How to Play Charades: Rules, Gestures, Teams and Easy Variations
Charades is a silent acting game. One person acts out a word or phrase using only gestures, and everyone else shouts guesses before time runs out. Play in two teams for a classic party game, or take turns with just two people. You only need a list of words and a timer. This guide covers the standard rules, the traditional hand signals, scoring, and ways to play with 2 players, a small group, adults or on a video call.
Duoo Games
3 min
In this article
The rules
Players: 2 or more (best with 6 to 12 in two teams). Time: 15 to 45 minutes. Needs: words, a timer, something to keep score.
- Make two teams. Use the team generator if you cannot agree.
- Prepare words. Fill a bowl with slips, or use a generator. Aim for 20 to 30 words.
- A turn. One actor draws a word and the timer starts. Usually 60 to 90 seconds.
- Acting. No talking, no mouthing words, no pointing at things in the room that spell it out. Gestures and acting only.
- Guessing. The actor’s team shouts guesses. The actor can nod or shake their head.
- Scoring. One point per word guessed in time. The turn then passes to the other team.
- Winning. Play a set number of rounds, such as 5 each, and the highest score wins.
The classic signals
These are traditional and cut down on confusion:
- Book, movie, song, TV show, play: open hands like a book, crank a camera, mime singing, draw a rectangle for a screen, pull a curtain.
- Number of words: hold up fingers.
- Which word: hold up fingers again for the word you are on.
- Small word (a, the, of): pinch your finger and thumb together.
- Sounds like: tug an earlobe.
- Longer / shorter: stretch or squeeze your hands.
- You got it: point at the guesser, nod hard.
3 ways to play
1. Buy the board game
Ready-made charades games are sold in most toy and game shops, with cards for different ages and themes. Be wary of any box that claims to be the official game: charades itself is a traditional game with no single owner, so you are just paying for the cards and a sand timer. If you play every week, that may be worth it.
2. Make it yourself
The cheapest way. Use paper and a phone timer.
- Write one word per slip. Mix easy and hard.
- Fold and drop them in a bowl.
- Set a 60-second timer.
No ideas? Use our free charades generator to get a random word. For seasonal parties try the Christmas charades generator or the Thanksgiving charades generator. For more Christmas ideas see Christmas charades ideas.
3. Play on Duoo
Charades itself is not in the Duoo app. To skip the paper slips, the free charades generator gives you random words to act out on one phone. If your group likes describing more than acting, Taboo in the app is the closest game: explain the word without saying the forbidden ones.
Variations
With 2 players. Take turns with 60 seconds each. Score a point per correct guess and play 10 words each. Because there is only one guesser, use easy categories like animals or famous films.
With 3 people. Two guess and one acts. Rotate every word. Score the guessing pair together and compare who got the most right across a full rotation.
In teams. The standard format. Mix up teams between rounds so quiet people are not always together.
Adults and party. Use words like dating app profiles, hangovers or office politics. Add a drink or forfeit to a missed word if your group likes that.
Video call. The actor stays in frame, and the host messages them the word privately. Everyone else guesses in chat or by speaking. Use gallery view so you see everyone.
Silent movies round. Only movie titles, and the actor can use exactly one prop.
Tips
- Start with the category, then the number of words, then act. This saves your 60 seconds.
- Break long phrases into chunks. Do not try to act the whole thing at once.
- Guessers should shout everything. A wrong guess can steer the actor.
More to read
Compare with how to play Heads Up and how to play Pictionary, or see Who Am I characters for ideas.
Save these lists for later
Screenshot them for game night or save them to Pinterest.
Questions
How do you play charades? +
One player sees a word or phrase and acts it out without speaking or pointing at objects with words. Their team has a time limit, usually 60 to 90 seconds, to guess it. A correct guess scores a point, then the other team takes a turn.
How do you play charades with 2 people? +
Take turns acting and guessing. Play to a set number of rounds, give each word 60 seconds, and keep your own score. Pick easier categories like movies or animals, since there is no team to pool guesses.
Can you play charades without cards? +
Yes. Use a free word generator on a phone, or write words on slips of paper and draw from a bowl. A phone timer covers the rest.
What are the standard charades gestures? +
Common signals are making a book with both hands for a book title, a film-camera crank for a movie, holding up fingers for the number of words, and tugging an earlobe for "sounds like". Agree on the signals before you start.
