Charades ideas

The all-round deck: things everyone can act out, from “swimming” to “assembling furniture without instructions”. Scroll for the full list or tap for a random idea.

184 words · free · no app, no sign-up

Act this out

…

Team game ↓

184 charades ideas by difficulty

Easy ideas are one word you can show in seconds. Medium ideas are everyday actions with a twist. Hard ideas are situations and idioms — save them for experienced players.

Easy67

swimming
sleeping
dancing
running
crying
laughing
eating
kicking
reading
singing
clapping
sneezing
yawning
cooking
fishing
driving
painting
typing
waving
drinking
umbrella
guitar
piano
airplane
bicycle
ladder
drum
scissors
balloon
camera
chair
clock
door
mirror
hat
glasses
backpack
pizza
ice cream
banana
sandwich
doctor
teacher
firefighter
police officer
pilot
farmer
dentist
beach
park
school
garden
lightning
snowman
lollipop
baseball
soccer
basketball
boxing
skiing
bowling
tennis
robot
train
crown
tree
whistle

Medium70

brushing your teeth
walking the dog
tying your shoes
taking a selfie
changing a light bulb
mowing the lawn
doing laundry
washing dishes
making the bed
ironing a shirt
vacuuming
riding a roller coaster
flying a kite
blowing bubbles
building a sandcastle
rowing a boat
climbing a mountain
walking a tightrope
lifting weights
doing push-ups
jumping rope
hula hooping
playing hopscotch
ice skating
surfing
skateboarding
changing a diaper
rocking a baby
hailing a taxi
waiting for the bus
getting a haircut
shaving
putting on makeup
opening a stubborn jar
popping popcorn
flipping pancakes
carving a pumpkin
wrapping a present
blowing out candles
sweeping the floor
shoveling snow
raking leaves
planting a seed
watering plants
milking a cow
chopping wood
hammering a nail
sewing a button
knitting
juggling
magician
lifeguard
mail carrier
astronaut
cowboy
pirate
waiter
mechanic
construction worker
movie theater
haunted house
car wash
elevator
playing video games
conducting an orchestra
scuba diving
parachuting
taking out the trash
hiccups
walking in high heels

Hard47

stuck in traffic
parallel parking
assembling furniture without instructions
stepping on a toy brick
walking into a spider web
locked out of the house
running late for work
a mime trapped in a box
sneaking past a sleeping dog
brain freeze
trying to catch a fly
opening a gift you don't like
slipping on ice
dropping your phone in a pool
bad hair day
a leaky faucet
jet lag
the Wi-Fi going out
waiting on hold
tangled headphones
burnt toast
doing taxes
moving to a new house
first day at a new job
winning the lottery
a surprise party
time travel
photobombing
getting cold feet
a needle in a haystack
breaking the ice
spilling the beans
feeling under the weather
raining cats and dogs
piece of cake
hitting the road
a fish out of water
the floor is lava
stepping in gum
a squeaky shopping cart
a paper jam in the printer
a self-checkout that keeps beeping
a revolving door
an awkward hug
a slow-motion replay
a statue coming to life
forgetting someone's name

Play these ideas as a team game

Split into teams, pass one phone around. The phone times every turn and keeps the score.

What makes a good charades idea

It can be shown with the whole body — “mowing the lawn” beats “lawn”.
Everyone in the room knows it. For mixed ages, stay at Easy and Medium.
It is a little funny to watch. Situations like “walking into a spider web” get the biggest laughs.

Hand signals that speed up guessing

Number of words: hold up that many fingers.
Which word you are acting: hold up that finger again.
“Sounds like”: tug your ear.
Movie, book, song: crank an old camera, open your hands like a book, pretend to sing.

Charades ideas — common questions

What are easy charades ideas?

Single actions and objects: sleeping, swimming, guitar, pizza, firefighter. All 67 are in the Easy column above.

What are funny charades ideas?

Everyday disasters: stepping in gum, a squeaky shopping cart, opening a gift you don’t like. The Funny deck has 122 of them.

How many charades ideas do we need for a party?

A 60-second turn uses 3–6 words, so 3 rounds with 4 teams need about 60. This deck has 184 and never repeats a word within a game.