What Is the Game Charades?
Charades is a party game where one player acts out a word or phrase without speaking while everyone else guesses it. The prompt is often a movie, a book, a song or an everyday activity. You can play in teams or with everyone against each other, and you need no equipment beyond a timer and something to keep score, which is why it works at family game nights, birthday parties, classrooms, camps and sleepovers. It plays best with at least four people, though the no-teams version works with two.
The name comes from a French literary riddle that was popular in the 18th century, where each syllable of the answer was described as a separate word. In the early 19th century the French turned these riddles into acted parlor games, and by the time of the First World War the acting version was the most popular form. The silent version was once called “dumb charades,” and in India that name is still used for the popular game of acting out movie titles for your team to guess.
The acted form of charades has also been turned into TV game shows several times, including Pantomime Quiz, Celebrity Charades and Body Language in the U.S. and Give Us a Clue in Britain.
How to Play Charades: Rules for Teams and Small Groups
Gather a timer, a pen and paper for the score, and a way to pick prompts: an online charades generator, or slips of paper in a hat, bowl or shoebox.
- Form two teams. Divide everyone into two teams.
- Prepare the prompts. The opposing team can write the ideas for you (movies, books, songs, bands, anything), or everyone can write several ideas on slips of paper and drop them into one container. Words that can only be explained by spelling them, such as “the” or “of,” are usually left out unless they sit inside a longer phrase.
- Set the timer. Common limits run from 30 to 90 seconds for a quick game to two or three minutes per turn.
- Act it out in silence. The actor draws a prompt and performs it for teammates. No talking, no sounds, no lip-syncing, no spelling the word and no props. Only the body and facial expressions are allowed.
- Guess before time runs out. If the team gets it, they score a point. Then the other team sends up an actor, and the teams alternate until everyone has acted at least once or the prompts run out.
- Count the points. The team with the most points wins. You can play to a set score or a time limit, and it helps to agree on a prize up front (the losing team does the dishes, or it is just bragging rights).
Scoring by time. Instead of points, you can time each turn. Team A has three minutes to guess a word, and the other team’s timekeeper records how long it takes, or writes down three minutes if time runs out. Teams then swap, and the team with the smallest total time after everyone has acted wins.
No teams. In the simplest version everyone is on their own. Whoever guesses the prompt correctly acts next, with no time limit. If you want a winner, the player who guesses correctly takes one point and the player with the most points at the end wins. This version works with just two people.
Charades rules vary from house to house, so settle the details before the first turn: whether passing is allowed, whether pointing is allowed, and whether sounds such as humming or clapping are banned. Setting a clear passing rule early saves arguments when a prompt turns out to be too hard.
Charades Signals and Gestures
With no words allowed, players rely on a shared set of signals. For a multi-word title, start by showing how many words it has. You do not have to act the words in order, so grab the one you can act best first.
Size and structure
- Number of words: hold up that many fingers.
- Which word you are about to act: hold up the matching number of fingers again, such as one finger for the first word.
- Number of syllables: hold that many fingers against your forearm (some players tap them on the inside of the elbow).
- Small word like “if” or “of”: hold your thumb and index finger close together. A big word: hold them far apart.
- “Shorter”: move your hands or fingers closer together without touching.
- “The”: make a T with your hands, like a time-out.
- Sounds like: pull lightly on your ear or cup a hand behind it.
- Plural: hook your little fingers together.
- The whole concept: sweep both hands in a big circle.
- “More,” “longer” or add a suffix: move your hands or fingers farther apart, or pretend to stretch a rubber band.
- “I”: point to your chest or to your eye.
Category signals
- Book: open your hands like a book and pretend to read.
- Movie or film: crank an imaginary old movie camera with one hand.
- TV show: draw a rectangle in the air, antennas optional.
- Song: cup a hand to your mouth and pretend to sing, with the other arm thrown up.
- Play or theater production: take a bow, or pull down a rope as if opening a stage curtain.
- Person: put your hands on your hips and stand tall.
- Place: draw a circle in the air for the globe and point to it.
- Video game: grip an invisible controller and twiddle your thumbs.
