Charades. Free online.
The phone deals the words, runs the 60-second timer and keeps the score — you still have to do the miming. No app, no sign-up, play free in your browser.
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Charades, free in your browser
No slips of paper, no bowl, no arguing about who writes the words. The game above deals them, times the round and keeps the score; you still have to do the miming. 1,800+ words across 32 decks, free, nothing to install.
The rules, in the order you need them
Split into two teams. One player from the first team takes a word and acts it out in silence while their own team guesses. If the team gets it before the timer runs out, they score and the actor takes another word. When time runs out, play passes to the other team. Highest score after an agreed number of rounds wins.
Three things the actor may not do: speak, mouth the word, or point at an object in the room that happens to be the answer. Pointing at a real clock to mime "time" is the most common argument in charades and the rule is that it does not count. Everything else - gestures, facial expressions, acting out other people's reactions - is allowed.
The hand signals
Before you mime anything, you tell the team what they are looking for. These are the standard signals; almost every group uses the first four and improvises the rest.
| Number of words | Hold up that many fingers. |
| Which word you are doing | Hold up fingers, then lay them on your forearm. |
| Number of syllables | Lay that many fingers on your forearm. |
| Film | Crank an imaginary old film camera beside your head. |
| TV show | Draw a rectangle in the air. |
| Book | Hold your palms together, then open them like a book. |
| Song | Pretend to sing, hand over your heart. |
| Phrase or saying | Pull an imaginary rope, hand over hand. |
| Sounds like | Tug your earlobe. |
| Longer word / shorter word | Pull your hands apart, or push them together. |
| Close - keep going | Wave your hand in a circle to speed them up. |
| Exactly right | Point at the person who said it. |
One house rule worth agreeing in advance: whether the actor may signal "sounds like" at all. Purists ban it, because it turns miming into word games. Everybody else keeps it, because without it "Interstellar" is impossible.
Which decks are built for miming
Not every word list works for charades. A deck of celebrity names is fine for the forehead version and terrible for silent miming unless the room knows what each person is famous for. These are the decks that mime well, easiest first:
- 🎭 Act It Out — 100 words
- 🎬 Film & TV — 64 words
- 🐾 Animals — 105 words
- 💼 Jobs — 60 words
- 🍔 Food — 100 words
- 😀 Emotions — 52 words
- 💬 Idioms & Sayings — 40 words (hard)
- 🌀 Abstract Concepts — 45 words (hard)
Act It Out is the deck designed specifically for this game - it is verbs and physical actions rather than nouns, so there is always something to do with your body. Idioms and Abstract Concepts are at the other end: save them for a tie-breaker. Every list is readable in full on the charades words page if you want to print slips instead.
Timing and scoring
Sixty seconds per round is the default and it is right for most groups. Shorten it to thirty if the group is competitive and you want chaos; stretch it to ninety for children or for the hard decks. In upheads the timer runs on the phone, so nobody has to watch a clock and nobody can claim they had five seconds left.
For scoring, use teams mode: pick 2 to 4 teams and the phone passes turn by turn with a cumulative scoreboard. The alternative - everybody for themselves, one point per word - works fine with four or five people and falls apart above that, because the people who are not guessing have nothing to do.
Charades with children
It works from about four years old, earlier than most party games, because miming does not need reading or vocabulary. Use animals, kids or actions, drop the hand signals entirely, and let them guess out of turn - the rule that only your own team may answer is the first thing to throw away with a young group. More family game night formats here.
Seasonal charades
Two themed decks are ready to play: Halloween charades with 60 words and Christmas charades with 62, both grouped by theme so you can pick the difficulty for the room.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play charades?
Split into two teams. One player takes a word and acts it out in complete silence while their own team guesses, against a timer. No speaking, no pointing at objects in the room, no mouthing the word. If the team guesses before time runs out they score, then play passes to the other team. First to an agreed score, or most points after an agreed number of rounds, wins.
Can I play charades online for free?
Yes. upheads deals the words, times the round and keeps score in your browser - no app, no download, no sign-up, no cost. You still act them out in the room; the phone only replaces the slips of paper and the arguing about whose turn it is.
How long should a charades round be?
Sixty seconds is the standard and it is the right answer for most groups. Ninety seconds if you are playing with children or using the harder decks like idioms and abstract concepts. Thirty seconds if the group is competitive and you want it frantic.
What are the charades hand signals?
Before you start miming you tell the team what kind of thing it is and how big it is. Hold up fingers for the number of words, then rest that many fingers on your forearm to show which word you are doing. Standard category signals: cranking an old film camera for a film, drawing a rectangle for a book, pulling a mime's rope for a phrase. Tug your earlobe for "sounds like", and move your hands apart or together for "longer" and "shorter".
How many players do you need for charades?
Four is the realistic minimum - two teams of two. Six to twelve is ideal. Above twelve, make three or four teams rather than two bigger ones, so the gap between your turns stays short.
What are good charades words?
Words that are actable, guessable and quick. Actions and verbs are the easiest to mime, films and TV work well because the titles can be broken into words, and famous people work because you can mime what they are known for. Abstract nouns are the hardest - excellent for a tie-breaker, miserable for a warm-up.
Is charades the same as Heads Up?
No, the roles are reversed. In charades the actor knows the word and mimes it silently while their team guesses. In Heads Up the guesser is the one who does not know the word - they hold it on their forehead and the room shouts clues. upheads plays both on the same decks; pick whichever suits the room.
Can you talk in charades?
The actor cannot - not a word, and no mouthing. The guessers can say whatever they like. That asymmetry is the whole game. If you want a version where everybody talks, play the forehead version instead.
Do I need an app to play charades?
No. This page is the game. It runs in any mobile browser, and because there is nothing to install you can start it on a phone that somebody just handed you.
Other ways to play
The main upheads game, the word on forehead version, Who Am I?, every word list, games like Heads Up, party games for large groups, games for two people, road trip games and classroom games.