Taboo word game: rules, 30 cards and how to play online
Taboo is the word game that makes smart people stammer. You have to get your team to say a word — without saying it, and without the five words anyone would use to explain it. Here are the rules, thirty cards to start with, the tricks that work, and how the same idea turns up in an AI game.
The rules
- Split into two teams and sit so teammates alternate.
- A player from one team takes a card: a target word at the top and five taboo words below it.
- They have one minute to get their team to say the target word. They can say anything except the target, the taboo words and parts of them. No gestures, no sounds, no “rhymes with”.
- A player from the other team watches the card and buzzes if a taboo word slips out. That card goes to the other team.
- Each guessed word scores a point. Players can skip a card, usually for a point penalty.
- Teams take turns; the first to an agreed score — or the team ahead after a set number of rounds — wins.
30 Taboo cards to start with
| Target | Taboo words |
|---|---|
| Beach | sand, sea, sun, swim, summer |
| Coffee | drink, morning, cup, caffeine, bean |
| Birthday | cake, candles, party, age, present |
| Doctor | hospital, sick, nurse, medicine, patient |
| Rain | water, umbrella, cloud, wet, weather |
| Pizza | cheese, Italy, slice, tomato, delivery |
| Guitar | music, strings, play, rock, instrument |
| Moon | night, sky, full, space, star |
| Passport | travel, country, border, photo, document |
| Dentist | teeth, drill, mouth, brush, appointment |
| Snowman | winter, carrot, cold, build, white |
| Wedding | bride, groom, ring, married, dress |
| Library | books, read, quiet, borrow, shelf |
| Volcano | lava, mountain, erupt, hot, ash |
| Selfie | photo, phone, camera, face, picture |
| Alarm clock | wake, morning, ring, time, snooze |
| Pirate | ship, treasure, sea, parrot, eye patch |
| Homework | school, teacher, study, exercise, student |
| Elevator | floor, up, down, button, building |
| Umbrella | rain, open, handle, wet, cover |
| Traffic jam | car, road, stuck, slow, rush hour |
| Superhero | cape, powers, save, villain, comic |
| Picnic | basket, grass, park, food, blanket |
| Mirror | reflection, glass, look, face, wall |
| Popcorn | cinema, corn, butter, movie, pop |
| Museum | art, paintings, exhibition, visit, gallery |
| Lighthouse | light, sea, ship, tower, coast |
| Fireworks | sky, explode, New Year, bang, colours |
| Sunflower | yellow, seeds, tall, petals, sun |
| The Mona Lisa | Leonardo, smile, Louvre, painting, woman |
How to explain without the obvious words
- Go to the situation. Can’t say “beach”? “Where you lie on a towel in July and come back sunburnt.”
- Use opposites. “Not the mountains, the other holiday.”
- Describe the shape and the look. “Tall, thin, stripy, a light going round at the top” gets to lighthouse fast.
- Use a famous example. Stories, films and places everyone knows are allowed if they aren’t on the card.
- Fill in the blank. “Hot dogs and ____ at the cinema” — a sentence your team can finish.
Taboo for two players
Classic Taboo needs teams, but two people can play cooperatively: one explains, the other guesses, and together you race the timer to beat your own best score. Swap roles every minute. Or play competitively by taking turns with the same set of cards and comparing totals.
Playing Taboo online
On a video call, the easiest way is for the explainer to read cards from a list on their own screen while a player from the other team, who has the same list, watches for taboo words. Share the table above in your chat before you start. Timers on any phone will do.
Taboo with a painting and an AI
Speakasso uses the Taboo idea on famous paintings. You see a masterpiece for a few seconds, and you have 20 seconds to describe it — but the title, the artist and the key objects are forbidden. Say “Mona Lisa” while describing the Mona Lisa and you lose 15 points. The difference is who is guessing: an AI image generator paints a new picture from your words, and a judge scores from 0 to 100 how close it is to the original.
It is the same skill as in Taboo — explain the thing without its obvious words — with one bonus: you can see exactly how your words were understood. See also games like Pictionary and AI drawing games.
Try it in Speakasso
Play Taboo with masterpieces: describe a painting without its forbidden words and let AI paint your description. Duel friends by link or rivals online. Speakasso is an Android game, coming soon to Google Play.
Questions
How do you play Taboo?
Two teams take turns. The explainer has one minute to get their team to guess words from cards without saying the word itself or the five taboo words on the card. An opponent watches and buzzes on any mistake. Each guessed word is a point.
Can you play Taboo with two people?
Yes, cooperatively: one explains, one guesses, and you try to beat your best score against the timer, swapping every minute.
What is a game like Taboo but with pictures?
Speakasso: you describe a famous painting without its forbidden words — the title, the artist and the key objects — and an AI paints a picture from your description.