Charades rules
Charades needs no board, no cards, and no setup beyond two teams and a clock. One player acts out a prompt without speaking while their team guesses before time runs out. This page covers the full rules, every standard hand signal, how scoring works, and the house rules worth agreeing before the first round.
Use this guide
Four or more players, something to keep time, and a source of prompts. Split into two teams of at least two. A phone running a generator replaces the traditional bowl of paper slips and stops anyone from seeing prompts before their turn.
One player from the acting team takes a prompt and acts it out silently while their teammates guess. No speaking, no mouthing words, no pointing at objects in the room that give the answer away, and no spelling letters in the air. Everything else is allowed.
Start the clock, then act. The performer's own team calls out guesses freely. If they guess correctly before time runs out, that team scores. If not, play passes to the other team, who take a new prompt.
Sixty seconds is the standard round. Use thirty seconds for single-word speed rounds, and ninety seconds to two minutes for long film titles or abstract concepts. Agree the length before the game starts rather than negotiating it mid-round.
The simplest scoring is one point per correct guess, first team to ten wins. For a longer night, award two points for a correct guess in the first thirty seconds and one point after that, which rewards a clear performance over a lucky one.
Most groups allow unlimited passes with no penalty, since a stalled prompt kills the energy in the room. Stricter groups allow three passes per turn, or deduct a point for each pass beyond the first.
Decide in advance whether pointing at a person counts, whether nodding to confirm a partial guess is allowed, and whether the performer may hold up a prop. Every group draws these lines differently, and settling them early prevents an argument in round three.
Above ten players, split into three or four teams and rotate performers so nobody waits more than two turns. Shorten the clock to forty-five seconds so the rotation stays quick.
Prompt starters
Use a list as a starting point, then open the game when you want the round to run itself.
Before you start
Split into two teams. One player takes a prompt and acts it out silently while their team guesses before the clock runs out. No speaking, mouthing, or spelling letters in the air. A correct guess scores a point, then play passes to the other team.
Hold up fingers for the number of words, then again for which word you're acting. Tap your forearm for syllables, tug your earlobe for sounds-like, sweep a big circle for the whole concept, and wave both hands toward you for close, keep going.
Sixty seconds is standard. Use thirty seconds for single-word speed rounds and up to two minutes for long film titles or abstract concepts. Agree the length before the first round.
Four is the practical minimum, so each team has someone to guess. There is no upper limit, but above ten players split into three or four teams and shorten the clock to keep everyone involved.
No. The traditional rule is complete silence from the performer, including no mouthing words and no sound effects. Many family groups relax this for young children and allow animal noises.
One point per correct guess, first team to ten wins. For a longer game, award two points for a guess in the first thirty seconds and one point after that.
Keep exploring
