Random charades word generator

How to play charades in 6 steps

You need at least four people, something to draw words from and a timer. This page is the last two.

1. 1Split into two teams. Three to eight people a side works best. At work, mix departments so nobody is stuck guessing with their own desk neighbors.
2. 2Draw a word in secret. The first actor taps New word on their own phone, or the host shows it to them. Nobody else sees it.
3. 3Signal the category. Use the standard gestures below to show whether it is a movie, a TV show or a phrase, and how many words it has.
4. 4Act it out in silence. No talking, no sounds and no mouthing the words. Most groups also ban pointing at objects in the room.
5. 5Guess before the timer ends. The actor's own team shouts guesses for 60 seconds. A correct guess scores one point. If time runs out, nobody scores.
6. 6Swap teams and rotate actors. Teams take turns until everyone has acted at least once. The highest score wins.

Charades is one of the 35 guessing games for adults in our full list. If your team would rather draw than act, switch to the Pictionary word generator.

14 standard charades gestures

These signals are the shared language of the game. Agree on them before the first turn and hard titles become possible.

It's a movie

Hold one fist by your eye and crank the other hand beside it, like an old film camera.

It's a TV show

Draw a rectangle in the air with both index fingers.

It's a book

Press your palms together, then open them like a book.

It's a song

Pretend to sing into a microphone.

Number of words

Hold up that many fingers.

Which word you are acting

Hold up fingers again: two fingers means the second word.

Number of syllables

Lay that many fingers on your forearm.

Which syllable

Lay fingers on your forearm again for the syllable you are acting.

Sounds like

Cup a hand behind your ear, then act out a word that rhymes.

A small word (a, the, of, in)

Hold your thumb and forefinger close together.

The whole thing at once

Sweep both arms in a big circle.

Longer or shorter word

Pull your hands apart like stretching a rubber band, or chop one hand on the other to cut it short.

Close, keep going

Wave your hands toward yourself.

Correct

Touch your nose and point at the person who said it.

How to play charades online, on Zoom or Teams

A charades game online works as well as one in a room. The only new problem is getting the word to the actor without anyone else seeing it.

1. 1Pick one host. The host keeps this page open, runs the timer and keeps score in the chat. The host does not share their screen.
2. 2Send the word privately. Tap Copy on the word and paste it to the actor in a private message: a direct message in the meeting chat if your call allows them, or your usual team chat. Or each actor opens this page on their own phone.
3. 3Put the actor on the big screen. Spotlight the actor in Zoom or Teams so everyone sees them large. If you are not the host of the call, ask people to pin the actor instead.
4. 4Step back from the camera. The actor mutes, stands up and moves back until their arms fit in the frame. Sitting charades is much harder to guess.
5. 5Guess out loud or in the chat. Up to about ten people can shout guesses. For bigger groups, type guesses in the chat and the first correct message wins the point.
6. 6Split big groups into breakout rooms. With more than 12 people, send teams of five or six to breakout rooms. Each room plays its own game with this page and reports a score at the end.

Need more for the same call? Our team meeting games all take 5 to 15 minutes.

5 charades variations, including emoji charades

Same generator, different game. Use these when the group has played the classic version before.

1. 1. Reverse charades

   Flip the roles: the whole team acts out the word together and one teammate guesses. Nobody is alone on stage, so shy players join in.

   Best for teams that do not know each other yet.

2. 2. Team relay

   Give each team the same list of five words. The first actor performs word one; when the team gets it, the next player runs up for word two. The first team through all five wins.

   Best for large groups and offsites.

3. 3. Speed round

   One actor, 60 seconds, as many words as the team can guess. Tap New word after every correct guess, and allow one skip per turn.

   Best when you only have ten minutes.

4. 4. Charades telephone

   Line up five players facing away. The first acts the word for the second only, who repeats the act for the third, and so on. The last player guesses what it was.

   Best for laughs. The act always drifts.

5. 5. Emoji charades

   No camera needed. One player gets a word and types only emojis in the team chat. Everyone else replies with guesses, and the first correct reply scores.

   Best for Slack or Teams channels and camera-off days.

12 emoji charades puzzles to start a thread

Paste one into your team chat and let people reply with guesses. Answers are on the right.

• 🦁 👑The Lion King
• 🚢 🧊Titanic
• 👻 🚫Ghostbusters
• ⭐ ⚔️Star Wars
• 🐠 🔎Finding Nemo
• 🕷️ 🧑Spider-Man
• 🐼 🥋Kung Fu Panda
• 🧙 ⚡ 👓Harry Potter
• 🎤 🔇You're on mute
• 📄 🖨️ 😖Paper jam
• 🧊 🔨Icebreaker
• 🧠 🥶Brain freeze

For more acting games, try the improv games for work. For a longer session, pick from 45 group games for adults.