Read aloud
One person holds the phone and asks the group for each word. The classic way, perfect for dinner, road trips and playing on your own.
Independent fill-in-the-blank game
A Mad Libs®-style story game for phones
Fill in the blanks without seeing the story, then read it out loud. 55 original stories, a free one-phone mode, and Rooms where every friend plays on their own phone.
Not the official game. MAD LIBS® is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC. Story Blanks is an independent CardYard game and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Penguin Random House or an official online edition of Mad Libs.
Now on iPhone and Android
CardYard is on iPhone, iPad & Android.
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Three ways to play
Pass around
Add players and the blanks are shared out. Each player fills theirs behind a cover, then everyone gathers for the reading.
Every phone in a Room
Friends join with a code. Each phone fills its own blanks, the story shows up on every screen, and the group votes for the funniest word.
How a story works
- 01
Pick a pack and a length, from 6 to 18 blanks.
- 02
Answer each prompt without seeing the story. Stuck? Roll the dice.
- 03
Read the finished story out loud, one page at a time.
- 04
Crown the funniest word, then play another.
Story packs
Everyday
10 stories. Haircuts, reviews, road trips. Free.
Party
10 stories. Group chats, toasts, office life. Free.
Kids and Classroom
13 stories. School-safe and silly. Free.
Christmas
10 stories. Santa, elves and ugly sweaters. Free.
After Dark
12 stories. 18+. Crude, rude and a little wrong. Premium.
With friends, anywhere
Play with friends online
Most online versions are one form on one screen. In a Story Blanks Room, every friend gets their own share of the blanks on their own phone, nobody sees the story until it is done, and every screen shows the same page during the reading.
Keep a video call open and it works just as well across cities. Only the host needs Premium; everyone else joins free.
For adults and parties
The Party pack covers group chats, office memos, roommate rules and wedding toasts, grown-up but not explicit. After Dark is the 18+ Premium pack for bachelorette nights and friends who want it rude.
Christmas stories
A full Christmas pack for family nights and office parties: Dear Santa, The Night Before Christmas, Now Hiring: Elves, Our Family Christmas Letter, How to Build a Gingerbread House and more.
Classrooms and printables
Every prompt explains its word type with a hint and examples, so it doubles as parts-of-speech practice. Teachers will find school-safe stories and printable worksheets on the stories for kids page.
Story Blanks questions
One phone play uses CardYard's shared daily free plays. Premium removes the cap, unlocks After Dark and lets you host Rooms; joining is always free. MAD LIBS® is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC. Story Blanks is an independent CardYard game and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Penguin Random House or an official online edition of Mad Libs.
How do you play a Mad Libs-style game online?
Open Story Blanks and pick a story pack. The game asks for one word at a time, like a plural noun or a body part, without showing the story. When every blank is filled, someone reads the finished story out loud. The more random your words, the funnier it gets.
Can I play with friends online?
Yes. The host opens a Room and shares the code. Everyone joins on their own phone, fills their own blanks in private, then the story appears on every screen so the whole group can read along, in the same room or on a video call. Then everyone votes for the funniest word.
Is it free?
Yes. One phone play is free with CardYard's shared daily free plays, and joining a friend's Room is always free. Premium removes the daily cap, unlocks the 18+ After Dark pack and lets you host Rooms.
How many people can play?
Any number on one phone: one reader asks the group for words. Pass around mode shares the blanks between up to 10 players. A Room holds up to 12 players on their own phones.
Are there stories for adults?
Yes. The Party pack is grown-up without being explicit, and After Dark is an 18+ Premium pack of crude, rude stories. Every story is original and written to be funny whatever words you pick.
Is it OK for kids and classrooms?
Yes. The Kids and Classroom pack is school-safe, and every word type comes with a short hint and examples, which makes it an easy way to practice nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. See the stories for kids page for printable worksheets.
Can I print the stories?
Yes. Any free story can be printed as a worksheet: a numbered word list on top and the story with matching blanks underneath.
Who invented the fill-in-the-blank story game?
Leonard Stern and Roger Price created Mad Libs in 1953 and named it in 1958. Word games where players fill in blanks without seeing the story go back even earlier, to parlor games like Consequences.
Is this the official Mad Libs?
No. Story Blanks is an independent CardYard game with its own original stories. Mad Libs is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC, which does not sponsor or endorse CardYard. The official books and apps are at madlibs.com.
Fill the blanks. Read the story.