- Action: point two fingers down and wiggle them while moving your hand sideways, like legs walking.
Responding to guesses
- Correct: touch your nose with one finger while pointing at the person who guessed it. A thumbs up or an open hand also works.
- Close: wobble your hand horizontally.
- Keep going: wave a “come on” gesture, or hold your hands toward each other and spin them in circles.
- Completely wrong: slash a big cross in the air with both hands.
- Use part of the word you just said: slash through the air with one hand.
- Keep brainstorming on this idea, or repeat what you said: roll your hand.
Some groups ban certain signals, so agree on the set you are using before the game.
Charades Game Words and Topics
The best prompts are things players can recognize from actions alone, so pick topics your group knows. Because you only get about a minute, choose prompts that can be solved in that time and avoid anything that depends on speech. Telling the guessers the category first, such as book, movie or song, narrows their options a lot.
Popular categories: Animals, Jobs, Sports, Movies, TV shows, Books, Disney characters, Foods, Emotions, Holidays, Superheroes, Fairy tales, Musical instruments, Transportation, Household chores, Nature.
More categories to mix in: Actors, Athletes, Bands, Singers, Songs, Places, Plays, Video games, Pastimes and hobbies, Famous people, Pop music, Book titles.
A few ways to tune the difficulty:
- Think about ages first. For younger kids, choose everyday activities, animals and musical instruments. For adults, add abstract ideas, movie titles and favorite songs.
- Sort prompts into easy, medium and hard piles so everyone gets something they can act.
- Add a celebrity to a word to make it funnier. “Dancing” becomes much livelier as “Beyoncé dancing.”
- Keep a stack of blank cards or slips so players can add their own ideas.
- For a themed night, use only prompts that match your event, your company values or your meeting topic.
Charades Ideas for Kids
Charades gives kids practice at things they already know how to do, like brushing their teeth or making a bed, and it builds communication skills, teamwork and turn-taking. If a card shows something a child has never seen, skip to the next one.
Animals: Elephant, Monkey, Penguin, Snake, Kangaroo, Giraffe, Chicken, Cat, Dog, Lion, Bear, Rabbit, Frog, Turtle, Butterfly, Dinosaur, Sloth, Octopus, Alligator, Parrot, Bee, Owl, Fish, Cow, Horse, Pig, Spider, Squirrel, Zebra, Dolphin, Shark, Peacock, Turkey.
Animals in action: A bird flying, A cat meowing, A lion roaring, An elephant trumpeting, A snake hissing, A turtle crawling, A bear growling.
Everyday activities: Brushing your teeth, Brushing your hair, Tying your shoes, Walking the dog, Playing fetch with the dog, Taking a shower, Taking a bubble bath, Sweeping the floor, Mowing the lawn, Reading a book, Playing video games, Juggling, Blowing bubbles, Washing your hands, Coloring, Swinging, Playing tag, Playing hopscotch, Waiting for the bus (impatiently), Blowing a bubble with bubble gum, Taking a nap, Waking up first thing in the morning, Setting up a tent, Building a fire, Washing the dishes, Folding laundry.
Sports and games: Ice skating, Sliding into home base, Skiing, Diving off a diving board, Doing a cannonball, Cheerleading, Using a pogo stick, Jumping rope, Roller skating, Riding a scooter, Riding a bike, Skateboarding, Swimming, Throwing a football, Scoring a touchdown, Playing frisbee, Playing golf, Shooting a hole-in-one, Doing a cartwheel, Jumping on a trampoline, Hula hooping, Playing pickleball, Playing basketball, Playing tennis, Kicking a soccer ball, Calling a time out.
Food and cooking: Sushi, Mac and cheese, Spaghetti, Ice cream, Licking a lollipop, Corn on the cob, Hot dog, Taco, Pizza, Popcorn, Cotton candy, Gummy bears, Milk and cookies, Chips and dip, Making a milkshake in a blender, Peeling an orange, Flipping pancakes, Drinking a cold drink that gives you brain freeze.
