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The Top 250 Word Games Of All Time

"Our kids love these games!" — user feedback

Need something to do at your next get-together? Do you have a house full of bored children on a rainy afternoon? Tired of those boxed games stacked in the back of your closet? The time-tested word game may just be what you're looking for!

★★★ Jump to a word game ★★★

Victoria lady with Doublets word game: Lady, Lade, Lame, DameLong before the advent of board games and video game consoles, simple games involving language delighted all classes in society, from the well-to-do to the poorest of the poor. Many today still argue that word games provide a far richer, more rewarding experience than what can be had through manufacturing and digital technology. Word games are certainly cheaper too, often requiring little to no equipment to play, other than perhaps pen and paper.

Below are links to descriptions of 250 word games. These descriptions indicate the illustration of 'hangman' game with gallows, stick figure and partially filled wordnumber of players, whether the game is written and/or verbal, how it is played, and what equipment (if any) is required. The goal of each game is summarized in a single sentence, followed by a more detailed description of game play. In many cases an illustration or example using fictional players is provided to give a better sense of actual play. You'll see that while some games play with the meanings of words, others play with their sounds. Still others play with spelling or the letters of words, requiring players to rearrange them into different letter sequences. There are also games based on the alphabet, and games where players must fit words into predefined patterns or interlocking grids.

book with 'dictionary' written on itSome word games are competitive. But in many of these games everyone is a winner, where deriving pleasure from the mental stimulation, the challenge, and the social interaction is the real objective. It all depends on how you approach word games. Remember, there is nothing stopping you from adapting the rules to suit your own tastes. But make sure you agree with your fellow players beforehand on whether proper nouns, foreign words, abbreviations, etc. will be permitted. Deciding on a suitable dictionary to use is also very helpful in avoiding disputes.

Word Games Listed A to Z

Word Games Indexed by Number of Players

Unfolding Sentences • Write a sentence guided by the first letters of that sentence.
A  
Acronyms • Compose an appropriate phrase using words that begin with the letters of a chosen word.
Acrostics • Solve riddles leading to words whose first letters spell out another word.
Addition, Subtraction • Make a chain of words by adding or subtracting letters.
Alliterations • Write a sentence consisting of words that all start with the same letter.
Alpha-lists • Think of a list of words ordered alphabetically.
Alpha Sentence • Write a sentence of 26 words in alphabetical order.
Alternade • Guess the missing words from a brief story.
Ambiguities • Write sentences that can be read in two or more different ways.
Anguish Languish • Rewrite words or phrases using similar-sounding words.
Antigrams • Make an anagram that means the opposite of the original word or phrase.
Autantonyms • Think of words that have two opposing meanings.
   
B  
Beheadments • Find two words that differ by one letter.
Bigram • Think of words containing two consecutive letters.
Bouts-Rimés • Write a poem using pre-given words.
Broken Word Ladder • Change one word to another word one stage at a time.
   
C  
Criss Cross • Fill in a puzzle grid with interlocking words. Also called Fill-ins.
Crossword • Solve clues to themed and interlocking words.
Cryptarithms • Create or solve mathematical puzzles where digits are replaced by letters.
   
D  
Daffynitions • Redefine words in a humorous way.
Divisions • Divide a word in unique ways.
Double Acrostics • Solve riddles leading to words whose first and last letters spell out other words.
   
E  
Equivoque • Write a poem that can be read in two different ways.
   
F  
Famous Last Words • Think of what famous people might say just before dying.
Feghoots • Create an origin story for a phrase that ends in a pun.
   
G  
   
H  
Hidden Words • Find words hidden in sentences.
   
I  
Inflationary Language • Write sentences that change words with numbers in them.
Irish Bull • Think of self-contradictory statements.
Isograms • Find words containing letters used the same number of times.
   
J  
Jumble • Solve anagrams, one of which arises from the others.
   
K  
Kangaroo Words • Find words within other synonymous words.
Knight's Tour • Find words hidden in a grid of letters.
   
L  
Lipograms • Write something without using a particular letter of the alphabet.
   
M  
Malapropisms • Identify words incorrectly used.
Metagram • Guess a word from clues to words similar in spelling.
Misprints • Create and spot misprinted words or phrases.
Missing Words • Find missing words in a poem.
Monosyllabic Prose • Write something using just one-syllable words.
Multiwords • Make words from the letters in a word.
   
N  
   
O  
One Hundred Word Challenge • Write something using one hundred different words.
Oxymorons • Think of self-contradictory phrases.
   
