How to Play Taboo: Rules, Scoring, Buzzer Etiquette and 64 Free Taboo Cards
By The Rondovo team · Published · Updated · 10 min read
To play Taboo, split into two teams. One player, the clue-giver, has a short time to get their own team to say the word on a card without saying that word or the five forbidden "taboo" words printed under it. Each correct guess scores a point; saying a forbidden word gets you buzzed by the other team, and the card counts against you. Teams take turns until everyone has given clues once, and the higher score wins.
Below are the full rules in plain words, how scoring and the buzzer really work, the house rules that stop arguments, and 64 original Taboo cards sorted by difficulty that you can read out or print.
In short
- Players: 4 or more in two teams. The box says 4+ and ages 13 and up (Hasbro, as of October 2026).
- A turn: the clue-giver talks against a sand timer, as many cards as possible.
- Forbidden: the guess word, the five taboo words, any part or form of them, gestures, sound effects, "sounds like" and "rhymes with", and initials.
- Scoring (official): +1 for your team per word guessed. Every buzzed or passed card is a point for the other team.
- Ends: when every player has been clue-giver once. A tie goes to one extra turn each.
What is Taboo?
Taboo is a word guessing party game first published by Parker Brothers in 1989 and now made by Hasbro. The current classic edition, according to Hasbro's instructions page as of October 2026, comes with 212 double-sided cards (848 guess words), a squeaker, a notepad and a sand timer, for 4 or more players aged 13 and up.
The idea is simple and the fun is in the panic: you know exactly what a giraffe is, but try describing one without "neck", "tall", "spots", "Africa" or "zoo".
Taboo rules, step by step
This is how the official rules work, summarised from Hasbro's Taboo instructions. Uneven teams are fine; one team can have an extra player.
Setting up
- Make two teams. Seat them so each clue-giver can face their own team, with the other team sitting beside or behind the clue-giver, where they can read the card.
- Put the cards, timer and buzzer within reach. The team that is not guessing holds the buzzer.
- Pick the first clue-giver. Team A goes first.
Playing a turn
- The clue-giver turns over the timer and looks at the top card. The word at the top is the guess word. The five words underneath are taboo.
- They talk. Sentences, single words, examples, opposites, even singing are allowed, as long as no rule below is broken.
- Their team shouts guesses. Wrong guesses cost nothing, so they should guess constantly.
- When someone says the guess word exactly, the card is won and the clue-giver moves straight to the next card.
- The clue-giver may pass a hard card at any time, but passing gives a point to the other team.
- When the timer runs out, the other team calls time. A card that was in play but not guessed does not count either way.
- The buzzer passes to the other team, and they send up their first clue-giver.
Rules for clues
The clue-giver may not:
- say the guess word or any taboo word, or any form or part of them (if "PAINT" is taboo, "painter" and "painting" are out; if the guess word is "SUNFLOWER", you cannot say "sun" or "flower")
- use gestures, such as miming or pointing at something in the room
- make sound effects, such as barking or engine noises (singing words is allowed)
- say the word "sounds like" or "rhymes with" anything
- use initials or abbreviations that stand for a word on the card (no "TV" if television is on it)
Winning
Play continues until every player has been the clue-giver once (or both teams have had the same number of turns). Add up the scores. In a tie, each team chooses its best clue-giver for one more turn each.
How Taboo scoring works
Taboo scoring confuses a lot of groups, because the official rule is a little different from what most people remember.
| What happens | Official Hasbro rule | Common house rule |
|---|---|---|
| Your team guesses the word | +1 to your team | +1 to your team |
| You say a taboo word and get buzzed | +1 to the other team | −1 from your team |
| You pass a card | +1 to the other team | 0, or −1 from your team |
| Time runs out mid-card | Card does not count | Card does not count |
The official rule means a bad turn can win the other team points while they sit and listen. Both ways work. Pick one before the first turn and write it on the score sheet.
Buzzer etiquette
The buzzer is where friendly games turn into arguments. A few rules from our own game nights:
- Only the opposing team's watcher buzzes. Choose one or two people as watchers each turn, not the whole team at once.
- Buzz immediately, explain briefly. The official rule is to buzz, then say why the card is dead. A long debate eats the clue-giver's time. Pause the timer if you must argue.