Objects (the easiest place to start): A brush combing hair, A pencil writing, A hammer hitting a nail, A pair of scissors cutting paper, A telephone ringing, A fan cooling someone down, A camera taking a picture, An alarm clock going off, A key opening a door, Umbrella, Toothbrush, Ladder, Balloon.
Pretend-play characters: Princess, Pirate, Wizard, Mermaid, Knight, Cowboy, Fairy, Superhero.
Musical instruments: Harmonica, Cymbals, Ukulele, Violin, Guitar, Drums, Trumpet, Flute, Trombone, Clarinet, Saxophone, Tuba, Piano, Stand-up bass.
Emotions: Being scared, Being happy, Being sad, Being angry, Being surprised, Being embarrassed, Being in love, Having a cold, Yawning, Sneezing.
Places: Going to the beach, Going camping, Visiting the zoo, Going to an amusement park, Flying in an airplane, Going sailing, Going to the circus, Taking a trip to the Moon.
Tips for the littlest players. Kids who cannot read yet can still play: one parent becomes the “Master of the List,” closes their eyes, points at a random item on a printed list and reads it to the child. That parent can also whisper how to act it out or help pick a different idea. If a child is stuck, offer a clue, such as taking a bite of an invisible apple for “eating an apple,” or putting on sunscreen for “going to the beach.” You can also let younger kids pass on a hard prompt.
Charades Ideas for Teens
Teens can handle longer phrases and pop culture references, so mix in school, social media and weekend plans. These are harder than the kids’ prompts but still easy enough to keep the rounds fast.
Everyday teen life: Taking a selfie, FaceTiming a friend, Posting on Instagram, Texting, Watching Netflix, Doing homework, Taking an exam, Group project, Walking into school late, Taking driver’s ed, Going to prom, Homecoming, Graduation, Track meet, Lacrosse.
Out and about: Shopping at the mall, Going on a road trip, Escape room, Karaoke, TikTok dance, Making a playlist.
Charades Game Ideas for Adults
For a grown-up crowd, the prompts can get a little more complicated, while still staying recognizable. They work just as well at a backyard party as an office icebreaker. Mixing in movie, book and TV show titles makes the game harder.
Everyday life: Filing taxes, Grocery shopping, Booking a vacation, Putting together furniture, Calling customer service, Changing a tire, Changing a light bulb, Giving a presentation, Paying bills, Washing the car, Stuck in traffic, Taking the dog to the vet, Painting a room, Fixing a leaky faucet, Wine tasting, Hosting Thanksgiving, Applying makeup, Washing your hair, Buckling a belt, Burping a baby, Changing a diaper, Pushing a baby in a stroller, Opening a can, Mopping floors, Dusting furniture, Making a bed, Icing a cake, Going to the gym, Raking leaves, Shoveling snow, Watering plants, Lighting candles, Sharpening a pencil, Spray painting, Doing the Macarena, Getting dressed/undressed, Smoking a cigarette.
Kitchen: Flipping an omelet, Chopping onions, Tasting soup, Burning toast, Slurping noodles, Kneading dough, Cutting a watermelon, Rolling sushi, Making tacos, Popping popcorn.
Sports and leisure: Doing a cross-stitch, Roller derby, Yoga, Ballet dancing, Tap dancing, Salsa dancing, Playing croquet, Playing horseshoes, Playing cornhole, Surfing, Water skiing, Riding a motorcycle, Playing hacky sack, Playing pool, Bowling, Fishing, Shooting a bow and arrow, Hiking, Rock climbing, Gardening.
Jobs: Farmer, Baker, Florist, Astronaut, Cashier, Bartender, Lumberjack, Car mechanic, Computer coder, Police officer, Judge, Doctor, Nurse, Firefighter, Teacher, Chef, Pilot, Pro wrestler, Hair stylist, Makeup artist, President, Valet driver, Lifeguard, Music conductor, Barista, Opera singer, Plumber, Dentist, Magician, Detective, Photographer, Librarian, Mail carrier, Crossing guard, Construction worker, Racecar driver, Waiter.
