Pictionary is an exciting game for the whole family, perfect for any occasion where you are looking for a fun, engaging activity to do with your family and friends - even kids can play! It’s a classic game, which has been played for years and years. And it’s a very inclusive game, as anyone can join in and play, no matter what their age or level of skill.
With Pictionary, you get to develop your drawing skills and challenge yourself, while also having a great time with your family and friends. You’ll be laughing and having fun for hours while playing this amazing game.
How to Play Pictionary
While it is recommended to use the official boxed game to get the best Pictionary experience, the truth is: you can set up a game of Pictionary just as easily with some basic materials you might have within reach!
Number of Players: 4+
Setup
- Paper
- Pencils
- Timer
- Dice
- Notecards
Choosing Pictionary words
- Pick at least five different categories (ex: animals, celebrities, landmarks, actions)
- On each card, write down words from the categories chosen.
- Sort each into their matching category, then shuffle.
- Assign each category a corresponding number when the dice is rolled.
- Set out the remaining materials.
How to Play
- Split everyone into teams or two or more (everyone playing solo is also an option). Everyone rolls the dice to see who goes first.
- Designate someone as the ‘judge’; they will hand out the cards and keep track of the time.
- Whoever starts rolls the die and is given a card corresponding to the category. They may start drawing at the judge’s cue.
- The player has 60 seconds to draw, and everyone else must guess what is being drawn within those 60 seconds too.
- Whoever is drawing cannot talk, make noises/gestures, and cannot draw letters/numbers.
- Whoever guesses correctly scores a point and can attempt to guess the next word being drawn out. If they are incorrect, the turn passes to the next player for them to attempt to guess.
- The game ends based on whatever conditions determine a winner(ex: first team/player to ‘x’ number of points)
Playing Pictionary / Draw It Online
Another great way to get drawing without any supplies is through Draw It. It’s a free version of Pictionary that’s online at Brightful Meeting Games. It’s the easiest way to play a drawing game, and while the list of Pictionary words below may be useful if you are playing in person, Draw It allows you to connect easily with friends and family from across the world. The aim of the game is similar to Pictionary, one player draws a word and the rest try to guess it. The earlier the word has been guessed, the more points are scored for the guesser and the drawer! It takes the guesswork out of scorekeeping, so you can focus on the fun parts of the game.
Pictionary Words
We've included over 350 fun Pictionary words in an easy to use list. The list is divided by difficulty, so you can always keep it fair and even. Here’s our list of super fun Pictionary words sorted by difficulty. There's Easy, Medium and Hard difficulties. These are perfect for you to decide depending on your level of skill. If you're playing Pictionary with Kids, you'll find a section at the bottom with some bonus Pictionary Words for Kids!
You also may want to check out our Random Pictionary Word Generator for an even easier way to play!
Easy Pictionary Words
These words are fun to draw and are mostly objects found around the house or the office, so they should be familiar to lots of people. Start with this list and work your way down as they get progressively harder!
Did you know the easiest way to play Pictionary online is with Brightful? You can even play with friends and family from across the world. Simply host a game and share the link, you can get started in seconds. The game also automatically keeps track of everyone's total score and time.
Medium Pictionary Words
These words to draw are ranked medium difficulty because they’re still objects but they are less common. They may be a bit harder to recognize. For more of a challenge, keep scrolling down!
HARD Pictionary Words
These words are difficult to draw! They sometimes represent more abstract ideas, and you may need to be more expressive in your drawing skills. That being said, the challenge of drawing such difficult words is what makes it fun! Attempt this if you are a drawing maestro.
If you're looking for a great drawing challenge, you'll find that Draw It has a built-in "Hard" word that allows you to score 2x Bonus Points. Try it out if you think you're up for it!
Gameplay Variations
Once you get used to the flow of how to play Pictionary, you may be keen to explore other ways to play or add some new game conditions to keep things interesting, by making gameplay a little more difficult.
Below are some ideas of how you can change up your next Pictionary game: either to make it your own, offer a more challenging experience for players, or just to experiment with another way to play Pictionary!
- Remove the use of dice; have random cards drawn at each turn
- Assign different point values for easy, medium, and hard words (harder the word, the more points it's worth)
- Allow opposing teams/players to attempt to guess what the word being drawn is; either all at the same time or when time runs out
- Reduce/increase the time allocated for the artist to draw out the word and for other players to guess.
Pictionary with Jimmy Fallon
If you're not sure how a typical Pictionary game looks like, refer to this example from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon!
Looking for other games to play with your team, friends, or family?
In addition to Pictionary, there are many other games that are perfect for team and relationship building. Check out our articles on further suggestions -
