20 questions game: rules and 20 questions to ask
Deal a secret item, then tap the counter down from 20. Below: the rules in five steps, the yes or no questions that win, 120 things to guess and four lists of 20 questions to ask.
Twenty questions needs no board, no cards and no prep, which is why it has lasted so long. One person thinks of something, and everyone else has 20 yes or no questions to work out what it is. This page covers both things people mean when they search for it: the 20 questions game itself, and ready lists of 20 questions to ask someone you want to know better.
How to play 20 questions
You need two or more people and about five minutes a round. The rules fit in five steps.
- One person picks a secret. The answerer thinks of a person, place or thing and tells nobody. For an easier game they name the category out loud: an animal, a food, a place.
- The group asks yes or no questions. Go around the circle, one question each. The answerer can only say yes or no. If neither is true, they say “sometimes” or “not sure” and the question still counts.
- Count down from 20. Every question takes one off the count. Somebody who isn't answering keeps the tally, or tap the counter above.
- Guess at any time. A guess is a question too, so “Is it a giraffe?” costs one. Guess right and you win the round and become the next answerer.
- At zero, the answerer wins. If the group runs out of questions, the answerer wins the round. Many groups allow one last guess each first. Then the answerer reveals the secret and picks who goes next.
House rules worth agreeing first
- Pick something everyone in the room has heard of. A secret nobody can guess is no fun for anyone.
- Answer honestly. If you gave a wrong answer by mistake, say so and hand the question back.
- The classic opener is “Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?” Naming the category up front does the same job faster.
- Short on time? Play to 10 questions and only allow things in the room.
20 good questions for 20 questions, in the order to ask them
The best question is one that splits what’s left in half. Do that every time and 20 questions can tell apart 1,048,576 different things, which is far more than anyone will think of. So start wide and narrow down in four stages.
Questions 1 to 5: find the category
Start as wide as you can. A good opener is one where yes and no are about equally likely.
- Is it alive, or was it ever alive?
- Is it a person or a character?
- Is it a place?
- Is it something people make?
- Can you eat or drink it?
Questions 6 to 10: size and where it lives
Size and location rule out huge groups of things in one go, whatever the category.
- Is it bigger than a microwave?
- Could I hold it in one hand?
- Would I find one in most homes?
- Is there one in this building right now?
- Is it found all over the world?
Questions 11 to 15: what it does
Now ask how people use it or what it is known for. These turn a vague shape into a short list.
- Do most people use it every day?
- Does it need electricity?
- Is it mostly used for work?
- Does it make a sound?
- Would a five-year-old know what it is?
Questions 16 to 20: close in
Save a few for details that split the last handful of options, then guess with two or three left.
- Is it real, not made up?
- Does it live in water?
- Does it have four legs?
- Is it in North America?
- Does its name start with a letter from A to M?
Four habits of people who win
- Ask about groups, not single things. “Is it a pet?” beats “Is it a cat?” until you're nearly there.
- Listen to other people's questions. Repeating one that was already answered wastes a turn.
- A no is as useful as a yes. Both cut the options roughly in half.
- Don't guess before question 10 unless you're sure. Early guesses rarely land.
Want more practice at closed questions? Our list of 150 yes or no questions is built for quick show-of-hands rounds.
120 things to guess in twenty questions
Stuck for a secret? Pick one from these lists, or let the dealer at the top choose. Every item is something a mixed group of coworkers will know.
