list.