How to play forbidden word

How to play

You need: a timer and a set of cards, or one phone.

1. Split into two teams of at least two players each.
2. The clue giver takes a card and starts a one-minute timer.
3. Describe the word at the top so your team says it. Do not say the word, part of it, or any of the five forbidden words.
4. Each right guess scores a point and you move to the next card. A forbidden word costs the card.
5. When time is up, the other team plays. The team with more points after the last round wins.

Rules

• No gestures, rhymes or 'sounds like' clues.
• Parts of the word count as the word: no 'fire' for 'firefighter'.
• Someone from the other team watches the card and calls out forbidden words.
• Skipping a card is allowed; house rules decide whether it costs a point.

Variants

One word clues

The clue giver may say only one word at a time. Slower, and a lot funnier.

No teams

Everyone guesses; the first right guess scores for the guesser and the clue giver.

Easy cards first

Start with easy cards for new players and add hard ones as the group warms up.

Tips to play better

• Read all five forbidden words before you start talking; most mistakes happen in the first second.
• Describe what the thing does or where you find it, not what it looks like.
• Use opposites and fill-in-the-blank sentences: 'the opposite of cold', 'peanut butter and ...'.
• Pass quickly on a card that stalls. Points come from pace.