Fun word games with friends

If you want to enhance your writing skill, it is high time to skip all typical writing books and podcasts and play some word games instead. Word games are great ways to elaborate your vocabulary, enjoy a story and have a lot of fun writing.

Word games are the best way to:

• Develop vocabulary
• Be proficient in English like natives
• Helps you to think more enormously about words
• Find and develop new letters and so on.

Following is a list of 7 best word games to play with friends:

1. Scrabble

Scrabble, the quintessential crossword game, is definitely fun for family and friends. Once your letters are racked you may get excited, pick a good word and go down to a triple word score. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, play the popular Scrabble game excellently with your opponent to have a challenging and fun time.

Scrabble is the ultimate crossword game that counts each letter. Grab your friends and shape the words on the board. After playing your part, calculate the value of all the letters in each new word that you form.

Scrabble is one of the best word games to play with friends, played with letter tiles on a board marked with various squares. Here some squares give extra points. Characters have different point values ​​depending on how common they are. Scrabble’s end result looks like a crossword as many words overlap each other. There are tools like scrabble word finder, which you can use to unscramble words. Additionally, sites like Unscrambled Words provide lists of strategic 2 letter and 3 letter words that will come in use during the game. Learning these words can significantly elevate your Scrabble skills.

Scrabble is an elevated game to play if you want to expand your vocabulary (especially for two letter words). It is worthy for kids too, especially in the “junior” versions.

2. Boggle

Although Scrabble is a kind of crossword game, Boggle is actually a word search game, and if you’re looking for an alternative game that is as fast and fun as Scrabble, this is the cool word games to choose.

It involves critical thinking and concentration. Boggle has long been a family favorite because it is portable and easy to play. The common postulate is quite straightforward – they consist of squares with letters, you can move them, rotate the timer‌ and the player who will find most of the words in 3 minutes wins the game!

Boggle is the perfect game to play if you do not stop after a round. It is also ideal for young players to develop their vocabulary.

3. Dabble

Here you have to compete with other players and have to create five words of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 letters using your 20 tiles to get the first place. Dabble is family friendly. It is easy to understand and play but coming up with words can be a lot more challenging than you might think.

If you enjoy Boggle or Scrabble, you can enjoy dabble as well. This is a considerable way to develop spelling and vocabulary and enjoy words.

4. Tapple

Tapple‌ has a wheel that contains many letters of the alphabet and several subject cards containing 144 different categories. There are many ways you can play it – the basic rules are that each player must think within 10 seconds of such a word that matches the topic, but that word would not start with the initial letter used before.

Although it may seem a bit challenging or frustrating for young children due to its short duration, it is a great game for older kids who want to expand their vocabulary. All the categorizations are suitable for children.

5. Quiddler

Quiddler is the best educational word game suitable for those looking for board games like Scrabble. One great thing about Quiddler is that it can hold up to 10 players, so for those who are very large in the group it is a great option to play Quiddler.

The goal of the game is very straightforward – each player receives a card with letters written on it, and the goal is to make as many words as possible from the cards you have. Each card has its own point value and the one with the most points at the end of the game wins. Quiddler allows words with 2 letters, however, all words must be considered valid in the dictionary.

6. Bananagrams

If you are looking for an amusing word game, Bananagrams is a great choice for you. This simple and fun game is a great way to play a word game like Scrabble – especially if you are on the go.

The Bananagram game contains 144 tiles engraved with letters (such as scrabble tiles) that come in a banana-shaped cloth bag. The game can hold 2-8 players and the number of tiles available to each player depends on the number of people playing. Each player starts by facing his / her tiles and the first player to use his / her tiles to create real words (which should be found in the dictionary) wins the match.

Bananagram is a great game to bring with you wherever you are, especially if you are really into word games.

7. Wordical

Wordical outlines itself as the dice-rolling, radical, word-building race and if you are looking for a fast and exciting word game like Boggle or Scrabble, this would be the best word games to play with friends for you.

Wordical is great for 2-8 players at a time, and the game introduction is effortless. Each player will get a certain number of cards constants enumerated in them and at each turn, players roll the dice with vowels and make as many words as possible using vowels and consonants of their cards.

The game is great for family game nights, especially if you are trying to learn new vocabulary words, and boosts creative thinking. Overall, this platform is one of the best and enjoyable word games.

These games narrated above are the best word games to play with friends. By playing these games is an eminent way to spend time with kith and kin, be it a gathering at home or a party at a friend’s house. This competitive word game makes any event more synergetic, fun, and exciting.

What are your methods for teaching vocabulary?

Drills? Flashcards? Yuck! Boring!

