Charades
Classic party game in which players silently act out words, phrases, or titles for their team to guess — with strict rules against speaking, sound-making, or drawing.
What is Charades?
Charades is a word-guessing party game in which one player silently acts out a word, phrase, movie/book/song/play title, or famous person for their team to guess. It descends from 16th-century French salon games, became a fashionable Victorian-era parlor game in England ('Acting Charades', 1830s+), and evolved into modern silent Charades in the 20th century. Players may use standard gestures (5 fingers = 5 words, tapping wrist = title of movie/song/book, pulling ear = 'sounds like') but cannot speak, mouth words, or make sounds. Games typically use house rules — length (5-15 min per player) and scoring vary. Modern variants include Reverse Charades (team acts, one guesses), Speed Charades (30-sec timer), Group Charades (large parties), and mobile versions like Heads Up! (Ellen DeGeneres) which adapts charades to a phone-held-on-forehead format. Charades has been played casually for 200+ years and remains among the most universal party games worldwide.
Quick facts
Category
Party Games
Type
Team sport
Players
4–20
Duration
~45 min
Where played
indoor
Field / court
any indoor space
Country of origin
🇫🇷 France
Estimated origin
16th-century French salon riddle-game 'Charade'; Victorian Acting Charades 1830s+; modern silent form early 20th century
Olympic
No
Popularity
global
How it works
Objective
Correctly guess as many words/phrases/titles as possible; team with most correct guesses wins.
Match structure
Teams alternate turns. Actor draws a word/phrase, silently acts out clues; teammates shout guesses; timer runs 1-3 min. Correct guess = point + next player. Team with most points wins (or first to N points).
Rules
Basic rules
No speaking, no sounds, no mouthing
Actor cannot speak, whisper, mouth words, or make any sound.
No pointing at objects
Cannot point at objects in room; can only pantomime.
No writing / no drawing
Cannot use pen and paper (that's Pictionary).
Standard gestures allowed
5 fingers = 5 words; wrist tap = title of movie/song/book; ear pull = 'sounds like'; pinching fingers = 'small word'.
Timer per turn
1-3 minutes typical; if time runs out, no point.
Correct guess = point
Team gets point for each word guessed within time.
Advanced rules
Category signals
Fingers walking = TV show. Book open = book. Crank camera = movie. Sing gesture = song.
Word-length signals
Show number of fingers = # words. For 3-word phrase, show 3 fingers, then hold up 1/2/3 for word being acted.
'Sounds like' technique
Ear pull = the next thing you act is what the word sounds like (e.g., act 'sky' for 'sci' in Science).
Speed Charades
30-second timer per word; team races through as many as possible.
Reverse Charades
Whole team acts; 1 person guesses.
Categories
Common categories: Movie, TV Show, Book, Song, Person, Phrase, Object.
Scoring
Correct guess = 1 point; team with most points wins. Variants vary.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Correct guess within time | 1 |
| Time expires | 0 (or -1 in some variants) |
| Wrong guess | No penalty; team continues guessing |
Win condition · Most points at end of round(s) or first to agreed target (e.g., 10 points).
Playing area
Called
any indoor space
Dimensions
Living room / party space; center-stage area for actor and audience.
Any indoor space with room for actor to move + audience space for teammates to observe.
Equipment
Pen + paper (or app)
Words written on paper folded and drawn from hat/bowl. Or use Heads Up! or Charades apps.
Timer (1-3 min)
Sand timer or phone; typically 1-3 minutes per acting turn.
Scoring pad (optional)
Points for correct guesses in some variants.
Officiating
Self-refereed; teams enforce no-speaking/no-sound rule.
- Self-refereed
- Timekeeper (rotating between teams)
Strategies
Establish category first
Use standard signals (crank = movie, book open = book) to narrow focus.
Show word count
Hold up N fingers = N words in phrase; helps team anticipate.
Break long words into sounds
For 'Titanic', break into 'tit' (a tit bird?) + 'a' + 'nick'.
Use approximation
For 'photograph', mime taking a picture with camera.
Team should shout freely
5-10 guesses per second increases hit chance.
Save 'sounds like' as last resort
Ear-pull complex signal — use only when direct mime fails.
Terminology
- Actor
- Current player who acts out the word/phrase.
- Guessers
- Rest of actor's team who shout guesses.
- Word / Phrase
- Target — single word, short phrase, movie/book/song title, person name.
- 5 fingers
- Signal: '5 words in phrase' (or number of words in phrase).
- Wrist tap
- Signal: 'title of movie/song/book'.
- Ear pull
- Signal: 'sounds like' — next thing acted is what word sounds like.
- Pinch fingers
- Signal: 'small word' — the/a/of etc.
- Category (movie/book/song/TV)
- Type of word being acted (crank = movie, etc.).
- Pass
- Actor gives up on a word; no point.
- Reverse Charades
- Team acts; 1 person guesses (opposite of classic).
Major competitions
World's Largest Charades Game (Guinness Records)
sporadic · various
Corporate / team-building Charades
informal · worldwide
Heads Up! app leaderboards
ongoing · worldwide
Where it is played
Governing bodies
None (traditional party game)
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Ellen DeGeneres (USA) — Popularised charades via 'Heads Up!' iPhone app on her show
- Traditional Victorian parlor game — no individual champions
Records
Largest simultaneous Charades game (Guinness)
Various — 1,000+ participants (2019)
Heads Up! app downloads
Ellen DeGeneres app — 50+ million (Google Play + iOS) (2024)
Learn this sport
beginner
- 1
Play at a family/holiday party
Rules learn in 5 min; game teaches through play.
- 2
Start with simple categories
Familiar movies, songs, or common objects for easy hits.
- 3
Learn signal system
5 fingers = # words, crank = movie, book = book, etc.
intermediate
- 1
Speed Charades drills
30-sec timer per word forces quick action.
- 2
Try Heads Up! app format
Ellen DeGeneres app; phone on forehead makes it easier.
- 3
Practice with adult words
Movies, celebrities, quotable phrases for advanced levels.
advanced
- 1
Reverse Charades team
Whole team acts to 1 guesser — hilarious variant.
- 2
Themed Charades
Movie-Charades, Song-Charades, etc. for parties.
- 3
Corporate team-building tournaments
Multi-round elimination formats.
Frequently asked
How do you play Charades?+
One player draws a word or phrase and silently acts it out. Teammates try to guess within a time limit (usually 1-3 minutes). No speaking, mouthing, or sounds allowed — pantomime only. Correct guess = point.
What are the hand signals in Charades?+
5 fingers = 5 words. Wrist tap = title of movie/song/book. Ear pull = 'sounds like'. Pinch fingers = 'small word' (the/a/of). Crank camera = movie. Book open = book. Sing gesture = song.
Where did Charades come from?+
Descends from 16th-century French salon riddle games ('Charade' = word puzzle). Modern silent acting Charades emerged from Victorian-era 'Acting Charades' parlor games in the 1830s-40s in England.
How long does a Charades game take?+
30-90 minutes typical for a family game. Speed Charades version (30-sec timer per word) is faster. Corporate/party games can extend 2+ hours if all players get multiple turns.
What's Heads Up! by Ellen DeGeneres?+
A phone app version of Charades launched 2013. Players hold phone on their forehead so category cards face outward; friends give clues (verbal in this variant) and player guesses. 50+ million downloads.
Is Charades an Olympic sport?+
No — Charades is a traditional party game with no formal championships. It's played casually worldwide as one of the most universal social games.
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Charades— Wikipedia
- How to Play Charades — party-game guides— The Game Gal