The rules in five lines
Two teams minimum, so four players. You build one shared deck of around forty cards, one word per card, and put it face down in the middle of the table.
Each turn, one player becomes the clue giver for their team. They draw, get their teammates to guess, and keep going as long as the timer runs. Thirty seconds in the original game, forty in the family edition.
Every card guessed is set aside by the team and scores a point. The card in hand when time runs out goes back into the deck. Then the next team takes over, with the same deck.
When the last card falls, the round ends, even in the middle of a turn. You count the points, shuffle the very same cards, and start again with one more constraint.
Three rounds in all. Forbidden throughout: saying the word, a word from the same family, its translation, or spelling it out. The team with the most points after the third round wins.
The three rounds, and why it is the same deck
Round 1, the clue giver talks freely. It is the long round, the one where the table discovers the deck. Nobody notices it yet, but everyone is learning forty cards by heart.
Round 2, one single word per card. One word, then silence. That word only works because the table heard the card an hour earlier: you are no longer describing the word, you are triggering a shared memory.
Round 3, not a syllable. Mime and sound effects, and no humming a tune. It is the short round and the loudest one, because three gestures are enough once everybody knows the deck.
Passing a card: impossible in the first round, the clue giver stays on it until it falls or the time runs out. From the second round on, they may drop a card and move to the next.
The reuse is the whole game. A card that was painful in round 1 becomes the laugh of the evening in round 3, because the table remembers the struggle. Swapping the cards between rounds means playing three mediocre games instead of one good one.
Building the deck tonight
You need slips of paper, a pen, and four to five cards per player. A table of six plays very well with forty cards; at sixty, the first round drags on and the evening dies before the third.
Two ways to fill the deck. Everyone writes their own cards, which gives a deck in the image of the table but also cards only their author knows. Or you take from the list below, which has the advantage of having been played already.
Either way, keep the skimming ritual: before starting, each player takes two cards at random and puts back the ones they judge impossible. A card nobody knows costs thirty seconds in every round, so three times thirty seconds.
The two hundred words below come with three forbidden words each. Time's Up does not ask for them: the official rule only bans the word and its family. They are there to harden the first round when the table is too good, exactly as in Taboo, and they can be ignored the rest of the time.
They also tell you something about the card. When the three obvious doors are shut and three angles still remain, the card is solid. When nothing is left, it is too thin to be played three times.
Forty words that survive all three rounds
These five lists are not sorted by theme but by the third round. That is what really sorts them: a word you cannot mime becomes a thirty-second hole once the silence falls. Here is the backbone of the deck, objects and moments anyone can mime without thinking.
- The hammer - forbidden: nail, hit, handle
- The umbrella - forbidden: rain, open, handle
- The remote control - forbidden: TV, button, sofa
- The corkscrew - forbidden: wine, bottle, spiral
- The toaster - forbidden: bread, morning, slice
- The fridge - forbidden: cold, kitchen, door
- The headphones - forbidden: ears, music, listen
- The USB stick - forbidden: computer, data, files
- The screwdriver - forbidden: screw, turn, DIY
- The scooter - forbidden: ride, foot, city
- The toothbrush - forbidden: toothpaste, morning, mouth
- The hairdryer - forbidden: hot air, shower, style
- The iron - forbidden: creases, steam, shirt
- The suitcase - forbidden: travel, wheels, airport
- The sunglasses - forbidden: summer, eyes, UV
- The alarm clock - forbidden: morning, ring, time
- The scarf - forbidden: neck, winter, wool
- The wallet - forbidden: money, cards, pocket
- The candle - forbidden: flame, birthday, wax
- The mirror - forbidden: reflection, bathroom, look at yourself
- The lift - forbidden: floors, buttons, go up
- The scissors - forbidden: cut, paper, blades
- The bin - forbidden: rubbish, throw away, bag
- The sofa - forbidden: living room, sit down, cushions
- The shower - forbidden: water, soap, morning
- The bicycle - forbidden: pedals, wheels, handlebars
- The charger - forbidden: phone, battery, cable
- The earbuds - forbidden: music, ears, wireless
- The cash machine - forbidden: notes, card, bank
- The coffee machine - forbidden: drink, pod, morning
- The microwave - forbidden: heat up, kitchen, minute
- The barbecue - forbidden: grilling, summer, charcoal
- The picnic - forbidden: blanket, grass, basket
- Camping - forbidden: tent, holiday, nature
- Hiking - forbidden: walking, mountain, trail
- Fishing - forbidden: fish, rod, river
- Gardening - forbidden: plants, soil, water
- Bowling - forbidden: pins, ball, strike
- Darts - forbidden: target, throw, pub
- Table football - forbidden: bar, players, win
Forty proper nouns the whole table shares
People, films, brands. Brilliant in rounds 1 and 2, where the smallest detail is enough, and athletic in round 3, where you have to find the gesture that says Cleopatra. Keep them to a quarter of the deck, and check that they speak to the youngest and the oldest at the table alike.
