How many forbidden words are on a Taboo card?

Classic Taboo cards have one target word and five forbidden words. Every card in this list follows that format. For younger or newer players you can play with only three forbidden words to make it easier.

What are good Taboo words for beginners?

Start with concrete, everyday nouns such as Pizza, Beach, Dog, Birthday or Airplane. They have plenty of alternative clues, so players can still describe them after the five most obvious words are banned.

How do you make your own Taboo cards?

Pick a target word everyone knows, then write down the five words you would say first to describe it. Those become the forbidden words. Index cards cut in half work well, and a table in a document is easy to print and cut.

Can you play Taboo with two people?

Yes. With two players, take turns describing words to each other for one minute and count how many each of you gets right. With four or more, split into two teams and alternate.

Taboo Words List: 58 Taboo Cards With Forbidden Words

How to play Taboo in 60 seconds

Split into two teams. One player from the first team draws a card and has one minute to get their teammates to say the target word without saying it or any of the five forbidden words on the card. No gestures, no “sounds like,” no spelling. A player from the other team watches the card and calls out a buzz if a forbidden word slips out. Each correct guess is a point; each buzz or skipped card usually costs one. Teams alternate until everyone has had a turn as the describer.

The cards below are written in that format: target word first, then the five forbidden words. Use them as they are, print them, or play the free browser version above.

Easy Taboo words (good for beginners and families)

These are everyday words almost anyone can describe, which makes them great for warm-up rounds or mixed-age groups.

Target word	Forbidden words
Pizza	cheese, slice, Italy, delivery, pepperoni
Beach	sand, ocean, waves, sun, swim
Dog	bark, pet, puppy, leash, cat
Birthday	cake, candles, party, age, presents
Banana	yellow, fruit, monkey, peel, split
Teacher	school, class, student, homework, lesson
Rain	water, umbrella, wet, cloud, weather
Bicycle	pedal, wheels, ride, bike, helmet
Ice cream	cold, cone, scoop, dessert, vanilla
Airplane	fly, pilot, airport, wings, travel
Snowman	snow, carrot, winter, build, cold
Toothbrush	teeth, brush, paste, morning, dentist

Food and drink Taboo cards

Target word	Forbidden words
Sushi	rice, fish, raw, Japan, roll
Coffee	caffeine, bean, morning, cup, latte
Taco	Mexican, shell, Tuesday, meat, salsa
Pancake	breakfast, syrup, flip, flat, butter
Popcorn	movie, corn, butter, pop, snack
Avocado	green, toast, guacamole, pit, fruit
Barbecue	grill, smoke, meat, summer, sauce
Hangover	drink, headache, morning, alcohol, night

Everyday life Taboo words

Target word	Forbidden words
Alarm clock	wake, morning, snooze, ring, time
Laundry	clothes, wash, dry, machine, fold
Traffic jam	cars, stuck, road, late, rush hour
Grocery list	shopping, store, write, food, buy
Neighbor	next door, live, house, street, fence
Nap	sleep, afternoon, short, tired, couch

Technology and internet Taboo cards

Target word	Forbidden words
Wi-Fi	internet, password, wireless, signal, router
Selfie	photo, camera, phone, picture, yourself
Password	secret, login, account, type, forget
Emoji	smiley, text, face, icon, message
Podcast	listen, episode, audio, host, show
Screenshot	screen, picture, phone, capture, save

Pop culture Taboo words

Target word	Forbidden words
Superhero	cape, powers, Marvel, villain, save
Netflix	stream, show, binge, movie, subscription
Red carpet	celebrity, walk, Oscars, dress, famous
Influencer	Instagram, followers, post, sponsored, social media
Reality TV	show, drama, real, contestant, watch
Karaoke	sing, microphone, song, lyrics, bar

Travel and adventure Taboo cards

Target word	Forbidden words
Passport	travel, country, document, photo, border
Road trip	car, drive, highway, snacks, friends
Camping	tent, fire, outdoors, sleep, woods
Jet lag	tired, time zone, flight, sleep, travel

Hard Taboo words (for experienced players)

Abstract words are much harder to describe because there’s no object to point at. Save these for groups who’ve already played a few rounds.

Target word	Forbidden words
Nostalgia	past, memory, miss, old, remember
Procrastinate	later, delay, put off, lazy, deadline
Déjà vu	before, French, feeling, again, familiar
Sarcasm	joke, mean, irony, tone, opposite
Gravity	fall, Newton, apple, earth, pull
Democracy	vote, government, people, election, freedom
Echo	sound, repeat, cave, voice, back
Compromise	agree, meet, middle, give, deal

Taboo words for adults

These cards are about dating, work and grown-up life. They’re not explicit, just better suited to a room of adults than a family table.

Target word	Forbidden words
Situationship	relationship, dating, label, complicated, not
Ex	former, boyfriend, girlfriend, breakup, past
Wedding	marriage, bride, groom, ring, ceremony
Blind date	meet, stranger, setup, dinner, first
Mortgage	house, loan, bank, pay, monthly
Monday	week, day, work, start, weekend
Happy hour	drinks, bar, cheap, after work, cocktail
Group chat	text, friends, message, phone, notification

That brings the list to 58 cards: 12 easy, 8 food, 6 everyday, 6 tech, 6 pop culture, 4 travel, 8 hard and 8 for adults.

Printable Taboo cards: how to make a deck

You don’t need a special template to print these cards. The simplest method:

Copy the tables into a document or spreadsheet. Put each card in its own box, with the target word in bold at the top and the five forbidden words listed underneath.
Print on thick paper if you have it, so players can’t read the card through the back.
Cut and shuffle. Index cards cut in half are about the right size if you’d rather write them by hand.
Mix difficulties. Shuffle a few hard cards into the easy pile so every round has a surprise.

Writing your own cards is half the fun. Pick a word everyone in your group knows, then write down the first five words you’d use to describe it. Those are your forbidden words. Inside jokes, friends’ names and local places make the best homemade cards.

Tips for a better game of Taboo

Use a timer. One minute per turn keeps the game moving. A phone timer works fine.
Agree on the rules for word forms. Most groups ban plurals and close variants too, so “slices” counts as “slice.”
Let the buzzer be strict but fair. Only the opposing team should buzz, and only for actual forbidden words.
Keep score per team, not per player. It takes the pressure off quieter players.
Play to a set number of rounds. Three to five turns per player is usually a full game.

Taboo on your phone

Paper cards run out, and someone always ends up reading the forbidden words aloud by accident. On the Taboo game page you can play a free version in your browser with no setup. The Duoo app for iPhone and iPad has Taboo cards in categories like Pop Culture, Everyday Life, Relationships, Food & Drink, Technology & Internet, Travel & Adventure, Work & Hustle and Spicy. It’s one phone passed around, it works offline, and Taboo is one of 15 games in the app. Duoo is free to download, and a subscription with a free trial unlocks all games and categories.

If your group likes describing words, try the Imposter game next, where everyone knows the secret word except one bluffer; our imposter game words list has ideas with hints. For a whole evening of games, see our party games for adults, or use these cards as part of your New Year’s Eve party games.