P  
Palindromes • Think of a word or phrase that reads the same backward as forward
Pangrams • Write a sentence containing every letter of the alphabet.
Pardon My French • Think of alternative translations for foreign expressions.
Patchwork Poetry • Compose a poem using lines from other poems.
Perverbs • Create silly proverbs.
Phrases • Create phrases modeled on other phrases.
Phrase Squares • Fill a square grid with letters from a phrase to form interlocking words.
Pictonyms • Write a word as an image of what it represents.
Poetic Riddles • Compose or solve a riddle written in poetic form.
Professional Eaters • Think of appropriate foods for people in various professions.
Progressive Anagrams • Form a new word by adding and rearranging letters.
Prose Poems • Find a poem in prose writing.
   
Q  
   
R  
Rebus • Create or solve puzzles in which combinations of letters and symbols represent words.
Regressive Anagrams • Form a new word by removing and rearranging letters.
Rhopalics • Craft a sentence where each word has one more syllable or letter than the preceding one.
Riddle-Me-Ree • Compose or solve a poetic puzzle that gives clues to a mystery word.
Riddles • Compose or solve a verbal puzzle.
Roman Words • Substitute letters for Roman numerals in words or sentences.
   
S  
Say My Name • Think of suitable dialogue for a person with a particular name.
Scrambled Poems • Unscramble a poem after its words have been scrambled.
Semantic Poetry • Substitute words in a piece of writing with their dictionary definitions.
Sequentials • Find words containing consecutive letters of the alphabet.
Short Story • Write a short story using only short words.
Shrinkage • Reduce a word to a single letter by removing or substituting letters.
Shrinking Titles • Think of titles in need of a reduction in size.
Spoonerisms • Intentionally create slips of the tongue.
Synonym Chains • Move from one word to another using synonyms.
Syzygies • Change one word into another word in stages.
   
T  
Telegrams • Write a message using words that start with the letters of a given word.
Tom Swifties • Complete the speaker's statement with a suitable word.
Trackword • Find words in a grid containing nine letters.
Trigram • Think of words containing three consecutive letters.
Triple Acrostics • Solve riddles leading to words whose first, last and middle letters spell out other words.
   
U  
Univocalics • Write something using only one vowel.
   
V  
   
W  
Wellerisms • Think of funny explanations for clichés and proverbs.
Word Ladder • Change one word to another word one letter at a time.
Word Search • Find words that are hidden in a grid of letters.
Word Squares • Fill a square grid with letters to form interlocking words.
Word Substitution • Replace the nouns in a piece of writing with other nouns from a dictionary.
   
X  
   
Y  
You're Fired • Fire people using an appropriate pun.
   
Z  
Alpha-grid • Use up every letter of the alphabet by forming words in a grid.
Arrow Letters • Construct words starting with a string of four letters.
   
Chain Reaction • Find a series of words associated one to the other.
Cinco • Fill a grid with five-letter words.
Counter-Questions • Answer questions with questions.
   
Double Crostic • Solve clues leading to words whose letters are rearranged in a grid to form a quote.
   
Empty Squares • Find empty squares in a grid of letters.
   
Grid Search • Find a word your opponent has hidden in a grid.
Grid Words • Fill a grid with letters without breaking two rules.
Guess My Sentence • Guess a four-word sentence.
   
Jotto • Guess the secret word chosen by one's opponent.
   
Phrase Maze • Find a phrase your opponent has hidden in a grid.
Poker Word Search • Make words in a grid using letters chosen by other players.
   
Secret Word • Guess the secret word chosen by one's opponent.
Super Secret Word • Guess the secret word chosen by one's opponent.
   
Word Battleship • Find words your opponent has hidden in a grid.
Word Building • Build up words within a grid.
Wordnim • Use up letters of the alphabet by making words.
Word Snakes • Write down chosen words before the other player.
Word Tic-Tac-Toe • Select three words that share a common letter.
A  
Abbreviations • Guess a common saying from its initials.
Add It Up • Make the highest valued three-letter word.
Adverbs in Action • Guess an adverb from the way players act out a particular action.
Alphabetical Adjectives • Think of adjectives ordered alphabetically.
Alphabetical Animals • Remember an increasingly long list of adjectives and animals.
Alphabet Meal • Create an alphabetical list of food items.
Anaghost • Add to a set of letters without completing an actual word or an anagram.
Anagram Clues • Guess a word from partial anagrams of that word.
Anagrams Plus One • Make a word from the letters of another word with one extra letter.
Anaquote • Reconstruct a quotation that has been divided into smaller segments.
Antonyms • Think of antonyms of a given word.
Antonyms & Synonyms • Think of antonyms or synonyms of a given word.
Apple Pie ABC • Create an alphabetical series of statements
   
B  
Back-words • Guess words when they are spelled backwards.
Bird, Beast or Fish • Guess a word from its first letter.
Blockbusters • Guess words from their initial letters.
Bookends • Think of words that begin and end with the same letter.
   