- No buzzing for wrong guesses. Guessers can say anything. Only the clue-giver can break rules.
- "Um" and "uh" are not forms of a word. Neither is a word that merely starts with the same letters ("cart" is fine when "car" is taboo, though plenty of groups disagree; settle it up front).
- Accents and silly voices are allowed. Sound effects are not.
- When in doubt, the clue-giver keeps the card. A buzz that isn't clear-cut causes more resentment than the point is worth.
Tips for giving better Taboo clues
- Use what it is not. "The opposite of a whisper" is a fast route to "shout".
- Fill in the blank. "Peanut butter and ___" gets "jelly" (or "jam") in a second.
- Go wide, then narrow. Category first ("an animal"), then the detail.
- Pass early. If three seconds pass and you have no idea, pass. A minute is short.
- Guessers: say everything. Silence is the only real mistake on the guessing team.
Free Taboo cards: 64 original words
Every card below is our own. Each has a guess word and five taboo words. Read them from your screen, or copy them onto index cards. Start with the easy set for kids and warm-ups.
Easy Taboo cards
| Guess word | Taboo words |
|---|---|
| Pancake | flat, breakfast, syrup, flip, pan |
| Umbrella | rain, wet, open, handle, shade |
| Snowman | cold, carrot, winter, build, melt |
| Pillow | bed, sleep, soft, head, feather |
| Pirate | ship, treasure, parrot, sea, eye patch |
| Toothbrush | teeth, paste, clean, bathroom, brush |
| Kangaroo | jump, pouch, Australia, baby, hop |
| Rainbow | colours, sky, rain, arch, pot of gold |
| Sandwich | bread, lunch, filling, slice, cheese |
| Volcano | lava, erupt, mountain, hot, ash |
| Birthday | cake, candles, party, age, present |
| Robot | machine, metal, beep, artificial, android |
| Ladder | climb, steps, tall, rungs, roof |
| Dentist | teeth, drill, chair, check up, mouth |
| Spider | web, legs, eight, insect, scary |
| Popcorn | cinema, butter, pop, kernel, film |
| Lighthouse | light, ship, coast, tower, beam |
| Bicycle | pedal, wheels, ride, chain, helmet |
| Mirror | reflection, glass, see, wall, face |
| Library | books, borrow, quiet, librarian, read |
| Snail | slow, shell, slime, garden, slug |
| Pizza | cheese, slice, Italy, oven, toppings |
| Alarm clock | wake, morning, ring, time, snooze |
| Penguin | bird, ice, black, white, waddle |
Medium Taboo cards
| Guess word | Taboo words |
|---|---|
| Passport | travel, country, photo, border, document |
| Sunburn | red, skin, beach, cream, hot |
| Lottery | ticket, win, numbers, prize, jackpot |
| Referee | whistle, game, rules, card, sport |
| Compass | north, direction, needle, map, south |
| Jigsaw | puzzle, pieces, picture, fit, edges |
| Hiccups | breath, jump, stomach, water, scare |
| Podcast | listen, episode, audio, host, radio |
| Wedding | bride, groom, marry, ring, dress |
| Microwave | heat, kitchen, ping, food, oven |
| Avalanche | snow, mountain, slide, ski, rescue |
| Haircut | barber, scissors, short, salon, trim |
| Tightrope | circus, balance, walk, high, wire |
| Recycling | bin, plastic, bottle, environment, reuse |
| Treadmill | run, gym, machine, belt, exercise |
| Fortune teller | future, crystal ball, palm, cards, predict |
| Fireworks | bang, sky, night, rocket, colourful |
| Scarecrow | field, crow, straw, farmer, hat |
| Elevator | lift, floor, button, up, down |
| Sleepwalking | night, bed, asleep, walk, dream |
| Homework | school, teacher, study, due, after |
| Charades | act, mime, silent, guess, film |
Hard Taboo cards
| Guess word | Taboo words |
|---|---|
| Nostalgia | past, memory, miss, remember, old days |
| Procrastinate | delay, later, put off, lazy, tomorrow |
| Gravity | fall, Newton, apple, pull, Earth |
| Echo | repeat, sound, cave, voice, bounce |
| Déjà vu | before, French, feeling, again, familiar |
| Eclipse | sun, moon, dark, shadow, block |
| Jet lag | tired, flight, time zone, travel, sleep |
| Small talk | chat, weather, conversation, polite, stranger |
| Loophole | rule, law, gap, escape, technically |
| Brainstorm | ideas, think, meeting, group, storm |
| Placebo | pill, fake, medicine, trial, effect |
| Instinct | gut, feeling, natural, animal, react |
| Comeback | return, win, losing, again, back |
| Spoiler | ending, film, ruin, reveal, warning |
| Hindsight | past, after, looking back, obvious, twenty |
| Autopilot | plane, fly, automatic, pilot, without thinking |
| Paradox | contradiction, impossible, logic, both, time travel |
| Self-checkout | supermarket, scan, machine, till, bag |
House rule for kids: let them see the card with only three taboo words (cover the last two) and allow one gesture per card.
