Charades ideas: 200+ words to act out, draw and describe

Good charades ideas decide whether a round ends in tears of laughter or a full minute of everyone staring blankly at the person waving their arms. A word that is too easy is gone in ten seconds. One that is too hard leaves the whole team stuck. Below are more than 200 charades ideas sorted by difficulty and by mode (acting, drawing and describing), so you can start a game any time without a box of cards.

How to play charades, Pictionary and the describing game

Charades, Pictionary and the describing games like Taboo all run on the same idea, which is why they have been family night staples for generations. Two or more teams compete, and each turn one player tries to get a word across to their own team. The mode decides how.

1. 1Acting (classic charades). Body language and facial expressions only. No sounds, no mouthing words, no pointing at objects in the room.
2. 2Drawing (Pictionary style). Sketch the word on paper. No letters, no numbers, no talking.
3. 3Describing (Taboo or Heads Up style). Talk as much as you like, but never say the word itself, part of it or a translation.
4. 4One minute on the clock. If your team gets it in time, you score. Easy words are worth one point, medium two, hard three.
5. 5First team to 30 points wins. Swap the clue giver every turn so everyone gets a go.

Classic charades has its own sign language, and it is worth agreeing on it before you start. Hold up fingers for the number of words, then for which word you are acting. Tug your ear for “sounds like”. Crank an old movie camera for a film, open your palms like a book for a title, draw a rectangle in the air for a TV show and pretend to sing for a song.

Easy charades ideas for kids and beginners

Start with these, especially when kids are playing or someone has never played charades before.

• To act out: Swimming, Brushing your teeth, Sleeping, Talking on the phone, Sneezing, Fishing, Riding a bike, Cooking, Dancing, Knocking on a door, Taking a photo, Sweeping, Yawning, Hugging, Running, Waving, Washing your hair, Driving, Rowing a boat, Playing the piano
• To draw: House, Sun, Tree, Boat, Umbrella, Mushroom, Snowman, Snake, Glasses, Snail, Heart, Cloud, Ladder, Banana, Key, Guitar, Spider, Bicycle, Fish, Crown
• To describe: School, Hospital, Birthday, Ice cream, School bus, Fridge, Beach, Movie theater, Grandma, Supermarket, Christmas, Forest, Dog, Breakfast, Wedding, Pizza, Book, Clock, Window, Football

Medium charades words

Now the team has to think. These charades words usually take a few steps to explain, and your team has to put the pieces together.

• To act out: Bungee jumping, At the dentist, Going on a hike, Taking a selfie, Making pizza, Ice skating, Carving a pumpkin, Wrapping a present, Boxing, Conducting an orchestra, Skydiving, Washing the dishes, Waiting in line, Bowling, Changing a tire, Typing, Mail carrier, Magician, Surfing, Mime artist
• To draw: Lighthouse, Hot air balloon, Volcano, Submarine, Windmill, Aquarium, Rocking chair, Vacuum cleaner, Kangaroo, Telescope, Tent, Iron, Cactus, Rocket, Bridge, Sparkler, Suitcase, Shark, Pyramid, Lawn mower
• To describe: Airport, Vacation, Prom, Fire station, Popcorn, Coffee machine, Shopping list, Shower, Box set, Lottery, Gas station, Neighbor, Sunglasses, Road trip, Train ticket, Camping, Water slide, Driving test, Thanksgiving, Baby shower

Hard charades ideas for experienced players

Abstract ideas, tricky situations and words with double meanings. These suit a group that has played before, and this is where you find out who the real artist on the team is.

• To act out: Homesick, Monday morning, Jet lag, Jealousy, Missing the bus, Forgotten password, Being tickled, Slow motion, Stolen bike, Blind date, Birthday party for kids, Getting a tattoo, Sunbathing, House party, Exam nerves, Love at first sight, Bad Wi-Fi, Losing your voice, Self-checkout, Stepping on a Lego
• To draw: Gravity, Time zone, Echo, Insomnia, Rainbow, The future, Misunderstanding, Mirage, Moving day, Friendship, Power outage, Inflation, Shadow, Stage fright, Roller coaster, Halloween, Reflection, Silence, Countdown, Dead end
• To describe: Nostalgia, Democracy, Superstition, Luck, Incognito, Red tape, Déjà vu, Compromise, Networking, Inspiration, Confidence, Gossip, Tradition, Secret, Patience, Hope, Laziness, Deadline, Diet, Curiosity

Movies, TV shows, idioms and landmarks

Titles are the heart of classic charades, and they are often the funniest rounds. Idioms are the hardest to act out and the most rewarding when someone finally gets one.

• Movies: Titanic, Jaws, The Lion King, Home Alone, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Mean Girls, Finding Nemo, The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins
• TV shows: Friends, Stranger Things, The Office, Game of Thrones, The Great British Bake Off, The Simpsons, Squid Game, Doctor Who, Wednesday, Bluey
• Idioms: Break a leg, Piece of cake, Raining cats and dogs, Let the cat out of the bag, Spill the beans, Cold feet, Hit the sack, Once in a blue moon, The elephant in the room, Bite the bullet
• Landmarks: Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, Golden Gate Bridge, Stonehenge, Mount Rushmore, Eiffel Tower, Niagara Falls, Buckingham Palace, Hollywood sign, Grand Canyon

Funny charades ideas for adults

With a grown-up crowd, these charades ideas get the biggest laughs. Nothing rude, but expect at least one person on the floor.

• Mother-in-law, Snoring, Assembling IKEA furniture, Saturday grocery run, Group photo, Awkward silence, Frozen laptop, Parent-teacher conference, Treadmill, Online dating, Going bald, Gym selfie, Office Christmas party, Running out of hot water, Reply all, Pretending to be busy, Parallel parking, Muted on a video call, Setting up a trampoline, Forgetting someone’s name

Not in the mood to cut up paper?

Phone guessing games hand out the words and run the timer for you, and we rounded up the best ones in our party games for adults list. And if you want a quieter, bluffing round after all the miming, Impostor in Our Midst: Bluff runs on a single phone too.

Impostor Party Game

Download free

Playing charades online or with a phone

Charades works fine online. Only the drawing moves to the screen. If you are not in the same room, this setup works:

1. 1A video call where everyone can see everyone. Acting and describing work exactly as they do in person.
2. 2For drawing, use a shared online whiteboard or simply hold paper up to the camera.
3. 3A game host sends each word by private message so the team cannot see it.
4. 4A phone stopwatch keeps time. One minute per turn.

In person, a phone helps when nobody wants to write slips of paper. Heads Up style guessing apps give you the same feeling as a box of charades cards, except they never run out. When you want a round with more bluffing than acting, the impostor game rules take two minutes to learn.

What makes a good charades word?

• Mix the difficulty. After three easy words, throw in a hard one, so the weaker team still scores.
• Match the group. With kids, stick to the first two levels. With friends who have played before, go for the hard and the funny charades ideas.
• Write your own words too. Your last vacation, your office or an old in-joke always makes the best round.
• Hosting in October? Our Halloween party games include a horror charades round with spooky words.
• If you want a guessing game that is quieter than charades, try the 20 Questions game.