C  
Catchword • Think of words containing three given letters.
Categories • Think of words that begin with a particular letter and that fall into a particular category.
Chains • Think of a word that begins with the last part of a previous word.
Charades • Guess a word that is acted out by other players.
Coffee Pot • Guess a word from sentences that replace that word with coffee pot.
Connectors • Guess words that connect two words, phrases or expressions.
Consequences • Write a story with individual contributions from each player.
Countdown • Form the longest word possible from a random set of letters.
Crambo • Guess a word that rhymes with other words.
Crosswords For Two • Get the most points by entering words into a crossword grid.
   
D  
Definitions • Guess words from their definitions.
Doctor's Office • Recall and add to a growing alphabetical list of words.
Double Duty • Guess words that form two or more expressions.
Dumb Crambo • Guess a word that rhymes with other words.
   
E  
Encircle • Make words by encircling letters with other letters.
Encyclo-fraudia • Guess the correct entry from an encyclopedia.
Even Steven • Solve clues for words which differ by a single letter
Explain That • Explain how two words or subjects are connected
Extra Words • Find additional words in a given piece of writing.
   
F  
Fictionary • Guess the correct definition of an obscure word.
Fill A Grid • Fill a grid with words connected to a theme.
First and Last • Think of words that start and end with particular letters.
Forbidden Letters • Answer questions without using words containing specific letters.
Forbidden Words • Answer questions without saying a particular word.
Fortunately, Unfortunately • Create a story by alternating good and bad pieces of information.
   
G  
Ghost • Add to a sequence of letters without completing an actual word.
Give Us A Clue • Guess a word or phrase that is mimed by other players.
Grandmother's Trunk • Recall and add to a growing alphabetical list of words.
Guess The Proverb • Guess the proverb from answers to questions.
Guggenheim • Think of words that begin with particular letters and that fall into particular categories.
   
H  
Hangman • Guess a word before one is figuratively hanged.
Headlines • Write a newspaper headline with individual contributions from each player.
Heteronyms • Guess word pairs (spelled the same but pronounced differently) given their two different meanings.
Homonyms • Guess word pairs (spelled and pronounced the same) given their two different meanings.
Homophones • Guess word pairs (spelled differently but pronounced the same) given their two different meanings.
   
I  
I Love My Love • Recall and add to a growing alphabetical list of words.
Initial Answer • Answer questions with words that start with a player's initials.
Initial Words • Collectively write a sentence whose words have initials that spell other words.
I Spy • Guess a word given its first letter.
   
J  
Jumbled Articles • Put a jumbled article back into proper order.
Jumbled Proverbs • Guess the proverb from a group of scrambled words.
   
K  
Keyword • Find a word indicated by the letters in other words.
Knock-Knock • Make and guess puns using people's names.
Kolodny's Game • Guess the rule governing the answers to a series of questions.
   
L  
Last to First • Think of words that begin with the last letter of a preceding word.
Let's Begin • Think of words that begin with particular letters.
Letter Auction • Make words by winning bids on letters in an auction.
Letter Bank • Find a word or phrase using the letters of a shorter word.
Like My Secret? • Explain how your word relates to another person's word.
Limericks • Create a limerick with other players who contribute individual lines.
Logogriphs • Find a word from clues given for anagrams of that word.
   
M  
Make It Fit • Answer a question using a particular word.
Minister's Cat • Recall and add to a growing alphabetical list of words.
Mischmasch • Think of words that contain a given sequence of letters.
Missing Letters • Guess incomplete words by solving clues.
Missing Middles • Think of words that start and end with particular letters.
Missing Vowels • Guess words whose vowels have been omitted.
Monosyllabic Q & A • Pose and answer questions using just one-syllable words.
Multiple Meanings • Guess words which have more than two meanings.
Mystery Word • Find a word by solving clues to its letters.
   
N  
NeverEnding Story • Tell a story using contributions from multiple people.
   
O  
Objects • Guess sayings or phrases from given objects.
Odd Man Out • Identify the word that does not belong in a group of words.
One Hundred • Make three-letter words without exceeding 100 points.
   