Charades Ideas for Work and Meetings
Charades is a popular energizer because it needs no prep and levels the playing field: titles do not matter when you are acting out a chicken. It suits medium to large groups and five to fifteen minute breaks, in person or hybrid. Keep prompts work-appropriate, and offer lighter prompts or a role as guesser, scorekeeper or judge to anyone who prefers not to act.
Office prompts: Sharing your screen, Forgetting to unmute, Taking meeting notes, Presenting slides, Joining a video call, Waiting for the printer, Fixing a paper jam, Brainstorming with sticky notes, Looking busy, Asking for the Wi-Fi password, Running late to a meeting, Office birthday cake, Team high-five, Desk stretching, Waiting for IT support, Finding a conference room, Celebrating a deadline, Muting background noise, Giving feedback, Networking, Coffee break.
Travel and outdoors: Packing a suitcase, Going through airport security, Missing a train, Reading a map, Getting lost, Taking tourist photos, Checking into a hotel, Buying souvenirs, Applying sunscreen, Lighting a campfire, Riding a roller coaster, Sleeping on a plane, Catching a ferry.
Funny Ideas for the Charades Game
Silly prompts keep rounds moving, get everyone laughing, and make even shy players want to perform. These work for kids and adults alike.
- Chicken crossing the road
- Carrying too many grocery bags
- Blowing up a balloon
- Walking on hot sand
- Walking into a glass door
- Fighting with an umbrella in the wind
- Walking in high heels
- Stepping on a Lego
- Swatting mosquitoes
- Losing your keys
- Getting stuck in quicksand
- Chasing a runaway balloon
- Sneezing over and over
- Riding an invisible horse
- Trying to open a pickle jar
- Slipping on a banana peel
- Trying not to laugh
- Burning your tongue on pizza
- Trying to catch a fly
- Bad karaoke
- Being afraid of a spider
- Wearing oversized shoes
- Being ticklish
- Trying to untangle headphones
- Slipping on ice
- Hot dog eating contest
- Being chased by bees
- Walking into a spiderweb
- Getting honey from a beehive
- Hunting for buried treasure
- Olympic breakdancing
- Walking on water
- Picking a cucumber off a prickly plant
- Protecting the house against a big storm
- Walking around in the dark with a candle
- Crowdsurfing
- Skydiving
- Performing in a rock band
- Snorkeling
- Getting a suntan
- Black belt in karate
- Dancing like nobody’s watching
- Dancing in the rain
- Bank robbery
- Cookie Monster
Hard Charades Ideas
This is the advanced list for adults and experienced players. Idioms and abstract concepts are the hardest to act, so set a timer to keep the game moving.
Add a word. A simple trick is to take an easy action and add one word to make it hard. Cycling becomes cycling a tricycle, running becomes running on a treadmill, flying in a plane becomes flying in first class, and writing a letter becomes writing a letter of complaint.
Hard actions: Watching a romantic comedy, Doing the backstroke, Sleeping in a hammock, Listening to classical music, Driving a go-kart, Tobogganing, Flying a drone, Winning an award, Playing the cowbell, Pretending to be surprised, Putting on a wig, Teaching a language, Paddle boarding.
Idioms and phrases: On cloud nine, Once in a lifetime, Hanging on by a thread, Spill the beans, Finding a needle in a haystack, Cliffhanger, Pillow talk, Checkmate, Out of the blue, Break the ice, Under the weather, Keeping a secret, Piece of cake, Back to square one, Piggy bank, Hit the books, Going back for seconds.
Abstract ideas: Time travel, Winning the lottery, Solving a mystery, Peer pressure, Deja vu, Love at first sight, Writer’s block, Climate change, Heartbreak, The internet, Silence, Gravity, Evolution, Friendship, Jealousy, Inflation, Artificial intelligence, Freedom, Nightmare, Ambition, Nostalgia, Stage fright, Awkward silence, Teamwork, Patience, Starting over.
Everyday and sports: Daylight saving time, Las Vegas Raiders, Spin class, Parallel parking, Participating in a triathlon, Outer space.