Animals
- Giraffe
- Octopus
- Penguin
- Hummingbird
- Kangaroo
- Sloth
- Bald eagle
- Honeybee
- Dolphin
- Hedgehog
- Flamingo
- Polar bear
- Chameleon
- Sea turtle
- Owl
- Red panda
- Lobster
- Peacock
- Camel
- Firefly
Food and drinks
- Pizza
- Pancakes
- Popcorn
- Avocado
- Sushi
- Taco
- Soft pretzel
- Pineapple
- Peanut butter
- Bagel
- Ice cream cone
- Spaghetti
- Watermelon
- Hot sauce
- Dumplings
- Croissant
- Maple syrup
- Grilled cheese sandwich
- Lemonade
- Fortune cookie
Everyday objects
- Umbrella
- Toothbrush
- Backpack
- Alarm clock
- Scissors
- Bicycle
- Candle
- Suitcase
- Ladder
- Flashlight
- Zipper
- Pillow
- Mailbox
- Sunglasses
- Teapot
- House key
- Rubber band
- Doorbell
- Piano
- Compass
Places
- The Eiffel Tower
- The Grand Canyon
- The Great Wall of China
- The Statue of Liberty
- The Moon
- Antarctica
- The Sahara Desert
- Niagara Falls
- Mount Everest
- The Golden Gate Bridge
- A lighthouse
- A public library
- An airport
- A bowling alley
- A farmers market
- A train station
- A campsite
- An aquarium
- A movie theater
- A treehouse
Characters everyone knows
- Sherlock Holmes
- Cinderella
- Mickey Mouse
- Spider-Man
- Darth Vader
- Mary Poppins
- Winnie the Pooh
- Harry Potter
- Wonder Woman
- Shrek
- Robin Hood
- Peter Pan
- Snoopy
- Mario
- Kermit the Frog
- Elsa
- Paddington Bear
- Pikachu
- Scooby-Doo
- Buzz Lightyear
Office life
- Stapler
- Whiteboard
- Sticky note
- The office printer
- Coffee machine
- Name badge
- Standing desk
- Conference room
- Webcam
- Headset
- Calendar invite
- Spreadsheet
- The reply all button
- The mute button
- Slide deck
- Water cooler
- Paper shredder
- Swivel chair
- Elevator
- Lunch box
5 ways to play the twenty questions game with a team
The basic game suits three to eight people. These versions stretch it to a full team or squeeze it into the start of a meeting.
1. Team against team
Split into two teams that share the same 20 questions and take turns asking. Teams can whisper before they ask. The team that guesses the secret scores a point, and the first team to three wins.
Good for 8 to 20 people. Takes about 15 minutes.
2. Reverse 20 questions
One guesser steps out of the room, or closes their eyes on a call. The group picks the secret together, then the guesser asks all 20 questions and anyone can answer.
Good for new teams: nobody is put on the spot alone except a volunteer.
3. 10-question lightning round
Cut the count to 10 and limit secrets to things you can see from your seat. Rounds last two minutes, so five people can be the answerer before a meeting starts.
Use the Objects or Office set in the dealer.
4. Work edition
The secret has to come from work: a tool you all use, a product, a meeting, a room or a company tradition. Keep people off the list unless they volunteer to be the secret.
Try: the Monday stand-up, the supply closet, your project tracker.
5. Head start for big groups
With more than 12 players, the answerer gives two free facts before question one, so everyone gets to ask before the answer is obvious. Pass the turn by seat or by alphabet.
Example: “It's a place, and it's outdoors.”
Like games where one person knows and everyone else works it out? There are 35 more in our guessing games for adults, and our charades generator deals words to act out instead of guess.
How to play the 20 questions game online
It is one of the few party games that loses nothing on a video call or in a chat thread.
- On Zoom, Teams or Google Meet: the answerer opens the dealer on their own phone or in a window they aren't sharing, then says the category out loud.
- Ask in a fixed order, such as alphabetical by first name, so people don't talk over each other. Raised hands work too.
- Keep the count where everyone sees it: the host types the number left in the chat after each answer.
- Quiet group? Take questions in the chat. The answerer reads each one out and answers it.
- On Slack or Teams chat: start a thread, post one question per reply and let the answerer react with a check mark or an X. The reply count is your question count.
- More than 12 people: use breakout rooms of four to six with one answerer in each, then swap answerers every round.
20 questions to ask: four ready lists
The other game people call 20 questions (or 21 questions) is simpler: two people or a small group take turns asking each other questions until they have asked 20. Nobody guesses anything. Each list below has exactly 20, and all of them are safe to ask at work.
20 questions to get to know someone
Open questions with easy, happy answers. Take turns: you ask one, they ask one.