P  
Paring Down Pairs • Solve clues to find pairs of words, and isolate the word that does not belong.
Pictures • Guess a word or phrase from a picture.
Poker Crosswords • Make words in a grid using letters chosen by other players.
Portmanteau Words • Guess the origins of portmanteau words, or to make new ones.
Prefixes • Think of words that begin with particular prefixes.
Proverbial Questions • Ask and answer questions using proverbs.
Proverbs By The Letter • Guess proverbs from their initials.
   
Q  
   
R  
Reverse Spelling Bee • Spell words backwards.
Rhyme Time • Think of sentences which rhyme with the preceding one.
   
S  
Sausages • Avoid smiling when answering questions with a silly word.
Silly Authors • Think of funny author names for book titles.
Spelling Bee • Successfully spell a given word.
Spoken Anagrams • Solve anagrams spoken by others.
Stairs • Build up a series of words of ever-increasing length.
Stinky Pinky • Guess a rhyming phrase from a given definition.
The Store • Recall and add to a growing alphabetical list of words.
Suffixes • Think of words that end with particular suffixes.
Suffix Fun • Think of words that end with a given set of letters.
Suitcase • Recall and add to a growing alphabetical list of words.
Superghost • Add to a sequence of letters without completing an actual word.
Syllables • Make words out of syllables.
Synonyms • Find synonyms for given words.
   
T  
Taboo • Avoid saying a given word.
Tennis, Elbow, Foot • Think of words associated with a previously spoken word.
Tongue Twister • Quickly and clearly say difficult sentences many times.
Twenty Questions • Guess a word by asking no more than 20 questions.
Two Columns • Write down words that begin and end with letters of a single word written downward and upward.
   
U  
Unfolding Poem • Build up a poem using verses from multiple people.
Unfolding Story • Build up a story using contributions from multiple people.
Unions • Guess a word built from two or more other words.
Unshare • Think of words that do not share letters with previous words.
   
V  
Vacation • Think of a phrase with words all starting with the same letter.
Valued Words • Think of words whose point total equals a particular value.
   
W  
What Is The Question? • Think of a question to match a particular reply.
What's Your Hobby? • Think of a phrase based on a person's initials.
Who Am I? • Guess the identity of a famous person.
Word Associations • Freely associate a word to a previously spoken word.
Word by Word • Gradually create a story using single words spoken by players.
Word Disassociations • Think of a word that is unrelated to a previously spoken word.
Word Making • Make words from letters which are shown one at a time.
Word Ping-Pong • Change one word into another one letter at a time.
Word Reversals • Think of words which make other words when spelled backwards.
Word Seeds • Create words from groups of letters.
Written Anagrams • Solve written anagrams.
   
X  
   
Y  
   
Z  
Add Letters • Make words one letter at a time.
   
Famous Amos • Guess the name of a famous person.
Fizz Buzz • Substitute words for specific numbers when counting.
   
Group Spellers • Spell words with each player contributing one letter at a time.
   
Heads Up • Guess the mystery word stuck to one's forehead.
How, When, and Where • Guess a word from answers to three questions.
   
Just A Minute • Continuously speak for one minute on a chosen subject.
   
Off The Cuff • Improvise a speech from one player to another.
   
Punchlines • End a story with a given punchline.
   
Q & A • Guess the questions for a given set of answers.
   
Railway Carriage Game • Introduce a given sentence into a conversation.
   
Simon Says • Obey verbal commands only when phrased in a certain way.
Story Time • Tell a story in the style of a particular author or genre of literature.
   
Telephone • See how a phrase changes as it passes from speaker to speaker.
Throwing Light • Guess a word by listening to a conversation.
Too Taboo For You • Guess the taboo letter.
   
Who Are You • Pass around an object with questions and answers.
Earth, Air, Water • Think of words that fit the categories earth, air and water.
   
Groups • Guess a word by asking questions as a group.
   
Password • Guess a word from one-word clues.
   
Shouting Proverbs • Guess a proverb when verbally given all the words at once.
   
Talkabout • Give a short talk and guess the subject of that talk.
   
What Is This • Pass around an object with questions and answers.
Word Flash  • Spell out words in teams.
Silly Q & A  • Create a series of silly questions and answers.

Word Games Indexed by Type of Game

A  
Acronyms • Compose an appropriate phrase using words that begin with the letters of a chosen word.
Addition, Subtraction • Make a chain of words by adding or subtracting letters.
Add Letters • Make words one letter at a time.
Alphabetical Adjectives • Think of adjectives ordered alphabetically.
Alphabetical Animals • Remember an increasingly long list of adjectives and animals.
Alphabet Meal • Create an alphabetical list of food items.
Anaghost • Add to a set of letters without completing an actual word or an anagram.
Anagram Clues • Guess a word from partial anagrams of that word.
Anagrams Plus One • Make a word from the letters of another word with one extra letter.
Antonyms • Think of antonyms of a given word.
Antonyms & Synonyms • Think of antonyms or synonyms of a given word.
Apple Pie ABC • Create an alphabetical series of statements.
Autantonyms • Think of words that have two opposing meanings.
   