Movie, TV, Song and Book Charades
These are the most advanced prompts, so stick to titles your whole group knows. What matters is not only how hard a title is to act but how likely people are to have heard of it: a movie or book nobody knows can be impossible to guess however simple the title sounds.
Movies
Easy movies: Up, Jaws, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, The Godfather, Spider-Man, Cars, The Jungle Book, Monsters, Inc., Airplane!, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Man of Steel, Taxi Driver, Fight Club, Home.
Hard movies: Inception, Saving Private Ryan, The Terminator, Vertigo, Alice in Wonderland, The Hobbit, Ratatouille, American Beauty, The Dark Knight Rises, Brave, The Shining, Forrest Gump, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, The Prestige, The Shawshank Redemption, Gangs of New York.
More crowd-pleasers: Titanic, The Matrix, Frozen, The Lion King, Avatar, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Avengers, Shrek, Coco, Black Panther, Moana, E.T., Indiana Jones, Rocky, Gladiator, Iron Man, Die Hard, Wicked, Encanto, Inside Out, Despicable Me, The Incredibles, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Cast Away, West Side Story, The Lego Movie, Happy Feet, Top Gun, Napoleon Dynamite.
TV and characters
For TV shows, try describing the show without naming any of its characters.
TV shows: House of Cards, Gunsmoke, The Walking Dead, Mad Men.
Pop culture and wild cards: Selfie stick, Man bun, Pizza Rat, Rockstar parking, Jazz hands, Hole in one, Super Bowl, Polaroid camera.
TV and cartoon characters: SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Peppa Pig, Bluey, VeggieTales, Wall-E, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Chip and Dale, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio, Ariel.
Songs
Songs are a classic charades category. To make them harder, require guessers to name the artist as well.
Easy songs: Dancing Queen (ABBA), Umbrella (Rihanna), Eye of the Tiger (Survivor), Hello (Adele), Shape of You (Ed Sheeran), Singin’ in the Rain (Gene Kelly), Bad Guy (Billie Eilish), Sorry (Justin Bieber), Don’t Look Back in Anger (Oasis), Dance Monkey (Tones and I), Someone You Loved (Lewis Capaldi), Your Song (Elton John), Bad (Michael Jackson), 7 Rings (Ariana Grande).
Hard songs: Under Pressure (Queen), Take Me to Church (Hozier), Total Eclipse of the Heart (Bonnie Tyler), Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen), Space Oddity (David Bowie), Blinding Lights (The Weeknd), Hooked on a Feeling (Blue Swede), Radioactive (Imagine Dragons), You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC), Raspberry Beret (Prince), Better Now (Post Malone), Savage (Megan Thee Stallion).
More songs: Piano Man, Stairway to Heaven, Push It.
Books
Books work like movies: it depends on how well-known a book is. Most people have heard of Harry Potter, but how many know the children’s series “The Wren”?
Easy books: Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Lord of the Rings, Little Women, Frankenstein, Dracula, Catch-22, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Gone Girl, The Road.
Hard books: Pride and Prejudice, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Wuthering Heights, Ulysses, Brave New World, The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Charlotte’s Web.
More books: The Cat in the Hat, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Gone with the Wind.
Famous people
It is super fun to imitate a famous person any way you can. Pick people everyone knows.
Celebrities: Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Adele, Snoop Dogg, Martha Stewart, Jackie Chan, Travis Kelce, Chappell Roan.
Harry Potter characters: Hermione, Ron, Snape, Dumbledore.
Charades Christmas Game: Words and Ideas
Charades is a natural fit for a holiday gathering with a big family because everyone can join, and it works just as well for office parties and Boxing Day get-togethers. Christmas prompts split nicely into a few categories: actions, carols and songs, characters, movies, books and plain words. One printable family set, for example, packs 83 items into six categories and includes a few blank cards for your own ideas.
Christmas words: Elves, Tinsel, Fruitcake, Pinecone, North Pole, Snowman, Sled, Snowball, Snow, Gifts, Cold, Cookies, Chimney, Grinch, Mittens, Sweater, Yule log, Chestnuts, Fireplace, Santa’s helpers, Holiday ham, Candy cane, Stocking, Cardigan, Christmas carolers, Eggnog, Sugar plums, Gingerbread house, Star of Bethlehem, Letter to Santa, Jesus, Nativity scene, Manger.
