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Single words and short phrases

Charades words

These 692 charades words are the quick ones: actions, animals, jobs, sports, characters and feelings that can be acted in a few seconds without spelling anything out. They suit warm-up rounds, younger players and anyone new to the game. For full titles, see movie charades and TV show charades.

Each word is tagged easy, medium or hard. Use the generator above to draw them at random, or print the card sheet and pull words from a bowl. For the hardest titles, jump to hard charades words.

AnimalsEasy

Duck

 

Easy charades words60 of 265

This set has 265 ideas. Start with "Brushing teeth", "Dog", "Pirate" — give each actor 30 to 60 seconds; it one clear gesture each, so the round moves fast and every player gets a fair turn.

Best for: young children, classrooms and first rounds · 265 in this set, shown below

  • Brushing teethEasy
  • DogEasy
  • PirateEasy
  • HappyEasy
  • DoctorEasy
  • SoccerEasy
  • Jumping ropeEasy
  • CatEasy
  • CowboyEasy
  • SadEasy
  • NurseEasy
  • BasketballEasy
  • Riding a bikeEasy
  • ElephantEasy
  • NinjaEasy
  • AngryEasy
  • TeacherEasy
  • BaseballEasy
  • SleepingEasy
  • MonkeyEasy
  • SuperheroEasy
  • ScaredEasy
  • FirefighterEasy
  • FootballEasy
  • Eating spaghettiEasy
  • LionEasy
  • PrincessEasy
  • SurprisedEasy
  • Police officerEasy
  • TennisEasy
  • Blowing bubblesEasy
  • TigerEasy
  • PrinceEasy
  • ExcitedEasy
  • ChefEasy
  • GolfEasy
  • Flying a kiteEasy
  • SnakeEasy
  • KingEasy
  • TiredEasy
  • FarmerEasy
  • SwimmingEasy
  • Building a sandcastleEasy
  • BirdEasy
  • QueenEasy
  • BoredEasy
  • PilotEasy
  • BowlingEasy
  • Climbing a treeEasy
  • FishEasy
  • KnightEasy
  • SillyEasy
  • AstronautEasy
  • BoxingEasy
  • Taking a bathEasy
  • FrogEasy
  • WizardEasy
  • ShyEasy
  • DentistEasy
  • KarateEasy

Medium charades words60 of 296

This set has 296 ideas. Start with "Doing a cartwheel", "Peacock", "Vampire" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.

Best for: young children, classrooms and first rounds · 296 in this set, shown below

  • Doing a cartwheelMedium
  • PeacockMedium
  • VampireMedium
  • NervousMedium
  • VeterinarianMedium
  • ArcheryMedium
  • Doing a somersaultMedium
  • CaterpillarMedium
  • WerewolfMedium
  • ConfusedMedium
  • MechanicMedium
  • FencingMedium
  • Pretending to be a statueMedium
  • JellyfishMedium
  • GenieMedium
  • EmbarrassedMedium
  • PlumberMedium
  • WrestlingMedium
  • Eating corn on the cobMedium
  • SeahorseMedium
  • VikingMedium
  • JealousMedium
  • ElectricianMedium
  • Sumo wrestlingMedium
  • Opening a jarMedium
  • StarfishMedium
  • SamuraiMedium
  • LonelyMedium
  • CarpenterMedium
  • WeightliftingMedium
  • Raking leavesMedium
  • LobsterMedium
  • Roman gladiatorMedium
  • DisgustedMedium
  • JudgeMedium
  • RowingMedium
  • Mowing the lawnMedium
  • HedgehogMedium
  • CheerleaderMedium
  • WorriedMedium
  • PhotographerMedium
  • KayakingMedium
  • VacuumingMedium
  • PorcupineMedium
  • Rock starMedium
  • RelievedMedium
  • ReporterMedium
  • SailingMedium
  • Folding laundryMedium
  • SkunkMedium
  • Movie starMedium
  • GratefulMedium
  • Weather forecasterMedium
  • Water skiingMedium
  • Ironing clothesMedium
  • RaccoonMedium
  • SpyMedium
  • FearlessMedium
  • LibrarianMedium
  • Scuba divingMedium

Hard charades words40 of 131

This set has 131 ideas. Start with "Hanging a picture", "Iguana", "Grim Reaper" — give each actor 90 seconds; it leans on long titles and "sounds like" clues, so give actors the longer timer and expect half the round to need a second pass.

Best for: young children, classrooms and first rounds · 131 in this set, shown below

  • Hanging a pictureHard
  • IguanaHard
  • Grim ReaperHard
  • SarcasticHard
  • ArchitectHard
  • Synchronized swimmingHard
  • Shearing a sheepHard
  • JaguarHard
  • Court jesterHard
  • NostalgicHard
  • LawyerHard
  • Hang glidingHard
  • Telling ghost storiesHard
  • ArmadilloHard
  • Sea captainHard
  • OverwhelmedHard
  • News anchorHard
  • ParaglidingHard
  • Sitting in a waiting roomHard
  • AnteaterHard
  • Superhero's sidekickHard
  • SuspiciousHard
  • Tour guideHard
  • PoloHard
  • Scanning groceriesHard
  • PlatypusHard
  • Father TimeHard
  • SkepticalHard
  • TailorHard
  • CricketHard
  • Ordering at a drive-throughHard
  • ManateeHard
  • SmugHard
  • Ice cream truck driverHard
  • LacrosseHard
  • Eating at a fancy restaurantHard
  • NarwhalHard
  • AwkwardHard
  • OptometristHard
  • SquashHard
See the full list →

64 cards from this list, eight to a page with cut lines and card backs for double-sided printing. Free PDF.

US Letter PDFA4 PDF

Questions

What are good words for charades?

Words that are easy to show and hard to say out loud: actions (juggling), animals (kangaroo), jobs (firefighter) and feelings (embarrassed). Avoid abstract words that have no gesture.

What is the difference between charades words and charades ideas?

Words here are single words or short phrases you act directly. The charades ideas hub also includes titles of films, TV shows, books and songs, which usually need the syllable and "sounds like" signs.

How are the difficulty levels decided?

Easy words have one obvious gesture (sleeping, elephant). Medium words need a short scene (beekeeper). Hard words are feelings or situations that take some creativity (nostalgic, stuck in traffic).

Can I print this charades list?

Yes. Use the printable cards link on this page for a PDF in A4 or US Letter, eight words per sheet with cut lines.

Are these charades words suitable for kids?

The easy and medium words are fine for children. For a list already filtered for young players, see charades for kids.