B  
Back-words • Guess words when they are spelled backwards.
Beheadments • Find two words that differ by one letter.
Bird, Beast or Fish • Guess a word from its first letter.
Blockbusters • Guess words from their initial letters.
Bouts-Rimés • Write a poem using pre-given words.
   
C  
Catchword • Think of words containing three given letters.
Chain Reaction • Find a series of words associated one to the other.
Chains • Think of a word that begins with the last part of a previous word.
Charades • Guess a word that is acted out by other players.
Coffee Pot • Guess a word from sentences that replace that word with coffee pot.
Connectors • Guess words that connect two words, phrases or expressions.
Countdown • Form the longest word possible from a random set of letters.
Counter-Questions • Answer questions with questions.
Crambo • Guess a word that rhymes with other words.
   
D  
Daffynitions • Redefine words in a humorous way.
Definitions • Guess words from their definitions.
Divisions • Divide a word in unique ways.
Doctor's Office • Recall and add to a growing alphabetical list of words.
Double Duty • Guess words that form two or more expressions.
   
E  
Earth, Air, Water • Think of words that fit the categories earth, air and water.
Explain That • Explain how two words or subjects are connected.
   
F  
Famous Last Words • Think of what famous people might say just before dying.
First and Last • Think of words that start and end with particular letters.
Fizz Buzz • Substitute words for specific numbers when counting.
Forbidden Letters • Answer questions without using words containing specific letters.
Forbidden Words • Answer questions without saying a particular word.
Fortunately, Unfortunately • Create a story by alternating good and bad pieces of information.
   
G  
Ghost • Add to a sequence of letters without completing an actual word.
Grandmother's Trunk • Recall and add to a growing alphabetical list of words.
Groups • Guess a word by asking questions as a group.
Group Spellers • Spell words with each player contributing one letter at a time.
Guess The Proverb • Guess the proverb from answers to questions.
   
H  
Headlines • Write a newspaper headline with individual contributions from each player.
Heteronyms • Guess word pairs (spelled the same but pronounced differently) given their two different meanings.
Hidden Words • Find words hidden in sentences.
Homonyms • Guess word pairs (spelled and pronounced the same) given their two different meanings
Homophones • Guess word pairs (spelled differently but pronounced the same) given their two different meanings.
How, When, and Where • Guess a word from answers to three questions.
   
I  
I Love My Love • Recall and add to a growing alphabetical list of words.
Initial Answer • Answer questions with words that start with a player's initials.
Initial Words • Collectively write a sentence whose words have initials that spell other words.
Irish Bull • Think of self-contradictory statements.
I Spy • Guess a word given its first letter.
   
J  
Just A Minute • Continuously speak for one minute on a chosen subject.
   
K  
Knock-Knock • Make and guess puns using people's names.
Kolodny's Game • Guess the rule governing the answers to a series of questions.
   
L  
Last to First • Think of words that begin with the last letter of a preceding word.
Let's Begin • Think of words that begin with particular letters.
Limericks • Create a limerick with other players who contribute individual lines.
   
M  
Malapropisms • Identify words incorrectly used.
Minister's Cat • Recall and add to a growing alphabetical list of words.
Mischmasch • Think of words that contain a given sequence of letters.
Missing Vowels • Guess words whose vowels have been omitted.
Monosyllabic Q & A • Pose and answer questions using just one-syllable words.
Multiple Meanings • Guess words which have more than two meanings.
   
N  
NeverEnding Story • Tell a story using contributions from multiple people.
   
O  
Odd Man Out • Identify the word that does not belong in a group of words.
Off The Cuff • Improvise a speech from one player to another.
Oxymorons • Think of self-contradictory phrases.
   
P  
Pardon My French • Think of alternative translations for foreign expressions.
Password • Guess a word from one-word clues.
Perverbs • Create silly proverbs.
Phrases • Create phrases modeled on other phrases.
Portmanteau Words • Guess the origins of portmanteau words, or to make new ones.
Prefixes • Think of words that begin with particular prefixes.
Proverbial Questions • Ask and answer questions using proverbs.
Proverbs By The Letter • Guess proverbs from their initials.
Professional Eaters • Think of appropriate foods for people in various professions.
Punchlines • End a story with a given punchline.
   