Acting tips. For carolers, pretend to sing, look at sheet music and sway dramatically. For sledding, “sled” on the floor, or take a flying leap and slide. For a Christmas ornament, pretend to hang something on a tree. For a candy cane, “lick” something in front of your face.
Christmas actions: Singing Christmas carols, Making a gingerbread house, Opening presents on Christmas morning, Attending a holiday party, Having your picture taken with Santa Claus, Decorating a Christmas tree, Decorating for Christmas, Wrapping presents, Going sledding, Drinking hot cocoa, Handing out candy canes to friends and family, Eating Christmas dinner, Roasting chestnuts, Christmas shopping.
Christmas Carols and Songs
Mixing in songs that do not have “Christmas” in the title keeps the game from getting repetitive.
Carols and songs: Jingle Bell Rock, Deck the Halls, Silent Night, Frosty the Snowman, The Little Drummer Boy, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, All I Want for Christmas Is You, Let It Snow, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, Away in a Manger, Sleigh Ride, Silver Bells, Last Christmas, Santa Baby, White Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Carol of the Bells, O Holy Night, Baby, It’s Cold Outside, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, Run Rudolph Run, Blue Christmas, The 12 Days of Christmas, Santa Tell Me, Fairytale of New York, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Mary, Did You Know?, Do You Hear What I Hear?, The First Noel, Good King Wenceslas.
Some are tricky in a different way. How would you act “deck” or “halls” in “Deck the Halls”?
Extra tricky songs: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Mele Kalikimaka, Feliz Navidad, Auld Lang Syne, Coventry Carol, Stop the Cavalry, Believe, In Dulci Jubilo, In the Bleak Midwinter, O Come All Ye Faithful.
Christmas Movies
Movies are most people’s favorite part. A few come with obvious moves:
- A Christmas Story: pretend to shoot a BB gun, or “shoot your eye out.”
- Home Alone: set traps, run away from the bad guys and search the house for the rest of the family.
- Elf: stand bolt upright with your arms at your sides, act hyper and weird, and build things that do not work.
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas: tiptoe around stealing decorations, point at green objects and at yourself, and make an evil face.
More Christmas movies: The Polar Express, Miracle on 34th Street, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Santa Clause, Jingle All the Way, Arthur Christmas, Fred Claus, Scrooged, Bad Santa, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Christmas with the Kranks, Jack Frost, Surviving Christmas, The Christmas Chronicles, Gremlins, Home Alone 2, Noel, Madea’s Christmas.
For Madea’s Christmas, go for slapstick, exaggerated gestures and falling all over yourself. It is harder to act, but funny if you really sell it.
Christmas Characters
These come with built-in moves:
- Santa Claus: show a big belly, point to a hat, climb down a chimney or carry a sack over your shoulder.
- Rudolph: point to your nose and to something red, get on all fours and pull an imaginary sleigh.
- Mistletoe: pretend to kiss someone while holding something above your head.
More characters: Mrs. Claus, Frosty, The Nutcracker, Three Wise Men, Gingerbread Man, Shepherd, The Virgin Mary.
Christmas Books
Books are harder to act, so really sell your gestures. For The Polar Express, drive a train, pull an imaginary horn and sip hot chocolate the whole time. For The Nutcracker, dance around the room like a ballerina, chomping your teeth like a nutcracker. For The Nativity Story, lay a baby in a manger, act like an animal in the barn and look amazed at the manger.
Christmas books: How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, A Christmas Carol, The Gift of the Magi, The Snow Queen, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, A Boy Called Christmas, Skipping Christmas, The Snowman, The Nativity Story, A Visit from St. Nicholas, A Child’s Christmas in Wales.
Playing over a video call instead? Team games like charades and draw-and-describe are a simple way to celebrate with a remote team or far-away relatives. For more holiday ideas, see our Christmas party games guide.
Halloween Charades Words
Start a Halloween game with common words, then move on to movies, books and songs for a harder round. More spooky games are in our Halloween party games guide.