- Beyonce - forbidden: singer, Jay-Z, United States
- Zinedine Zidane - forbidden: football, France, headbutt
- Brad Pitt - forbidden: actor, Hollywood, Angelina
- Leonardo DiCaprio - forbidden: Titanic, actor, Oscar
- Kylian Mbappe - forbidden: football, PSG, Bondy
- Cristiano Ronaldo - forbidden: football, Portugal, Real
- Taylor Swift - forbidden: singer, United States, tour
- Omar Sy - forbidden: Intouchables, actor, Lupin
- Michael Jackson - forbidden: pop, moonwalk, Thriller
- Napoleon - forbidden: emperor, Waterloo, bicorne hat
- Cleopatra - forbidden: Egypt, queen, Caesar
- Einstein - forbidden: relativity, genius, physics
- Picasso - forbidden: painter, cubism, Guernica
- Usain Bolt - forbidden: sprint, Jamaica, record
- Titanic - forbidden: ship, iceberg, Rose
- The Lion King - forbidden: Simba, Mufasa, Disney
- Star Wars - forbidden: lightsaber, Vader, Jedi
- Harry Potter - forbidden: wizard, Hogwarts, wand
- The Lord of the Rings - forbidden: ring, Frodo, Hobbit
- Jurassic Park - forbidden: dinosaur, park, Spielberg
- Money Heist - forbidden: mask, robbery, Spain
- Stranger Things - forbidden: Netflix, Eleven, the eighties
- Game of Thrones - forbidden: throne, dragons, Westeros
- Friends - forbidden: New York, coffee shop, Rachel
- The Simpsons - forbidden: yellow, Homer, Springfield
- The Matrix - forbidden: Neo, pill, simulation
- Batman - forbidden: Gotham, bat, Joker
- Spider-Man - forbidden: spider, web, Peter Parker
- Coca-Cola - forbidden: soda, red, bottle
- Apple - forbidden: Steve Jobs, iPhone, fruit
- Netflix - forbidden: streaming, series, red
- McDonald's - forbidden: fast food, Big Mac, golden arches
- Ikea - forbidden: furniture, Sweden, assemble
- Nike - forbidden: trainers, sport, swoosh
- Lego - forbidden: bricks, toy, build
- Google - forbidden: search, engine, internet
- Instagram - forbidden: photos, social network, stories
- Amazon - forbidden: delivery, parcel, Bezos
- Nutella - forbidden: spread, chocolate, hazelnut
- PlayStation - forbidden: console, Sony, controller
Forty words that mime themselves
Animals, jobs, sports. These are the cards that rescue the end of round 3, and the only ones that truly work with children or in a noisy room. Our game draws them from a separate pool reserved for its Mime theme, because miming an online encyclopedia means nothing.
- The elephant - forbidden: trunk, tusk, grey
- The dolphin - forbidden: sea, swim, clever
- The kangaroo - forbidden: Australia, pouch, jump
- The hedgehog - forbidden: spiky, garden, ball
- The panda - forbidden: China, bamboo, black and white
- The chameleon - forbidden: colour, lizard, change
- The penguin - forbidden: Antarctic, ice, black and white
- The giraffe - forbidden: neck, spots, Africa
- The crocodile - forbidden: teeth, water, reptile
- The shark - forbidden: sea, teeth, fin
- The bat - forbidden: night, fly, cave
- The parrot - forbidden: colour, talk, tropical
- The sloth - forbidden: slow, tree, sleep
- The tortoise - forbidden: shell, slow, a hundred years old
- The wolf - forbidden: pack, howl, forest
- The bee - forbidden: honey, hive, sting
- The baker - forbidden: bread, oven, baguette
- The doctor - forbidden: ill, hospital, heal
- The plumber - forbidden: tap, leak, pipe
- The firefighter - forbidden: fire, helmet, station
- The pastry chef - forbidden: cake, sugar, cream
- The postman - forbidden: mail, bike, letter
- The hairdresser - forbidden: hair, salon, scissors
- The mechanic - forbidden: car, engine, oil
- The vet - forbidden: animal, treat, surgery
- The surgeon - forbidden: operation, theatre, scalpel
- The police officer - forbidden: uniform, arrest, siren
- The astronaut - forbidden: space, rocket, suit
- Tennis - forbidden: racket, Roland-Garros, ball
- Football - forbidden: ball, goal, referee
- Surfing - forbidden: wave, board, ocean
- Judo - forbidden: kimono, mat, belt
- Petanque - forbidden: boules, jack, Provence
- Swimming - forbidden: pool, water, swim
- Rugby - forbidden: ball, scrum, try
- Skiing - forbidden: snow, slope, mountain
- Basketball - forbidden: hoop, NBA, dribble
- Boxing - forbidden: ring, gloves, knockout
- Yoga - forbidden: pose, breathe, mat
- Table tennis - forbidden: bat, ball, table
Forty songs and singers
Songs and singers, the raw material for tables that add a sung round. Careful: the official rule of round 3 bans humming, so these cards belong to rounds 1 and 2, or to a fourth house round. Our game keeps them for its Sung theme, and that pool is the narrowest of the bank, about fifty titles: one evening, not two. The French names stay as they are, they are the cards.