Q  
   
R  
Reverse Spelling Bee • Spell words backwards.
Rhopalics • Craft a sentence where each word has one more syllable or letter than the preceding one.
Rhyme Time • Think of sentences which rhyme with the preceding one.
Riddles • Compose or solve a verbal puzzle.
   
S  
Sausages • Avoid smiling when answering questions with a silly word.
Say My Name • Think of suitable dialogue for a person with a particular name.
Shouting Proverbs • Guess a proverb when verbally given all the words at once.
Shrinking Titles • Think of titles in need of a reduction in size.
Silly Authors • Think of funny author names for book titles.
Simon Says • Obey verbal commands only when phrased in a certain way.
Spelling Bee • Successfully spell a given word.
Spoken Anagrams • Solve anagrams spoken by others.
Spoonerisms • Intentionally create slips of the tongue.
Stinky Pinky • Guess a rhyming phrase from a given definition.
The Store • Recall and add to a growing alphabetical list of words.
Story Time • Tell a story in the style of a particular author or genre of literature.
Suffixes • Think of words that end with particular suffixes.
Suffix Fun • Think of words that end with a given set of letters.
Suitcase • Recall and add to a growing alphabetical list of words.
Superghost • Add to a sequence of letters without completing an actual word.
Synonym Chains • Move from one word to another using synonyms.
   
T  
Taboo • Avoid saying a given word.
Telephone • See how a phrase changes as it passes from speaker to speaker.
Tennis, Elbow, Foot • Think of words associated with a previously spoken word.
Throwing Light • Guess a word by listening to a conversation.
Tom Swifties • Complete the speaker's statement with a suitable word.
Too Taboo For You • Guess the taboo letter.
Twenty Questions • Guess a word by asking no more than 20 questions.
   
U  
Unions • Guess a word built from two or more other words.
   
V  
Vacation • Think of a phrase with words all starting with the same letter.
   
W  
Wellerisms • Think of funny explanations for clichés and proverbs.
What Is The Question? • Think of a question to match a particular reply.
What Is This • Pass around an object with questions and answers.
What's Your Hobby? • Think of a phrase based on a person's initials.
Who Am I? • Guess the identity of a famous person.
Who Are You • Pass around an object with questions and answers.
Word Associations • Freely associate a word to a previously spoken word.
Word by Word • Gradually create a story using single words spoken by players.
Word Disassociations • Think of a word that is unrelated to a previously spoken word.
Word Making • Make words from letters which are shown one at a time.
Word Reversals • Think of words which make other words when spelled backwards.
   
X  
   
Y  
You're Fired • Fire people using an appropriate pun.
   
Z  
A  
Acronyms • Compose an appropriate phrase using words that begin with the letters of a chosen word.
Acrostics • Solve riddles leading to words whose first letters spell out another word.
Add It Up • Make the highest valued three-letter word.
Addition, Subtraction • Make a chain of words by adding or subtracting letters.
Alliterations • Write a sentence consisting of words that all start with the same letter.
Alphabet Meal • Create an alphabetical list of food items.
Alpha-grid • Use up every letter of the alphabet by forming words in a grid.
Alpha-lists • Think of a list of words ordered alphabetically.
Alpha Sentence • Write a sentence of 26 words in alphabetical order.
Alternade • Guess the missing words from a brief story.
Ambiguities • Write sentences that can be read in two or more different ways.
Anaghost • Add to a set of letters without completing an actual word or an anagram.
Anagrams Plus One • Make a word from the letters of another word with one extra letter.
Anaquote • Reconstruct a quotation that has been divided into smaller segments.
Anguish Languish • Rewrite words or phrases using similar-sounding words.
Antigrams • Make an anagram that means the opposite of the original word or phrase.
Arrow Letters • Construct words starting with a string of four letters.
Autantonyms • Think of words that have two opposing meanings.
   
B  
Beheadments • Find two words that differ by one letter.
Bigram • Think of words containing two consecutive letters.
Bookends • Think of words that begin and end with the same letter.
Bouts-Rimés • Write a poem using pre-given words.
Broken Word Ladder • Change one word to another word one stage at a time.
   
C  
Categories • Think of words that begin with a particular letter and that fall into a particular category.
Chain> Reaction • Find a series of words associated one to the other.
Chains • Think of a word that begins with the last part of a previous word.
Cinco • Fill a grid with five-letter words.
Connectors • Guess words that connect two words, phrases or expressions.
Consequences • Write a story with individual contributions from each player.
Countdown • Form the longest word possible from a random set of letters.
Criss Cross • Fill in a puzzle grid with interlocking words. Also called Fill-ins.
Crossword • Solve clues to themed and interlocking words
Crosswords For Two • Get the most points by entering words into a crossword grid.
Cryptarithms • Create or solve mathematical puzzles where digits are replaced by letters.
   
