Forbidden Words Game Online

Describe the word without saying the forbidden ones. Cards and a timer on one phone.

Forbidden Words is a Taboo-style party game where you describe a word without saying any of the five words listed under it. Here you can play it online for free, with nothing to install: one phone is enough. Pick a round length and hand the phone to whoever is describing. The page deals the cards, runs the timer, keeps the score for the round and doesn't repeat a word until the 500-card deck has been played.

Round length

Describe the word so your team guesses it, without saying any of the forbidden words.

Forbidden Words game rules

The aim is to get your team to guess as many words as possible before time runs out. The catch is that each card lists five words that would help the most, and those are exactly the ones you can't say.

  1. Split into two teams and agree on a target score, for example 30 points.
  2. A player from the team whose turn it is takes the phone, picks the round length and taps “Start round”.
  3. They describe the word on the card so their team can guess it. They must not say the word itself, any part of it, or any of the five forbidden words. No pointing, drawing or spelling either.
  4. When the team guesses, the describer taps “Got it!” and the team scores a point. If a forbidden word slips out, the other team calls it and the describer taps “Caught!”, which takes a point away.
  5. You can skip a hard card without losing a point, up to three times a round.
  6. When time runs out, note the round score and pass the phone to the other team. The first team to reach the agreed score wins.

Example cards

This is what the cards look like: the word at the top and five forbidden words below it. They range from simple objects and animals to jobs, places and sayings.

  • Guitar

    Forbidden words

    • Instrument
    • Strings
    • Music
    • Play
    • Band

  • Dog

    Forbidden words

    • Cat
    • Pet
    • Bark
    • Puppy
    • Walk

  • Moon

    Forbidden words

    • Sun
    • Night
    • Sky
    • Space
    • Stars

  • Airplane

    Forbidden words

    • Fly
    • Pilot
    • Wing
    • Airport
    • Sky

  • Ice Cream

    Forbidden words

    • Cold
    • Sweet
    • Cone
    • Chocolate
    • Dessert

  • Waterfall

    Forbidden words

    • River
    • Water
    • Mountain
    • Fall
    • Nature

  • Castle

    Forbidden words

    • King
    • Queen
    • Old
    • Fort
    • Princess

  • Balloon

    Forbidden words

    • Air
    • Party
    • Helium
    • Pop
    • Float

  • Elephant

    Forbidden words

    • Animal
    • Trunk
    • Big
    • Gray
    • Africa

  • Firefighter

    Forbidden words

    • Fire
    • Truck
    • Hose
    • Water
    • Helmet

  • Concert

    Forbidden words

    • Music
    • Singer
    • Stage
    • Band
    • Show

  • Bury the hatchet

    Forbidden words

    • Peace
    • War
    • Fight
    • Stop
    • Agree

How many players and how long a round

Playing in teams takes at least four people, two per team; in a bigger group the teams are simply larger. With three, play without teams: take turns describing to the other two and keep individual scores.

A 60-second round suits most groups. Choose 90 seconds for children and first-time players, and 30 seconds when you want a fast, noisy game.

Playing Forbidden Words with children

Forbidden Words works well as a family game. Most cards are everyday words (animals, food, objects, jobs and places), so children who read fluently pick up the rules quickly. Play in mixed teams of adults and children and choose 90-second rounds.

A few cards belong to the adult world, such as wine or poker. If one comes up, just skip it.

How to describe well

Start with the category (“it's an animal”, “you find it in a kitchen”), then say what the thing does, where you would see it or what goes with it. Short clues work better than long sentences.

If you're stuck, skip the card instead of spending half the round on it. You have three skips per round, so save them for the really hard words.

Where the cards come from

The cards come from the free deck in TinyParty, our collection of party games for one phone; there are 500 in each language. The app adds teams, a running score to a target, themed card packs and six more games.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Forbidden Words free?

Yes. Forbidden Words is a free online game here: you play in your browser, with no account and no app to install.

Is this the same game as Taboo?

The rules are very similar: you describe a word without the forbidden ones while your team guesses against the clock. Forbidden Words is a separate game, though, with its own deck from the TinyParty app. Taboo is a trademark of Hasbro, and this page isn't affiliated with it.

Can I play on my phone?

Yes. The page is built for phones: during a round the game fills the screen and the buttons are big and easy to hit. It works on tablets and computers too.

Do the cards repeat?

Not until you have played through the whole deck of 500 cards. Your browser remembers which cards have come up, so the next party starts with new ones. After the last card the deck is shuffled again.

Does it need an internet connection?

Only to open the page. All the cards load with it, so once the page is open the game keeps working without signal.

Can it keep score for the teams?

The page scores one round at a time, so keep the match score on paper. Teams, running totals and playing to a target score are in the TinyParty app.

How many people can play?

At least three. It works best with four to ten players split into two teams.

Can children play Forbidden Words?

Yes, once they read fluently. Most words are everyday ones, and you can skip the few adult cards, such as wine or poker.

More ways to connect offline

Play in teams with TinyParty

TinyParty is a collection of party games for one phone that also works offline: Forbidden Words with teams and scoring, Spy, 5 Seconds, Who Am I?, Would You Rather, Letter Game and Icebreaker.

TinyParty →