Words and phrases picked for acting out, not for reading. Three difficulty levels, categories from everyday actions to jobs and emotions, a blurred reveal so nobody peeks, and a timer. Free, no sign-up.
The word is blurred so the person drawing or acting can hold the phone up without anyone else seeing it. Tap Reveal word to show it.
Words that work when you are acting, not drawing
Charades and Pictionary need different words, and generators that use the same list for both do a bad job of at least one. A lighthouse is easy to draw and almost impossible to mime. Brushing your teeth is trivial to mime and dull to draw.
So the words here lean towards movement: activities, actions, jobs with a recognisable physical routine, and situations everyone has been in. Around 160 of them, sorted by how hard they are to get across without speaking.
| Level | Example words | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | brushing teeth, sleeping, swimming, monkey | Children and mixed-age groups |
| Medium | changing a tire, parallel parking, lifeguard | Most parties |
| Hard | awkward silence, jet lag, a job interview | Adults who play often |
How to play Charades
- Split into teams. One person acts, their team guesses.
- The actor reads the word — tap Reveal word — and says nothing at all from that moment. No speaking, no mouthing, no pointing at objects in the room.
- Tap Start timer.
- The actor mimes. Their team shouts guesses. A correct guess before time runs out scores a point.
- Tap New word and pass to the other team.
The hand signals everyone should agree on first
| Signal | Means |
|---|---|
| Fingers held up | How many words in the phrase |
| Fingers again, then point | Which word you are doing now |
| Chops on the forearm | Number of syllables |
| Tug your earlobe | Sounds like… |
| Hands pulled apart | Longer version of that word |
| Hands pushed together | Shorter version |
| Beckoning motion | You are close, keep going |
Agreeing on these before the first round prevents most Charades arguments. There is a fuller list, including the variations different families use, in our
charades rules guide.
Playing with the words in a hat instead
If you would rather not pass a phone around, tap Show printable list, print the page, and cut the words into slips. Sixty slips is plenty for an evening. This also works better with large groups, because everyone can see the timer on one screen while the words come out of the hat.
Related tools
Random word generatorPlain random words with meanings, lengths and word scores.
How to win at PictionaryTactics that transfer to charades more than you would expect.
Questions
How do I use the Charades generator?
Pick a difficulty and category, then tap New word. The word is blurred so you can hold the phone up. Tap Reveal word to see it, then Start timer and begin acting.
What makes a good Charades word?
Something with movement. Actions and everyday activities work best — brushing teeth, changing a tire, missing the bus. Static objects are hard because there is nothing to mime, so most of the words here are things people do rather than things that exist.
What are the standard Charades hand signals?
Hold up fingers for the number of words, then for which word you are on. Tug your earlobe for “sounds like”. Make a chopping motion on your forearm for the number of syllables. Pull your hands apart for “longer word”. The full set is in our charades rules guide.
How long is a Charades turn?
One minute is standard and is the default here. Some groups use two minutes for harder words. You can set anything from 10 to 300 seconds.
Is Charades good for kids?
Very. Use the Easy level — those are simple actions and animals a young child can both act and guess. Charades also works better than Pictionary for children who cannot draw yet.
Can I get a printable list of charades words?
Yes. Tap Show printable list to display every word matching your filters, then print the page and cut them into slips for a hat.