Words: Pumpkin, Black cat, Ghost, Witch, Zombie, Vampire, Bat, Trick-or-treat, Jack-o’-lantern, Broomstick, Skeleton, Cauldron, Graveyard, Grim Reaper, Mummy, Werewolf, Haunted house, Scarecrow, Costume, Bonfire, Cloak, Fangs, Phantom.
Movies: Hocus Pocus, Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, Casper, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Addams Family, Halloweentown, Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands, Practical Magic, Corpse Bride, The Haunted Mansion, Scream, Halloween II, Psycho, Carrie, Get Out, A Quiet Place, The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Sixth Sense, Shutter Island, Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Witches of Eastwick, Death Becomes Her, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Doctor Sleep, Mother!.
When acting out a movie, stick to the title and leave out the scenes.
Books: Coraline, Room on the Broom, Creepy Carrots!, The Graveyard Book, The Halloween Tree, Big Pumpkin, The Shining (the book), Pet Sematary, ’Salem’s Lot, Interview with the Vampire, The Haunting of Hill House, The Silence of the Lambs, Something Wicked This Way Comes, And Then There Were None, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Ten Timid Ghosts, Pick a Pumpkin, The Night Before Halloween.
Something Wicked This Way Comes makes a real challenge. Dracula and Frankenstein from the book list above fit here too.
Songs: Monster Mash, Thriller, Don’t Fear the Reaper, Werewolves of London, Disturbia, Hungry Like the Wolf, Psycho Killer, Everyday Is Halloween.
Actions: Scooping seeds out of a pumpkin, Wrapping yourself as a mummy, Stirring a bubbling cauldron, Trying on a witch’s pointy hat, Flapping tiny bat wings, Knocking on a door for candy, A vampire flossing enormous fangs, A ghost folding a fitted sheet, A ghost struggling with an umbrella in the wind, A werewolf putting on oven mitts, A mummy trying to tie shoelaces.
Costume party mix-ups: Trying to eat a cookie through a costume mask, Untangling a cape from a chair, Finding the doorbell with giant costume gloves, Realizing someone is wearing your exact costume, Picking up dropped candy with robot arms, Squeezing an inflatable costume through a doorway, Trying to recognize a friend behind a mask, Opening a candy wrapper with fake claws, Dancing while keeping a tall hat on.
Harder haunted-house scenes: A haunted portrait copying every move you make, A witch conducting an orchestra of broomsticks, A vampire trying to photograph a sunrise from the shade, A scarecrow asking birds to leave politely, A ghost getting stuck in a revolving door, A detective following footprints that suddenly disappear, A ghost librarian trying to quiet a room of dancing books.
Give your team 60 seconds to guess, or 90 seconds for a harder scene, and try the haunted-house scenes with a partner. With younger kids, whisper the card to the performer, let everyone guess together and skip the timer. The same cards also work for a drawing round: skip letters and numbers and let the others guess the scene.
Charades Game Cards
You can play with ready-made cards or make your own. Printable sets are easy to find, and the routine is the same for every theme:
- Print the cards, cut them out and fold them.
- Drop the folded cards into a bowl or a hat, ready to be drawn one by one. A Halloween set, for example, is drawn straight from the pumpkin bowl.
- Leave blank cards for your own ideas. Good sets include a blank template page for exactly that.
- Print on holiday cardstock if you like, and store the set in a labeled envelope so you can use it again and again. A nicely made set also makes an inexpensive gift.
- If you would rather skip the paper, an online generator does the same job. One that shows how many words are in each idea is especially helpful when you play with young kids.
How to Play Charades Online Free and on a Phone
You can play charades online for free in three common ways. Deck apps are a download, while a browser version needs none, and RoomPlay’s runs in English.
A phone as the card deck. Many players use a phone to pull up prompts, either from an online charades generator or from a deck app, then play the normal rules in person. In the team version, one player generates a word on the phone and reviews it briefly, the opposing team’s timekeeper starts the clock, and the player acts without speaking.
