# Dumb charades rules: act, guess and keep score

Dumb charades is a guessing game where an actor gives clues without speaking and teammates call out answers.

## Quick rules

- Dumb charades: Pick the next actor from the team whose turn it is.

- Dumb charades: Act silently while teammates guess aloud.

- Dumb charades: When the caller accepts a correct answer, stop the timer and award one point.

- Dumb charades: Switch teams and rotate actors.

- Dumb charades: After the planned turns, total the points.

## Key facts

| Fact | Details |

| --- | --- |

| Players | 4 to 12 |

| Equipment | Paper clues, Container, Timer, Score sheet |

| Time | 15 to 30 minutes (planning estimate) |

| Age | 6+ with guidance |

| Also called | Charades, Silent acting game |

chai.games · 2026-10-18

Dumb charades is a guessing game where an actor gives clues without speaking and teammates call out answers. Split into teams, choose familiar topics and give each side the same time. This guide uses a simple family format: one clue per turn, one point for a correct answer, and no surprise penalties.

## What you need

- Make enough clue slips for several turns. Everyday actions such as making chai, looking for glasses or missing a bus work without specialist knowledge. Film titles can be a separate category if everyone knows the same sort of films.

- Clear a small acting space that all players can see. The actor does not need to climb, run or use real objects. One phone can handle the timer and Hisaab score while another player reads the clue privately.

## Setup

1. Choose two roughly equal teams and agree a turn length, such as sixty seconds. That timing is our suggested house setting. Give the teams equal numbers of turns, including a final reply turn if one side is leading when time runs short.

2. Set the acting limits before the first clue: no speaking, mouthing words, humming, spelling in the air or pointing at printed text. Natural gestures are allowed. If your family uses a “sounds like” signal, demonstrate it first rather than expecting newcomers to know it.

3. Decide how closely a guess must match. Our starter version accepts the intended action in ordinary words, but a title category needs the agreed title. A neutral caller can settle close answers without being part of the guessing team.

## How to play

1. Pick the next actor from the team whose turn it is. Let them read a clue without showing teammates. Give a few seconds to understand it; start the timer only when the actor says they are ready.

2. Act silently while teammates guess aloud. The actor may nod or shake their head for a complete guess under our house format. Do not secretly signal individual letters or use a phone picture to give away the answer.

3. When the caller accepts a correct answer, stop the timer and award one point. If the time ends first, reveal the clue and award zero. Our first-game format has no stealing by the other team, so the result is easy to settle.

4. Switch teams and rotate actors. Everyone should have a chance before a strong performer acts again. A player may pass on acting and help guess instead; choose another willing actor without a penalty.

5. After the planned turns, total the points. If the game is tied, share the win or give both sides one more turn with clues of similar difficulty. Never give just the trailing side an extra chance and call the score comparable.

## Scoring / how to win

- The basic score is one per correct clue. Example: Team Pink solves three of four clues and Team Teal solves two of four. The match ends 3-2. A fast answer still scores one; speed bonuses require a separate agreement.

- For a timed multi-clue variation, count every solved clue within the same time window and record passes too. Use equally prepared clue sets. Otherwise one team may get easy household actions while the other gets obscure titles.

## House rules & regional variations

- Young-player round: use animals, simple jobs or visible actions. Allow an adult to whisper what an unfamiliar word means before the timer. A clue that nobody understands can be replaced without treating the actor as the problem.

- Cooperative charades: remove teams and try to solve a shared set together. Another option is a seated round where actors use hands and facial expression only. Label either change before choosing clues so everyone has the same expectations.

## Tips & strategy

- Start with the whole idea, then break it into useful actions. For “looking for lost glasses”, you might search a pocket, look under a cushion and finally notice glasses on your head. This is an original practice example, not a required sequence of gestures.

- Use clues with a fair route to the answer. A private family joke that only two people know will make everyone else wait. When guessing stalls, the actor can change approach instead of repeating the same small motion faster.

## Safety & fair play

- Keep clues respectful and avoid imitating a person's disability, body or private embarrassment. Do not use real knives, hot chai or furniture climbing as props. A player can decline a clue; replace it and keep the game moving.

## Questions

### Can the actor make sounds?

Not in this silent version. Humming, spoken syllables and mouthed words are also excluded unless you deliberately choose another format.

### Can we use hand signals for word count?

Yes if everyone learns them first. They are a convention, not knowledge a new player should be punished for missing.

### Does the other team steal after time runs out?

Not in the starter rules. You can add one timed steal attempt as a house option, announced before the match.

### What if the clue is impossible for a child?

Replace it with a familiar action before starting the timer. Match the clues to the players, not the other way around.

### How does the Hisaab tool help?

Use it for the timer and team points while the actual acting happens in the room. Read each saved round aloud so both teams agree.

## Play and keep score

- [Open prompts and timer](https://chai.games/hisaab/dumb-charades)

- [More family gathering games](https://chai.games/khel-kitab/type/shaadi-family)

## Sources

- [Playworks: silent acting, familiar categories and rotating actors](https://www.playworks.org/game-library/charades-relay/)

Source: chai.games, "Dumb charades rules: act, guess and keep score" (https://chai.games/khel-kitab/dumb-charades)