- Stromae - forbidden: singer, Belgium, Alors on danse
- Adele - forbidden: singer, Hello, English
- Aya Nakamura - forbidden: Djadja, singer, France
- Angele - forbidden: singer, Belgium, Brussels
- Jul - forbidden: rap, Marseille, UFO
- Vanessa Paradis - forbidden: singer, Joe le taxi, Depp
- Booba - forbidden: rap, Kopp, Rohff
- Nicki Minaj - forbidden: rap, United States, pink
- Celine Dion - forbidden: Quebec, Titanic, singer
- Johnny Hallyday - forbidden: rock, motorbike, Que je t'aime
- Elvis Presley - forbidden: rock, King, quiff
- Lady Gaga - forbidden: pop, meat dress, Poker Face
- Rihanna - forbidden: singer, Umbrella, Fenty
- Drake - forbidden: rap, Canada, Hotline Bling
- Michel Sardou - forbidden: singer, Les lacs du Connemara, France
- Mylene Farmer - forbidden: singer, red hair, Desenchantee
- Freddie Mercury - forbidden: Queen, moustache, Bohemian Rhapsody
- Bob Marley - forbidden: reggae, Jamaica, dreadlocks
- Madonna - forbidden: pop, Like a Virgin, queen
- Eurovision - forbidden: contest, song, Europe
- Alors on danse - forbidden: Stromae, dance, Belgium
- Les Champs-Elysees - forbidden: Joe Dassin, avenue, Paris
- La Vie en rose - forbidden: Piaf, love, pink
- Joyeux anniversaire - forbidden: candles, cake, party
- Petit Papa Noel - forbidden: Christmas, presents, descendras
- Une souris verte - forbidden: nursery rhyme, grass, tail
- Frere Jacques - forbidden: nursery rhyme, dormez-vous, bells
- Happy Birthday - forbidden: birthday, English, candles
- We Will Rock You - forbidden: Queen, stomp, stadium
- La Macarena - forbidden: dance, Spanish, hands
- YMCA - forbidden: dance, letters, Village People
- La Bamba - forbidden: Spanish, dance, guitar
- Allumer le feu - forbidden: Johnny, concert, flame
- Derniere danse - forbidden: Indila, pain, dance
- Djadja - forbidden: Aya Nakamura, en catchana, hit
- Formidable - forbidden: Stromae, tu etais, fort minable
- Je te promets - forbidden: Johnny, promise, love
- Let It Go - forbidden: Frozen, Elsa, cold
- Hakuna Matata - forbidden: The Lion King, no worries, phrase
- L'Aventurier - forbidden: Indochine, Bob Morane, rock
Forty abstract words, to be used sparingly
Nostalgia, procrastination, stage fright. These are the best cards of the first round and the worst of the third, where they turn into desperate pantomime. Five or six in a deck of forty give it depth; fifteen and round 3 becomes an ordeal.