The phone-on-forehead format. In charades-style phone games, one player holds the phone to their forehead, a countdown starts, and a word or phrase appears that everyone else can see. The others act or describe it, and the player guesses. You tilt the phone down for a correct guess and up to pass and skip to the next card, and the goal is as many correct guesses as possible before time runs out. Cards are grouped into decks by category, and different decks can come with their own rules: describe the word in other words, hum the song, or impersonate an accent or a famous person. Some apps let you create your own decks, and some include a deck for grown-ups with more suggestive themes. We cover this style in our Heads Up game guide.
On a video call. For a virtual game, send prompts to the next actor as private messages in the chat and have them act on camera while everyone else guesses out loud.
RoomPlay’s Heads Up is exactly this kind of charades-style phone game, and it runs in a browser in English. In free-for-all mode, players take turns holding the phone to their forehead with the screen facing their friends, who see the word and explain it. In team mode, one player holds the phone and the rest of the team acts the word out. Tilt the phone down when the guess is right and back to skip. A round lasts 60 seconds by default, and you can change the round time in the settings. The Characters and Words packs are free, while the Spicy pack is premium.
Hold the phone to your forehead, tilt down for a correct guess and back to skip. In team mode your friends act the word out.
Charades Variations to Try
- Round length. A standard round runs 60 to 90 seconds. Cut it to 45 seconds for a harder challenge, or to 30 seconds for a speed round with high-pressure fun.
- Reverse charades. One person guesses while the rest of the team acts together.
- Telephone charades. Line up each team. The first person acts the prompt for the second, who acts it for the third, and so on. The last person in line guesses.
- Acting scenes. A classic variant has teams act out scenes together while the others guess.
- Two-way scoring. Award one point for every answer guessed in time and one point to the other team for every answer that was not.
- Timed challenge. Set a limit and count how many prompts each person acts out successfully before it runs out. You can also practice solo, using the prompts alone to build your mime skills.
- Themed packs. Use prompts tied to your project, your company values or your meeting topic.
- Impressions. Impersonate an accent or a famous person, such as a British accent or Arnold Schwarzenegger, without giving away clues about characters or locations.
- Pictionary. Swap acting for drawing. See below.
Dumb Charades Game
“Dumb charades” is the old name for the silent version of the game, where nobody speaks and everything is mime. In India, the name is still used for the popular game of acting out movie titles for your team to guess, and Bollywood titles are a favorite. How hard a title is depends on how well-known it is, not only on how hard it is to act.
Players also show the language of the title with a thumb: thumb up means English, thumb down means Hindi, and a sideways thumb means a state language such as Tamil, Malayalam or Kannada. As in any form of the game, the usual rules apply: no speaking, and no mouthing words or spelling them out.
Charades vs. Pictionary Party Game
Pictionary is a game inspired by charades in which players draw words or phrases instead of acting them out. It can run on the same prompts, with a small change in the rules:
- Split into two teams, with a notepad and pencil for each team’s drawer and a notepad for scoring.
- One player from each team looks at the same word and draws it while their teammates guess.
- The first team to name the word gets one point, and a different player from each team draws the next word.
- The team with the most points wins.
In RoomPlay’s Pictionary, one player sees a secret word on the phone and then opens a canvas to draw it. There is no talking, gesturing or writing letters and numbers, so instead of writing “house” you draw a roof, walls and a door. Everyone else watches the canvas and guesses. You can play free-for-all, where players take turns drawing and everyone else guesses, or in teams, where only the drawer’s teammates guess. Before the game you pick themed word packs, and each guessed word scores a point. Our Pictionary guide has the full rules and word ideas.
Choose free-for-all or team mode, pick your word packs and start guessing drawings on one phone.
Tips for a Better Charades Game
- Never force anyone to act. A shy player can be the dedicated guesser, scorekeeper or judge.
- Keep the clock honest. A timer, whether a stopwatch, an hourglass or a phone, keeps the energy up.
- Be silly. A big part of the fun is letting yourself look goofy while everyone tries to figure out what you mean.
Want more word-guessing games? Try our Taboo game rules, where you can talk but not say the forbidden words.