How to play charades: rules, gestures & setup

Charades is the classic acting game: one player silently acts out a secret word or phrase while their team shouts guesses before the timer runs out. No talking, no sounds, no pointing at objects in the room — just mime. Here are the full rules, the standard hand signals, and the fastest way to play with nothing but a phone.

Charades rules in 30 seconds

1. Split into two teams (or play free-for-all in small groups).
2. One player is the actor. They draw a secret word — from cards, a word list, or an app.
3. Start a 60-second timer. The actor mimes the word; their team shouts guesses.
4. No talking, no mouthing words, no sounds from the actor. Gestures only.
5. Score a point for every word guessed before time runs out, then pass to the next actor.
6. Highest score wins after everyone has acted the same number of turns.

The classic charades hand signals

• Category first: mime a film camera for movies, open palms like a book, draw a TV square for shows, dance for songs.
• Number of words: hold up fingers — three fingers = three words.
• Which word you're acting: hold up fingers again (two fingers = second word).
• Syllables: tap fingers on your forearm.
• "Sounds like": tug your earlobe, then act a rhyming word.
• "Close, keep going": wave your hands toward yourself.
• "Correct!": point at the guesser and tap your nose.

The easier variant: reverse charades (Heads Up style)

In classic charades one person acts and many guess. The modern phone version flips it: one person guesses while everyone else acts or shouts clues. The guesser holds the phone on their forehead showing a word they can't see, and tilts the phone down when they get it right. It's faster, louder, and nobody gets stage fright. We cover it in detail inhow to play Heads Up.

How to play charades on your phone (zero prep)

Writing words on scraps of paper is the slowest part of charades. TheAI Charades app replaces the hat of paper slips entirely:

1. Open Heads Up! party mode — it works fully offline.
2. Add your players and pick a round length (30, 60 or 90 seconds).
3. Choose word packs — Animals, Movies, Food, Sports and 40+ more, or generate a custom pack with AI on any topic.
4. Pass the phone. Each player holds it to their forehead while the group acts out or shouts clues. Tilt down to score, tilt up to pass.
5. Check the leaderboard — the app tracks every player's score and shows which words you nailed and which got away.

Tips to be great at charades

• Establish the category before anything else — it halves the guessing space.
• Break phrases into words, words into syllables. "Spider-Man" is easier as "spider" + "man".
• Act the whole body. Big, exaggerated movements beat subtle ones.
• Guessers: say everything. A wrong guess often triggers the right one.