Charades Generator

How this charades generator works

You need something to act out, or a whole batch to keep a game going. Charades lives or dies on nobody being able to prepare, which is exactly what a random prompt gives you. This tool hands you one in a tap, and the page below covers how to play and the gestures that keep a round moving.

It runs on a hand-checked list of around 380 charades prompts, a mix of animals, actions, activities, and objects, from "cockroach" to "figure skating" to "clap". Press Generate for one, or set the Number box from 1 to 100 for a batch with no repeats. Each prompt comes back with a capital letter.

The handiest filter is Contains: type a word to pull prompts that include it. The Copy button lifts the whole list, which is useful for setting up a game in advance.

How to play charades

The rules are simple, which is why charades has lasted so long. Split into teams. One player takes a prompt, in secret, and acts it out for their team while a timer runs, usually a minute or two. The team shouts guesses. If they get it before time is up, they score.

The one hard rule is the whole point of the game: no talking, and no making any sound. You cannot speak, mouth the word, or point at an object in the room to give it away. You have your body and nothing else. That constraint is what makes it funny, and what makes a good actor worth watching.

The gestures everyone uses

Charades has a small set of signals that regular players use to save time. They are worth knowing before you start:

• Number of words: hold up that many fingers.
• Which word you are on: hold up fingers again to show word one, two, and so on.
• Number of syllables: lay that many fingers on your forearm.
• "Sounds like": tug your earlobe, then act out a word that rhymes with the tricky one.
• Categories: mime cranking an old camera for a film, open your hands like a book for a title, or pretend to sing for a song.

Agree on these at the start so everyone is reading the same signals. After a round or two they become second nature.

Ways people use random charades

• Parties and gatherings. The classic use. Generate a batch beforehand so the game runs without pauses.
• Classrooms. A lively way to review vocabulary, animals, or verbs, and it gets restless students moving.
• Team building. Low-stakes, quick to explain, and it gets people laughing together, which is the real goal.
• Kids and family. Easy enough for young children, and a good screen-free way to fill an evening.

Getting more from the filter

• Use the Contains box to build a themed round, like prompts with "ball" or "dance" in them.
• Generate a big batch and deal them out as cards, so each player draws without having to come back to the tool.
• If Contains returns nothing, no prompt in the list holds that word. Try a more common one.

Questions people ask

How do you play charades?

Teams take turns. One player silently acts out a secret prompt while their team guesses against a timer. Guess it in time and you score. No talking or sounds allowed.

What are you not allowed to do?

You cannot speak, make any sound, mouth the word, or point at objects in the room to hint at the answer. You act it out with your body only.

What are good charades ideas?

Actions and animals work best because they are easy to mime, while films, songs, and books make good rounds once players know the category gestures. This tool gives you a broad mix of all of them.

How long should each turn be?

A minute or two is usual. Short enough to keep the energy up, long enough for the actor to work through a tricky prompt.

Charades is a traditional parlour game with no single owner. These prompts are our own.

References

1. Charades (Wikipedia)