🙅 Forbidden Words
Describe a word to your team without saying the word itself or any of the three forbidden words on the card. It works like the classic game Taboo and is brilliant for vocabulary and quick thinking.
What you need
Equipment: Word cards and a timer. Print and cut out the cards below, or make 15 to 20 of your own: one word to describe and three forbidden words underneath (for example PIZZA: Italy, cheese, slice). Split into two teams and get a timer ready.
How to play Forbidden Words
- A player from Team A takes a card. Only they can see it.
- Start a 60-second timer.
- The player describes the word to their team without saying the word itself or any of the three forbidden words.
- No gestures, no drawing in the air and no using another language.
- A player from the other team stands next to them as the 'buzzer'. If a forbidden word is said, they shout 'Capy!' and the card is lost.
- Team guessed it? Take a new card and keep going in the same minute.
- When the minute ends, count the cards the team got.
- Team B plays in the same way.
Scoring and wrapping up
Scoring: Each card guessed = 1 point. Each card lost = minus 1 point. A card guessed in under 10 seconds = 2 points.
To finish: After 4 rounds for each team, add up the points. The team with the most points wins.
By age
- Ages 7-9: just one forbidden word and simple words.
- Ages 10+: all three forbidden words.
Variations
- Big group: play in four teams, each with its own buzzer.
- Classroom version: use the week's vocabulary or spelling words as the cards.
- Capy twist: the describer must speak in a funny voice, like a robot or a pirate.
Tips for the adult in charge
- One minute per turn. The more cards per minute, the more fun.
- Let players pass on a card that is too hard, but only once per turn.
🖨️ Printable Forbidden Words cards
Cut out the cards. Describe the first word without saying any of the three forbidden words after it.
- PIZZA: cheese, slice, Italy
- BIRTHDAY: cake, party, candles
- DOG: bark, pet, puppy
- BEACH: sand, sea, swim
- SCHOOL: teacher, class, learn
- RAIN: water, umbrella, wet
- BANANA: yellow, fruit, monkey
- SNOWMAN: snow, carrot, winter
- ROCKET: space, fly, moon
- TEETH: mouth, brush, bite
- SOCCER: ball, kick, goal
- PIRATE: ship, treasure, parrot
- ICE CREAM: cold, cone, sweet
- BED: sleep, pillow, night
- RAINBOW: colors, rain, sky
- DINOSAUR: big, extinct, T-rex
- KITCHEN: cook, food, oven
- BICYCLE: ride, wheels, pedal
- DOCTOR: sick, hospital, medicine
- CASTLE: king, queen, tower
- SPIDER: web, legs, insect
- BOOK: read, pages, story
Questions and answers
Is Forbidden Words the same as Taboo?
It works the same way: describe a word without saying the forbidden words on the card. This version is free, needs no box, and the cards are written for kids.
How do you make Taboo easier for younger kids?
Use only one forbidden word per card, pick simple everyday words, and let players use gestures.