Charades Generator
Get a random thing to act out, start the timer and keep score with up to four teams. Choose easy charades for kids, harder ones for adults, and the categories your group likes.
- 1,100+ charades ideas
- Kids to adults
- Timer and scores
- Printable cards
brush your teeth
Every word comes up once before any repeats.
What is a charades generator?
A charades generator picks what the next player acts out, silently, while their team guesses. These prompts were written to be acted: actions and activities, animals, jobs, sports, characters, feelings and well-known movies, plus idioms for experienced players and a Christmas set for the holidays. Easy prompts are single actions or animals a young child can mime, medium prompts take two or three moves (mow the lawn, change a light bulb), and hard prompts are films, phrases and tricky situations. Each prompt comes up once before any repeats, and the built-in timer and team scores mean you can run the game from a phone.
How to play charades with this generator
- Charades is already selected. Keep the default categories (actions, animals, movies, feelings and more) or tap them on and off.
- Choose Easy for kids, Medium for mixed groups, Hard for adults, or Mixed.
- Pick a timer length and the number of teams.
- The actor turns on Hide each word until tapped, taps to see the prompt, starts the timer and acts it out without speaking.
- Press Got it when the team guesses, Skip to pass, and Next team when time is up.
Charades rules and hand signals
The actor may not speak, mouth words or point at things in the room. Before acting, many groups use these classic signals so the team knows what kind of prompt it is.
| Signal | What it means |
|---|---|
| Crank an old film camera | It is a movie |
| Open your hands like a book | It is a book |
| Pretend to sing | It is a song |
| Draw a box in the air | It is a TV show |
| Hold up fingers | Number of words in the title |
| Fingers on your forearm | Number of syllables in a word |
| Tug your ear | Sounds like |
| Hands apart or together | Make it longer, or shorter |
| Touch your nose and point | That guess is right |
Why use this charades generator
- Prompts written to be actedActions, animals, jobs and feelings that work without props, plus movies and idioms for harder rounds.
- Timer and scores in one placeStart the countdown, add a point and pass the turn on the same screen. No second app, no sand timer, no score sheet.
- Fair for every ageSeparate easy, medium and hard decks let children and adults play the same game. Change the level between turns in one tap.
- Works like a real deckEvery word comes up once before anything repeats, and you can see how many are left.
- Pass the phone safelyHide each word until tapped, so only the player whose turn it is sees it.
- Print when you want paperSave a PDF of 12 cards per page with cut lines, on Letter or A4, from the categories you chose.
Where people play it
- Holiday parties. Switch to the Christmas theme for holiday movies, songs and characters.
- Drama class. Use actions and feelings as a mime warm-up.
- Team building. A no-prep game that gets everyone moving.
- Sleepovers. Easy prompts and a long timer for younger kids.
- Video calls. Act on camera while the rest of the call guesses.
- English lessons. Act out verbs and feelings to practice vocabulary.
Charades ideas by category
A sample of the prompts in each category, from easy to hard. Use them as a quick list, or let the generator pick for you with a timer.
Animals
cow, rabbit, sheep, ant, crocodile, deer, walrus, vulture, hermit crab
Objects
phone, comb, rope, robot, clothespin, lipstick, thermometer, dreamcatcher, slingshot
Food and drink
ice cream, strawberry, corn, pie, croissant, sausage, kebab, fondue, tofu
Actions
dance, walk, climb, skip, play guitar, brush your hair, wash the car, give a speech, milk a cow
Jobs
chef, pilot, astronaut, painter, photographer, cashier, tour guide, conductor, personal trainer
Sports and hobbies
tennis, skiing, skating, reading, ice skating, rugby, chess, synchronized swimming, hang gliding
Characters
superhero, witch, knight, giant, mummy, pharaoh, mad scientist, Cupid, Rapunzel
Movies
The Lion King, Moana, Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz, Pirates of the Caribbean, Coco, Indiana Jones, The Truman Show, Mission: Impossible
Feelings
angry, sleepy, excited, proud, jealous, impatient, grateful, stubborn, restless
Charades generator, printable list or app?
| This generator | Printable word lists | Party game apps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free or a few dollars | Free with ads, or paid word packs |
| Random order, no repeats | Yes, shuffled deck | You shuffle the cards | Usually |
| Easy, medium and hard | Yes, switch any time | Sometimes | Often in paid packs |
| Timer and team scores | Built in | No | Usually |
| Print cards | Yes, Letter or A4 | Yes | Rarely |
| Install or account | None | None | App install, sometimes an account |
Example: charades at a birthday party
For a group of children, keep Actions, Animals, Jobs and Sports and hobbies on, set Difficulty to Easy, the timer to 90 seconds and 2 teams. Each child taps to see the prompt, then acts it out for their team. Later, for the adults, switch to Hard and add Phrases and idioms.
What to expect from the result
The generator supplies the prompts, the timer and the scores. It does not judge guesses, so agree house rules (such as whether close guesses count) before you start. Movie titles are well-known family and classic films, mostly from the US, so check they suit your group. There is no online multiplayer: everyone plays together in the same room or on a video call.
Charades generator FAQ
What are good charades ideas?
Good charades are things people can act without props or words: actions like brushing your teeth or juggling, animals like a kangaroo, jobs like a firefighter, feelings like embarrassed, and well-known movies. Match the difficulty to the youngest player.
What are the rules of charades?
Players split into teams. One player gets a word or title and acts it out silently while their team guesses before the timer runs out. No talking, mouthing words or pointing at things in the room. Classic hand signals show whether it is a movie, book or song and how many words it has.
Are there charades ideas for kids?
Yes. Choose Easy. Kids prompts are simple actions, animals and jobs such as jump, sneeze, monkey and firefighter.
Can I play charades on a video call?
Yes. The actor opens this page on their phone, turns on Hide each word until tapped and acts on camera. Someone else keeps score on their own screen.
Can I print charades cards?
Yes. Pick your categories and difficulty, then choose Save PDF or Print under Printable cards. You get 12 cards per page with cut lines.
Do words repeat?
Not until every word in the categories you picked has come up once. Then the deck is shuffled again and a new round starts. The counter under the card shows how many words are left.
Do I need an app or an account?
No. It runs in any browser on a phone, tablet, laptop or smart TV. There is no account, no download and no ads between turns, and the words, timer and scores all stay on your device.
More random tools and party games
Draw a single random letter for a categories game, split players into random teams or spin a wheel of names to choose who goes first. For the holidays, print Christmas bingo cards, draw names for Secret Santa or run a White Elephant gift swap.