Charades

Charades is the acting game everyone knows: one person mimes a word without saying anything, and everyone else shouts guesses. This page gives you the words and runs the game for you. Use the charades generator when you just need ideas, start a team game with a timer and scores, or play Forehead, where you hold the phone to your head and tilt it to answer. A row of cartoon party critters sits around a garden table and acts along, cheering when you get one and drooping when you skip.

How Charades Works

Split into teams, or just take turns. The actor gets a secret word or phrase and acts it out in silence. Their team guesses out loud until someone says the exact word or the time runs out.

The rules are simple:

• No talking, whispering or mouthing words.
• No pointing at things in the room that give the answer away.
• No spelling letters in the air.
• Sound effects are usually banned too, so a dog is a dog because of your paws and tail, not your bark.

Classic Charades Hand Signals

These signals help with longer phrases. Agree on them before you start.

Signal	What it means
Hold up fingers	How many words in the phrase
Hold up fingers again	Which word you’re acting now
Fingers laid on your forearm	How many syllables in the word
Cupped hand behind your ear	“Sounds like”: act a word that rhymes
Pinched finger and thumb	A small word, like “a”, “the” or “in”
Big circle with both arms	The whole idea at once
Touch your nose and point	That guesser is right

Three Ways to Play

Word Generator

Tap Next Word for a fresh idea in a big card, or Skip to pass. Every word you’ve seen goes into the used list, so nothing repeats during your visit. Open the settings to choose categories and difficulty, or turn on Hide Each Word so each card starts face down and only the actor taps to see it. When a set of picks runs out, you can start it over.

Team Game

1. Make 2 to 4 teams and give them names.
2. Pick the time per turn (30 seconds, 1 minute, 1.5 minutes or 2 minutes) and how many turns each team gets.
3. On each turn the team picks an actor, who taps I’m the Actor and is the only one looking at the screen.
4. After a 3, 2, 1 countdown, act out each word. Tap Got It when your team says it for a point, or Skip to try another.
5. The clock ticks in the last 10 seconds. When time runs out you see what you got, and the next team goes.

After the last turn the scoreboard counts up and the winners get confetti.

Forehead

This is the hold-it-to-your-head game. Hold the phone to your forehead in landscape, screen facing out, and tap I’m Ready. Your friends act out or describe each word without saying it. Tilt the phone down when you guess it and tilt it up to pass. Every Forehead round saves your best score for that time length.

Charades Ideas by Category

The generator has 13 categories. Here are a few examples from each so you can see the range:

• Animals: Kangaroo, Penguin, Octopus, Flamingo, Sloth, Platypus
• Actions: Brushing Teeth, Blowing Bubbles, Taking a Selfie, Walking on Ice, Parallel Parking
• Jobs: Firefighter, Chef, Magician, Lifeguard, Lion Tamer, Orchestra Conductor
• Sports: Bowling, Surfing, Archery, Pole Vault, Curling, Synchronized Swimming
• Movie Scenes: Pirate Adventure, Haunted House, Car Chase, Slow Motion Scene, Villain Monologue
• Around the House: Toaster, Vacuum Cleaner, Ironing Board, Mousetrap, Bunk Bed
• Food: Spaghetti, Corn on the Cob, Cotton Candy, Spicy Curry, Fortune Cookie
• Places: Zoo, Train Station, Car Wash, Lighthouse, Elevator, Igloo
• Feelings: Happy, Nervous, Embarrassed, Homesick, Suspicious, Speechless
• Hobbies: Gardening, Knitting, Bird Watching, Beatboxing, Juggling Fire
• Nature: Rainbow, Thunderstorm, Waterfall, Avalanche, Shooting Star
• Kids Know It: Teddy Bear, Trampoline, Hopscotch, Pillow Fort, Freeze Dance
• Tricky Phrases: Piece of Cake, Raining Cats and Dogs, Break the Ice, Once in a Blue Moon

Easy words are things a young kid can act and guess. Medium words need a couple of moves. Hard ones are tricky phrases and ideas that take real teamwork.

Tips for Better Charades

• Start big. Show the main shape of the idea first. For Elephant, swing a trunk before worrying about the ears.
• Break long phrases up. Show the number of words, then act one word at a time, starting with the easiest.
• Use the setting. For a job or a place, act what people do there. A dentist is someone peering into a mouth.
• Read your team. If a guess is close, nod hard and wave them on. If it’s wrong, shake your head and try a different angle.
• Skip early. A word that isn’t landing after 15 seconds costs you more than a skip.
• Mix the levels. For a family game, give younger players Easy words and let the grown-ups take Tricky Phrases.