How to play Taboo online for free
You have three honest options.
1. A video call and a private list. The host keeps the card list above open and sends each card to the clue-giver by private message. The other team's watcher gets the same cards so they can buzz. It works, but the host is busy all night and nobody can play as host.
2. A free browser game built for it. This is what we made Hush for. It is our own take on the taboo words format, with 500 original cards, each with six forbidden words (one more than the classic game). The clue-giver's screen shows the card; the other team's screens show the same card and a buzz button; the guessing team sees nothing and shouts. A TV is optional; if you add one, it shows the clock and scores, never the word. On a video call, everyone opens the room on their own device, so nobody needs to share a screen.
Our scoring is the common house rule, not Hasbro's: a correct word is +1, a buzz is −1 from your own team, and a skip is −1 unless the host switches that penalty off. Turns are 60 seconds by default (the host can set 30 to 120), with 1 to 8 turns per team. It plays with 4 to 16 people, it is free, guests need no account, and there is nothing to download.
What Hush does not do: it has no box, no squeaker, no board, and you cannot add your own cards yet. If your group loves the physical game, keep the box for the table and use Hush for video calls and big groups.
3. A related game. If your group prefers acting to describing, Act It Out is our charades game, and there are 225 prompts in our charades ideas list. If they prefer one-word clues, Spy Grid is our take on that format; see games like Codenames. The forehead game, where the group describes a word to one guesser, is Face Up. For more team games in the same spirit, see our party games list.
Taboo variations worth trying
- One-word Taboo: the clue-giver may only say one word per clue. Slower, sharper, very funny.
- Silent Taboo: switch to mime for one round. Now it is charades with taboo gestures.
- Reverse Taboo: the team must guess all five taboo words, and the clue-giver may not say the guess word.
- Category rounds: only food cards, only animals, only places. Good for kids.
- Partner Taboo: for 3 to 5 players, play in pairs and keep individual scores.
Questions people ask
How many taboo words are on each card?
Five in the classic Hasbro game, listed under the guess word. Some other versions use a different number; our game Hush uses six.
What happens if you say a taboo word?
The other team buzzes, explains why, and the card is dead. In the official rules, a buzzed card is a point for the other team. Many groups instead take a point off the team that slipped.
Can you use gestures in Taboo?
No. The official rules ban gestures and sound effects; the clue-giver can only talk. Singing the words of a song is allowed.
How long is a turn in Taboo?
As long as the sand timer in the box runs. Most groups play one-minute turns. With beginners or kids, 90 seconds is kinder.
How many people do you need to play Taboo?
Four, in two teams of two. It is better with six to ten, and works with more if you keep turns quick.
Is there a free version of Taboo?
Not from Hasbro as far as we could find as of October 2026. You can make your own cards (the 64 above are free to use at home), or play a free browser take on the format such as our game Hush.
What is the difference between Taboo and Catch Phrase?
Both are team describing games from Hasbro. In Taboo, each team gets a full timed turn and every card lists five extra forbidden words. In Catch Phrase, a single timer unit passes back and forth between the teams with each correct guess, and the team caught holding it when time runs out gives the other team a point. There is no list of forbidden words, though rhymes, first letters and parts of the answer are still off limits.
Taboo, Hasbro, Parker Brothers and Catch Phrase are trademarks of their owners. Rondovo is not affiliated with them.