Charades Generator
Words by category and difficulty, with a built-in round timer.
About this generator
Pick a category โ animals, actions, movies & shows, jobs, objects โ and a difficulty, hand the phone to the actor, and they tap to reveal their word (tapping again hides it before the handback). A round timer for 60, 90 or 120 seconds is built in, and words don't repeat until a category's deck runs out.
Acting rules and the gestures everyone shares
The three prohibitions are universal: no words, no mouthing, no pointing at the actual thing. Everything else is the shared sign language that makes charades work: fingers on the arm for syllable count, cupped ear for "sounds like", pulling hands apart for "bigger/longer", the film-reel crank for movies. Good actors work in this order โ category sign first, syllables second, then the easiest syllable, not the first. Team play: two teams alternate actors, one point per guessed word inside the timer; the team generator splits the room fairly and the scoreboard keeps the score visible. Hard mode words here are genuinely hard โ "paparazzi" has broken strong actors.
Frequently asked questions
What are the rules of charades?
The actor may not speak, mouth words, or point at the actual object โ everything else is gesture. Standard signals: fingers on the forearm for syllables, cupped ear for 'sounds like', a film-crank for movies.
How long should a charades round be?
60 seconds is the classic; 90 suits hard words or younger players. The built-in timer covers 60, 90 and 120.
How does the peek-proof reveal work?
The word stays hidden until the actor taps, and tapping again re-hides it before the phone is handed back โ no accidental spoilers across the circle.
How do teams and scoring work?
Two teams alternate actors; a word guessed within the timer scores a point. Play to a total (10 is a good evening) โ the team generator and scoreboard tools handle the admin.