Charades

Charades is a game in which one silently acts out a word or phrase for other players to guess. There are several common rules and signals used in playing charades, but the specifics of each game are typically agreed upon by the players before the game starts. Depending on the rules of the game, the words and phrases being guessed might be limited to the titles of books and films, actors names or generic concepts.

Fast Facts

1. Origin: France
2. Original meaning: A riddle in verse or prose
3. Materials required: Slips of paper, Writing implement
4. Scientists at the University of St. Andrews are teaching orangutans to play charades in order to communicate with humans

Common Charade Rules

1. Players divide into two teams.
2. Each player writes a phrase on a slip of paper to be performed and guessed by the other team.
3. A time limit can be placed on the guessing process.
4. No sound or lip movements are allowed.
5. The actor cannot point to objects in the room.
6. Words cannot be spelled out through gesture.
7. Every team member takes a turn at the pantomime.

Standard Charade Hand Signals

• Number of words in a phrase: Hold up same number of fingers
• Which word you're working on: Hold up the corresponding number of fingers
• Number of syllables in a word: Lay the number of fingers on your arm
• Which syllable you're working on: Lay the corresponding number of fingers on your arm
• Correct or "on the nose": Point at your nose with one hand; point at the person making the correct guess with the other
• Person: Stand with hands on hip
• Book title: Unfold your hands as if they were a book
• Movie title: Pretend to crank an old-fashioned movie camera
• Song title: Pretend to sing
• TV show: Draw the outline of a TV screen with your hands

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