Word guessing party game: describe the word without the 5 forbidden words! 420 cards, team mode and solo guessing.
About the game
Forbidden Words is a fun word guessing party game you can play with friends, family or a whole class using just one phone. The rules are simple: the describer looks at the card on screen and explains the word at the top to their teammates, but they are not allowed to say the word itself or any of the five forbidden words listed below it. How would you describe ice cream if cone, cold, scoop, vanilla and frozen are off limits? That is where the excitement starts. The other team listens closely, and the moment they hear a forbidden word they slam the big red BUZZ button: the buzzer sounds, the screen shakes and the describing team loses a point. When your team gets the word, tap CORRECT or swipe the card right; if a tough card comes up, use one of your limited passes and swipe it left. In Party mode you type your own team names, pick a round time of 60, 90 or 120 seconds, choose how many passes each round gets and decide whether the game ends at 15, 30 or 50 points or after 3 or 5 rounds. Choose easy, normal or hard cards and switch categories on and off: general, animals, food, sports, science, nature, fun, jobs, places and technology. When time runs out you get a round summary showing every card, and you can fix a wrong tap with a single touch. Then the game tells you to hand the phone to the other team, and the winning team is announced with a burst of confetti. Playing alone? In Guess It mode you try to find the hidden word from three clue sentences that appear one by one. Fewer clues means more points, every five correct answers takes you to a new level with less time, and if you miss three words the game is over, though you can continue from the level you reached. Forbidden Words is free, needs no download or sign-up and runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers. It is a great game to play with friends at parties, sleepovers, family nights or in the classroom.
How to play
- Choose Party mode and set the team names, round time, passes, difficulty and categories.
- One player from the team on turn takes the phone and describes the word on the card without the 5 forbidden words.
- If the team guesses it tap CORRECT (+1), skip a hard card with PASS; the other team hits BUZZ when they hear a forbidden word (−1).
- When time runs out, check the round summary, fix any card if needed and hand the phone to the other team.
- The first team to reach the target score or round count wins; playing alone, find the word from the clues in Guess It mode.
Controls
Touch: tap the CORRECT, PASS and BUZZ buttons or swipe the card right (correct) or left (pass); in Guess It mode type with the on-screen keyboard. Keyboard: in Party mode → or D correct, ← or A pass, B, X or ↓ buzz, Space/Enter to continue; in Guess It mode type the letters, Enter to guess, Backspace to delete, ↑ for a clue, ↓ to skip. Esc or P to pause.
🧩 Puzzle Games👫 2 Player & Multiplayer🕹️ Classic Games
FAQ
How many players do you need for Forbidden Words?
Party mode is most fun with four or more people split into two teams, but one player per team works too, and in big groups the teams can be as large as you like. One phone is enough; it is passed to the team on turn. On your own you can play Guess It mode and find words from clues.
What happens if someone says a forbidden word?
The other team hits the BUZZ button, the buzzer sounds, the describing team loses 1 point and a new card appears. If it was pressed by mistake, tap that card in the round summary to fix the result.
Are the cards suitable for all ages?
Yes. All 420 English and 420 Turkish cards are family friendly, with no brands, celebrity names, politics or religion. Easy cards suit younger players, while hard cards challenge experienced groups.