What the charades generator does
The generator gives you random words and phrases to act out, one at a time, so nobody has to think up prompts during the game. It has 432 prompts in 8 categories: actions, animals, jobs, sports and hobbies, everyday objects, places, feelings, kids (easy mode). Each category has 18 easy, 18 medium and 18 hard prompts. A timer runs each round, two buttons count the score for two teams, and every prompt is shown only once per visit.
How to play charades
Charades has no single set of rules, so agree on yours before you start. One simple way to play goes like this. Split into two teams. One player from the team whose turn it is acts out the word without speaking, while the rest of that team guesses out loud. Decide up front whether mouthing words, spelling them in the air or pointing at objects in the room is allowed; the game is harder and more fun without them. When the team says the word, the actor moves on to the next one. When the time is up, the other team takes its turn with a new actor. Play until everyone has acted at least once, or until a score you agreed on.
Options explained
- Categories. Pick one or several. Prompts from all picked categories are mixed, and the card shows which category each prompt comes from, which helps the guessers.
- Difficulty. Easy prompts are single words almost anyone can show, like jump or cat. Medium needs a short scene, like ride a bike. Hard prompts are rarer words or longer phrases, like conduct an orchestra or nervous before a test. Mixed draws from all three.
- Round timer. 30, 60 or 90 seconds per round, or No timer. A short chime sounds when the time is up, and the clock turns red for the last ten seconds. Sound on turns the chime off and on.
- Got it and Skip. Got it adds a point for the acting team and shows the next prompt. Skip shows the next prompt without a point. Pause hides the word and stops the clock.
- Kids (easy mode). 54 prompts that tell a child exactly what to do, such as hop like a frog or be a snowman. Pick it alone for young players.
Hand signals to agree on
A few shared hand signals let the actor steer the guessing without words. None of them is required, so explain the ones you use before the first round. Here is a set you can agree on:
| Gesture | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hold up a number of fingers at the start | How many words the phrase has |
| That many fingers laid on the inside of the elbow | How many syllables a word has |
| Tug or point at an earlobe | Sounds like: the next mime sounds like the word |
| Hands moving closer together without touching | Make the word shorter |
| Stretching an imaginary rubber band | Make the word longer, for example add an ending |
| A come-here wave or circling hands | Keep guessing |
| Touch your nose and point at the guesser | That is exactly right |
Tips for actors and guessers
- Act out the most typical moment. For a lifeguard, sit up high, scan the water and then dive in.
- Break long phrases into parts. Show the number of words first, then act the easiest word.
- Use the category on the card. Guessers who know it is a place think differently from guessers who expect an animal.
- Skip early. A hard prompt can eat half a round, and a skip costs nothing but the point.
- Guess out loud and often. The actor can only react to what they hear.
A worked example
Two families play with Animals and Jobs on Medium and a 60 second timer. The first team names itself Blue. Its actor takes the phone, presses Start round and sees penguin under the category Animals. She waddles with her arms pressed to her sides, the team calls out penguin after a few seconds, and she taps Got it. The next card is plumber. After half a minute without a good guess she taps Skip and gets kangaroo, which the team gets quickly. When the chime sounds, Blue has 2 points, the list shows penguin and kangaroo under Got it and plumber under Skipped, and the card now names the second team as next to act. Plumber will not come up again in this game.
Limits
The used words are kept only while the tab is open. A reload starts with all words again. The timer and the chime run in this page, so keep it open while a round runs. Where the browser supports it, the page asks to keep the screen on during a round.
How to use the charades generator
- 1Pick the categories and a difficulty, then choose a round length or No timer. Type team names if you like.
- 2Hand the device to the first actor and press Start round. Only the actor should see the card; use Full screen where it is offered.
- 3Tap Got it when the team guesses the word, or Skip to move on. Each Got it is a point for the acting team.
- 4When the chime sounds, check the list of words, then pass the device to the other team and press Start round again.
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Frequently asked questions
Will the same word come up twice?
Not in the same visit. Every word that has been shown, whether guessed or skipped, is set aside until you reload the page or press Reuse all words. When every word in your categories and level has been used, the generator says so, and you can add categories, change the level or start over with all words.
How many words are there?
432 words and phrases in 8 categories, 54 in each category: 18 easy, 18 medium and 18 hard. With all categories and Mixed, that is enough for a long evening without a repeat.
Are the words suitable for children?
Yes. All words were written to be family-friendly, with no brand names and no titles of movies, books or songs. For young children, pick only Kids (easy mode). Its prompts tell the child what to do, such as hop like a frog or blow out candles, so no reading of hard words is needed.
What happens to skipped words?
A skipped word gives no point and is not shown again in this visit. The list under the score shows which words the last team got and which ones it skipped, so you can talk about them after the round.
Can I play without the timer?
Yes. Pick No timer. The round then runs until you press End round, which suits small children or a relaxed game where each actor gets as long as they need.
Why is there no full screen button on my phone?
The button only appears when your browser lets a page show one part of itself in full screen. Where it does not, turn the phone sideways or zoom in; the card with the word is already the largest thing on the page.
Is anything saved or sent?
No. The words are part of the page, and the scores, team names and the list of used words live only in this tab. Reloading the page starts a fresh game.