D  
Daffynitions • Redefine words in a humorous way.
Divisions • Divide a word in unique ways.
Double Acrostics • Solve riddles leading to words whose first and last letters spell out other words.
Double Crostic • Solve clues leading to words whose letters are rearranged in a grid to form a quote.
   
E  
Empty Squares • Find empty squares in a grid of letters.
Encircle • Make words by encircling letters with other letters.
Equivoque • Write a poem that can be read in two different ways.
Even Steven • Solve clues for words which differ by a single letter.
Explain That • Explain how two words or subjects are connected.
Extra Words • Find additional words in a given piece of writing.
   
F  
Famous Last Words • Think of what famous people might say just before dying.
Feghoots • Create an origin story for a phrase that ends in a pun.
Fill A Grid • Fill a grid with words connected to a theme.
First and Last • Think of words that start and end with particular letters.
   
G  
Ghost • Add to a sequence of letters without completing an actual word.
Grid Search • Find a word your opponent has hidden in a grid.
Grid Words • Fill a grid with letters without breaking two rules.
Guess My Sentence • Guess a four-word sentence.
Guggenheim • Think of words that begin with particular letters and that fall into particular categories.
   
H  
Hangman • Guess a word before one is figuratively hanged.
Headlines • Write a newspaper headline with individual contributions from each player.
Hidden Words • Find words hidden in sentences.
   
I  
Inflationary Language • Write sentences that change words with numbers in them.
Irish Bull • Think of self-contradictory statements.
Isograms • Find words containing letters used the same number of times.
   
J  
Jotto • Guess the secret word chosen by one's opponent.
Jumble • Solve anagrams, one of which arises from the others.
Jumbled Articles • Put a jumbled article back into proper order.
Jumbled Proverbs • Guess the proverb from a group of scrambled words.
   
K  
Kangaroo Words • Find words within other synonymous words.
Keyword • Find a word indicated by the letters in other words.
Knight's Tour • Find words hidden in a grid of letters.
   
L  
Let's Begin • Think of words that begin with particular letters.
Letter Bank • Find a word or phrase using the letters of a shorter word.
Lipograms • Write something without using a particular letter of the alphabet.
Logogriphs • Find a word from clues given for anagrams of that word.
   
M  
Malapropisms • Identify words incorrectly used.
Metagram • Guess a word from clues to words similar in spelling.
Mischmasch • Think of words that contain a given sequence of letters.
Misprints • Create and spot misprinted words or phrases.
Missing Letters • Guess incomplete words by solving clues.
Missing Middles • Think of words that start and end with particular letters.
Missing Words • Find missing words in a poem.
Monosyllabic Prose • Write something using just one-syllable words.
Multiwords • Make words from the letters in a word.
   
N  
   
O  
Objects • Guess sayings or phrases from given objects.
Odd Man Out • Identify the word that does not belong in a group of words.
One Hundred • Make three-letter words without exceeding 100 points.
One Hundred Word Challenge • Write something using one hundred different words.
Oxymorons • Think of self-contradictory phrases.
   
P  
Palindromes • Think of a word or phrase that reads the same backward as forward.
Pangrams • Write a sentence containing every letter of the alphabet.
Pardon My French • Think of alternative translations for foreign expressions.
Paring Down Pairs • Solve clues to find pairs of words, and isolate the word that does not belong.
Patchwork Poetry • Compose a poem using lines from other poems.
Perverbs • Create silly proverbs.
Phrase Maze • Find a phrase your opponent has hidden in a grid.
Phrases • Create phrases modeled on other phrases.
Phrase Squares • Fill a square grid with letters from a phrase to form interlocking words.
Pictonyms • Write a word as an image of what it represents.
Poetic Riddles • Compose or solve a riddle written in poetic form.
Poker Crosswords • Make words in a grid using letters chosen by other players.
Poker Word Search • Make words in a grid using letters chosen by other players.
Prefixes • Think of words that begin with particular prefixes.
Professional Eaters • Think of appropriate foods for people in various professions.
Progressive Anagrams • Form a new word by adding and rearranging letters.
Prose Poems • Find a poem in prose writing.
Proverbs By The Letter • Guess proverbs from their initials.
   
Q  
Q & A • Guess the questions for a given set of answers.
   