- Jealousy - forbidden: couple, green, envy
- The holidays - forbidden: beach, work, sun
- The storm - forbidden: wind, rain, thunder
- The apero - forbidden: drink, peanuts, friends
- The wedding - forbidden: dress, church, ring
- The birthday - forbidden: cake, candles, presents
- Stress - forbidden: exam, work, anxious
- Procrastination - forbidden: tomorrow, put off, lazy
- The headache - forbidden: pain, brain, pill
- The lie-in - forbidden: sleep, Saturday, bed
- Shyness - forbidden: blush, dare, quiet
- Nostalgia - forbidden: memory, the past, childhood
- Addiction - forbidden: dependence, cigarette, drug
- Retirement - forbidden: work, the end, pension
- Working from home - forbidden: house, computer, video call
- The sales - forbidden: discount, shop, price
- New Year's Eve - forbidden: 31 December, midnight, party
- Valentine's Day - forbidden: love, 14 February, heart
- Halloween - forbidden: pumpkin, costume, sweets
- Easter - forbidden: eggs, chocolate, bells
- The fete de la musique - forbidden: 21 June, concerts, street
- Bastille Day - forbidden: fireworks, national day, parade
- Starting a business - forbidden: startup, boss, launch
- Love at first sight - forbidden: love, first look, instant
- The fit of giggles - forbidden: tears, belly, stop
- Stage fright - forbidden: stage, stress, audience
- Insomnia - forbidden: sleep, night, counting sheep
- The hiccups - forbidden: hic, scare, diaphragm
- The aches - forbidden: sport, muscles, the next day
- Brunch - forbidden: Sunday, breakfast, eggs
- The selfie - forbidden: photo, yourself, phone
- The traffic jam - forbidden: cars, queue, horn
- The queue - forbidden: wait, line, till
- The driving licence - forbidden: car, test, theory
- The nap - forbidden: sleep, midday, sofa
- Moving house - forbidden: boxes, furniture, home
- The nursery - forbidden: babies, childcare, toys
- The music quiz - forbidden: music, guess, buzzer
- The disco ball - forbidden: disco, ceiling, shine
- The photo booth - forbidden: booth, photos, curtain
What makes a good word
A good word is known by the whole table, not by half of it. That rule is not negotiable. Somebody's nephew, an office in-joke, a video game from 2011: those are dead cards, and they die three times.
A good word is concrete. The hammer beats jealousy every single time, because it can be described, summed up in one word and mimed. Abstract words are useful, but in small doses, and never in a deck built for children.
A good word fits in a word or two. As soon as the card becomes a sentence, the clue giver no longer knows what to point at, and the table produces an answer that is right but not the one written down.
A good word has several ways in. Test it by asking yourself where you would start: if you can only see one angle, the card falls flat the moment that angle is taken.
And a good deck mixes registers. Forty kitchen objects all sound the same in round 2, and the table mixes them up. That is why our bank alternates people, films, brands, animals, jobs, places, food and moments of life.
What makes a good forbidden word
The rule we follow when writing the bank fits in one line: the first forbidden word must be the obvious one, the one that would come out first in any description. The other two are natural companions, not exotic synonyms.
Zinedine Zidane, with football, France and headbutt, stays perfectly playable: the number 10 shirt, Marseille, the coach and the Ballon d'Or are all still open. Beyonce, with singer, Jay-Z and United States, still leaves Destiny's Child, the sister and the Super Bowl. A well-written card is closed at the front and open on the sides.
Three forbidden words, never five. Beyond that the card is no longer guessed, it is endured: the clue giver hunts for an angle that no longer exists, the table gets bored, and someone suggests another game.
Never forbid a door nobody would have used. A useless ban takes the place of a useful one, and it makes a card look hard when it is merely wordy.
The opposite trap is nastier: a vague word with three well-chosen bans becomes unplayable. Stress, without exam or work or anxious, leaves nothing at all. Always check what is left once the three doors are shut; if nothing is, change the word, not the bans.
The traps of a real table
The card nobody knows. It costs thirty seconds in round 1, thirty in round 2, thirty in round 3, and it ends up sinking a whole team. The skimming ritual removes it; do it properly, it takes two minutes.
The clue giver who talks to one person. They face their neighbour, find a rhythm with them, and the other three drop out. Ask the clue giver to stand facing their team, not beside it.
The deck that is too deep. It is the most common mistake, because writing cards is fun. Forty cards for six players, fifty for eight, and stop there. A game should end while the table still wants the third round.
Noise. Round 3 in a bar is very funny and very unfair, since sound effects no longer carry. If the room is loud, play the third round in pure mime, everyone on the same footing.
The deck written by one generation. Three people writing their cards together produce a deck that politely excludes the other two. That is the point of a shared list: nobody wrote it to please themselves.
Finally, the theme that is too narrow. A deck made only of music or only of films runs dry and repeats itself. Our own bank shows it in the negative: its sung pool holds about fifty titles against more than four hundred cards in total, and it is the first one to start looping.
Heads Down, the game behind this bank
These two hundred words come from Heads Down, a free PlaySobr game that draws from the same bank of 409 cards. Here is what it does with them, as of 21 September 2026.
It reverses the direction of play. The active player holds their phone against their forehead without seeing the screen, and the whole table makes them guess word after word for sixty seconds. No teams, just a rotation: everybody takes a turn at the forehead.
Four themes to pick from before the turn starts. Mime, without a sound. Synonyms, where you describe without saying the word. Forbidden Words, where the three bans of the card appear to the people giving clues, and to them only. Sung, where you may only hum. A word drawn does not come back in the same room.
It is not a Time's Up: it has neither the three rounds nor the same deck coming back. For the real structure, take the list above and some slips of paper. For ready-made words, a timer and nobody peeking, open a room: free, no account, 1 to 12 players.