Pass the Phrase
Describe it.
Pass it.
Don't get caught.
A secret timer ticks faster and faster. Whoever holds the phone at the buzzer loses the round.
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One phone. Two teams. One buzzer.
A hot-potato word game with a hidden timer
Pass the Phrase turns your phone into the buzzer: it hides the clock, ticks faster and faster, and deals more than a thousand everyday words and phrases in themed decks, from Food & Drink to Christmas, plus an 18+ deck for grown-up nights.
How to play
Split into two teams and sit so they alternate around the circle: Team A, Team B, A, B.
Tap Start round. A secret timer starts ticking and a word or phrase appears for the player holding the phone.
Get your team to say it without saying the word, a rhyme, its first letter or part of it. Gestures are fine.
When your team gets it, tap Got it and pass the phone to the next player. They tap Reveal for a new word.
The ticking speeds up. At the buzzer, the team holding the phone gives the other team 1 point, plus 1 bonus if they guess the unsolved word.
House rules worth agreeing first
Decide whether players may skip words, whether sound-alike clues count as rhymes, and who settles arguments. If the buzzer goes in the middle of a pass, the player passing still holds the phone. Use the Foul button when someone says part of the word.
Playing with kids? Pick the Kids deck and Long rounds. Want the full rules, round timings and answers to common questions? See the complete guide.