R  
Rebus • Create or solve puzzles in which combinations of letters and symbols represent words.
Regressive Anagrams • Form a new word by removing and rearranging letters.
Rhopalics • Craft a sentence where each word has one more syllable or letter than the preceding one.
Riddle-Me-Ree • Compose or solve a poetic puzzle that gives clues to a mystery word.
Riddles • Compose or solve a verbal puzzle.
Roman Words • Substitute letters for Roman numerals in words or sentences.
   
S  
Say My Name • Think of suitable dialogue for a person with a particular name.
Scrambled Poems • Unscramble a poem after its words have been scrambled.
Secret Word • Guess the secret word chosen by one's opponent.
Semantic Poetry • Substitute words in a piece of writing with their dictionary definitions.
Sequentials • Find words containing consecutive letters of the alphabet.
Short Story • Write a short story using only short words.
Shrinkage • Reduce a word to a single letter by removing or substituting letters.
Shrinking Titles • Think of titles in need of a reduction in size.
Silly Authors • Think of funny author names for book titles.
Spelling Bee • Successfully spell a given word.
Spoonerisms • Intentionally create slips of the tongue.
Stairs • Build up a series of words of ever-increasing length.
Stinky Pinky • Guess a rhyming phrase from a given definition.
Suffixes • Think of words that end with particular suffixes.
Suffix Fun • Think of words that end with a given set of letters.
Superghost • Add to a sequence of letters without completing an actual word.
Super Secret Word • Guess the secret word chosen by one's opponent.
Syllables • Make words out of syllables.
Synonym Chains • Move from one word to another using synonyms.
Synonyms • Find synonyms for given words.
Syzygies • Change one word into another word in stages.
   
T  
Telegrams • Write a message using words that start with the letters of a given word.
Tom Swifties • Complete the speaker's statement with a suitable word.
Trackword • Find words in a grid containing nine letters.
Trigram • Think of words containing three consecutive letters.
Triple Acrostics • Solve riddles leading to words whose first, last and middle letters spell out other words.
Two Columns • Write down words that begin and end with letters of a single word written downward and upward.
   
U  
Unfolding Poem • Build up a poem using verses from multiple people.
Unfolding Sentences • Write a sentence guided by the first letters of that sentence.
Unfolding Story • Build up a story using contributions from multiple people.
Univocalics • Write something using only one vowel.
Unshare • Think of words that do not share letters with previous words.
   
V  
Valued Words • Think of words whose point total equals a particular value.
   
W  
Wellerisms • Think of funny explanations for clichés and proverbs.
What Is The Question? • Think of a question to match a particular reply.
Word Battleship • Find words your opponent has hidden in a grid.
Word Building • Build up words within a grid.
Word Ladder • Change one word to another word one letter at a time.
Wordnim • Use up letters of the alphabet by making words.
Word Ping-Pong • Change one word into another one letter at a time.
Word Search • Find words that are hidden in a grid of letters.
Word Seeds • Create words from groups of letters.
Word Snakes • Write down chosen words before the other player.
Word Squares • Fill a square grid with letters to form interlocking words.
Word Substitution • Replace the nouns in a piece of writing with other nouns from a dictionary.
Word Tic-Tac-Toe • Select three words that share a common letter.
Written Anagrams • Solve written anagrams.
   
X  
   
Y  
You're Fired • Fire people using an appropriate pun.
   
Z  
Abbreviations • Guess a common saying from its initials.
   
Encyclo-fraudia • Guess the correct entry from an encyclopedia.
   
Famous Amos • Guess the name of a famous person.
Fictionary • Guess the correct definition of an obscure word.
   
Heads Up • Guess the mystery word stuck to one's forehead.
   
Letter Auction • Make words by winning bids on letters in an auction.
Like My Secret? • Explain how your word relates to another person's word.
   
Make It Fit • Answer a question using a particular word.
Mystery Word • Find a word by solving clues to its letters.
   
Pictures • Guess a word or phrase from a picture.
   
Railway Carriage Game • Introduce a given sentence into a conversation.
   
Silly Q & A • Create a series of silly questions and answers.
   
Talkabout • Give a short talk and guess the subject of that talk.
Tongue Twister • Quickly and clearly say difficult sentences many times.
Word Flash • Spell out words in teams.
Adverbs in Action • Guess an adverb from the way players act out a particular action.
   
Charades • Guess a word that is acted out by other players.
   
Dumb Crambo • Guess a word that rhymes with other words.
   
Give Us A Clue • Guess a word or phrase that is mimed by other players.

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