Charades rules: how to play
One player acts a prompt without speaking while the others guess. Choose whether to play cooperatively or in teams.
Choose the prompts
Use familiar actions and objects for beginners. Remove prompts that a player cannot comfortably act. The generator can filter by difficulty and category.
Agree the signals
Decide whether pointing, showing word counts and sound-alike gestures are allowed. Show the agreed gestures before the first turn.
Show words and syllables
Hold up fingers to show how many words are in the answer. Hold them up again to choose a word to act. For syllables, place fingers on your opposite arm to show the count, then repeat the gesture to choose a syllable.
Show a sound-alike clue
For "sounds like", cup a hand behind your ear, then act out a word that sounds like the answer. Your team guesses the sound-alike word and uses it to find the answer.
Show the category
For a book, open your hands like pages. For a movie, mime turning the handle of a film camera. For a song, mime singing without making a sound. Demonstrate each gesture before play so everyone knows what it means.
Choose a turn limit
Set a limit everyone can see, or play without a timer. A player can pass and take another prompt.
Score consistently
House rule: award one point for a correctly guessed prompt. Use the same timer and passing rule for both teams.