1. What's a small thing that always makes your day better?
2. Where did you grow up, and what did you like about it?
3. What's the best meal you've ever had?
4. What were you really into as a kid?
5. What's something you taught yourself?
6. What does a perfect Saturday look like for you?
7. What's the last thing you watched that you'd recommend?
8. What's a smell that takes you straight back somewhere?
9. Who taught you something you still use every day?
10. What's your go-to song in the car?
11. What was your favorite subject at school?
12. What's something you're proud of that most people don't know?
13. Are you a planner, or do you figure it out when you get there?
14. What's a tradition you never skip?
15. What's the best advice anyone has given you?
16. What's a sport, game or show you'll always stop to watch?
17. What's a food you could eat every week forever?
18. What's a hobby you picked up as an adult?
19. What's on your list for the next 12 months?
20. What's a question you wish people asked you more often?
20 questions to ask coworkers
For a one-on-one, a coffee chat or the first ten minutes of a team meeting.
1. What does the first hour of your workday look like?
2. What part of your job would surprise people outside the team?
3. Which part of your job did you have to learn the hard way?
4. What's the first thing you do when you're stuck on a problem?
5. What's the best project you've been part of, and why?
6. What's the most helpful feedback you've ever had?
7. What's your ideal lunch on a busy day?
8. Which meeting do you look forward to?
9. What job did you think you'd have when you grew up?
10. What's something you've learned this year?
11. What's your favorite way to celebrate a win?
12. Who at work has taught you the most?
13. What's playing in your headphones while you work?
14. What's the most useful thing on your desk?
15. What's a job you've had that would surprise people?
16. Do you prefer a message, a call or a walk to talk something through?
17. What's a work habit you'd recommend to anyone?
18. What's the best team event you've been to?
19. What could you teach in a 10-minute lunch and learn?
20. What does a good day at work look like for you?
20 questions to ask a new hire
Week-one questions that help a new teammate settle in. Answer each one yourself too, so it isn't an interview.
1. What name do you like to go by?
2. What made you say yes to this job?
3. What were you known for at your last job?
4. How do you like to learn something new: reading, watching or doing?
5. What's your ideal way to start a Monday?
6. Coffee, tea or something else?
7. What snack should we keep stocked?
8. What time of day do you focus best?
9. What's the best welcome you've had at a new job?
10. What's one thing you want to learn in your first month?
11. What's something outside work you could talk about for an hour?
12. Lunch: sit down, grab and go or homemade?
13. Which team are you most curious about?
14. What show, book or podcast are you into right now?
15. Pets, plants, both or neither?
16. What's the fun fact you save for introductions?
17. How do you like to be thanked: out loud or quietly?
18. What's the best city you've visited?
19. What would make your first week feel like a win?
20. What question do you have for us?
20 questions for a team lunch
Light table talk for a lunch, an offsite dinner or a long car ride. Nobody has to think hard.
1. What's the best thing you've ever eaten at a work event?
2. What's your order at a diner?
3. Which restaurant would you send everyone to?
4. What did your school lunch look like?
5. What dish do you make better than anyone?
6. What's the strangest food combination you enjoy?
7. Sweet or salty at 3 pm?
8. What food did you change your mind about?
9. What are you looking forward to this weekend?
10. What's the last photo on your phone you're happy to show?
11. What would you order for the whole table?
12. What's something you own that you'd recommend to everyone?
13. What trip would you take again tomorrow?
14. What game do you never lose?
15. What's a show everyone has seen except you?
16. What's the best gift you've ever been given?
17. What would your food truck sell?
18. What local spot should every visitor know about?
19. Which holiday has the best food?
20. If the team took a class together, what should it be?
Need more than 20? See our get to know you questions. To test how much a team has learned about each other, turn the answers into a quiz with our how well do you know me questions, or vote on each other with most likely to questions.
Want someone to run this for your team?
Twenty questions fills ten minutes. For a full hour of guessing, buzzing in and friendly rivalry, a live host runs a virtual game show or trivia with the questions, slides and scoring done for you. Book about 2 weeks ahead, or get a free quote.
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