While these can certainly be effective, they can be a quick way to lose your student’s attention if you spend too much time on them in a class.

So what can you do then? The answer?

Play some fun ESL vocabulary games with them!

In this huge listicle, you’ll find 17 great ESL vocabulary game ideas (suitable for adults, teens, and kids) with detailed instructions to include in your lessons.

Games are a great way to get your students to engage and use the language without fighting for their attention every few minutes.

Well, that’s great for children I hear you saying, but what about adults?

Well, as surprising as it may sound… Adults enjoy having fun too!

In fact, a number of the games here are what adults often play while socializing with friends or family anyway so they may already be familiar with them in the native language.

That being said, while some of these vocabulary games can be great for adults, this isn’t the case for all of them.

Some games on this list can be a little silly and adult students would most likely feel more than a little patronized if they were to play them. The same could be said for some games which may be too “boring” for children.

For that reason, this list also has information about the appropriate target student. It mentions:

• student level (from beginner to advanced)
• type of lesson (group and/or one-to-one)
• student type (children and/or adults)

Make sure to read each game carefully before trying it in your class. Make a note of any realia/resources you may need and if possible practise how you will run the class so there aren’t any surprises in the classroom! Let’s get started.

1. Whispers

• Student level: Pre-Intermediate to Advanced
• Type of lesson: Group
• Student type: Children & Adults

The idea of “whispers” is to get a message from one end of a line of people to the other. To start: –

1. Person 1 needs to whisper a message to person 2 (without anyone else hearing)
2. Person 2 then needs to whisper the message to person 3 etc until we reach the end of the line.

This game can get difficult because some mistakes creep into the message which can lead to a message which is vastly different at the end than it is at the start.

Once the message reaches the end, the final person reveals what they think it is. This often results in hilarity!

This game trains the students to be able to understand messages in situations that aren’t so clear. It also trains them to try to understand a sentence using context. As long as the students can form sentences then they will be ok with this game.

2. Describe It

• Student level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Type of lesson: Group or Individual
• Student type: Adults

With “describe it” the idea is to give a student a word. This can be anything you want really but nouns and verbs are going to be easier than things like adverbs and prepositions. Once the student has their word, they then have to describe it without using the word itself!

Whoever manages to guess this correctly then gets to go next and you can keep going until everyone in the class has had a turn.

The benefit of this game is that it forces students to use synonyms/antonyms that they might not use usually. It also helps them to develop the skill of using the language to try to express something even if they don’t have that particular word in their vocabulary.

This game is a little more difficult than the others and is better suited to intermediate to advanced learners. Coupled with the fact that you may lose some attention from children, this is better aimed at adults.

3. Tongue Twisters

• Student level: Pre-Intermediate to Advanced
• Type of lesson: Group or Individual
• Student type: Children & Adults

Tongue twisters are a fun way to practise new vocabulary!

In case you don’t already know what they are; A tongue twister is a sentence (or several) that is very difficult to say (usually due to a sequence of similar sounds).

An example of this would be “she sells seashells by the seashore”.

These are both great fun and extremely useful as they can be used to train pronunciation for new vocabulary. They are effective with adult students but due to their silliness, it’s no surprise that kids love them!

While there are already plenty of tongue twisters out there, you will likely have to create your own, specific to the vocabulary you are learning. (hint – don’t try to cram all of the TL into one sentence, pick one new word for each tongue twister.)

To add a more competitive element to it, (besides just saying the sentence without mistakes) you can time the students and get them to try to go faster and faster each time!

4. I went to the supermarket…

• Student level: Beginner to Advanced
• Type of lesson: Group
• Student type: Children & Adults

This game is a great one to flex those memory muscles! It goes something like this:

1. Create a circle of students.
2. Student 1 starts by saying “I went to the supermarket and I bought [some bread].” (this [ ] can be anything they choose.)
3. Student 2 then says “I went to the supermarket and I bought some bread and [an apple].” (They have to say what the previous student said but then they choose a new object for themselves.)
4. Student 3 then says “I went to the supermarket and I bought some bread, an apple and [some cheese].”
5. You then continue around the circle with the students adding more and more items until somebody isn’t able to remember all of the list.

You can choose to either reset the game once the list can’t be remembered or… for a more competitive element you can choose to reset the list minus the student who couldn’t remember. You can then repeat this until there is a “definite winner”.

As this game is more to do with memory and doesn’t necessarily involve complex vocabulary, it is suitable for students of all ages and levels.

5. I Spy

• Student level: Beginner to Pre-Intermediate
• Type of lesson: Group or Individual
• Student type: Children

“I spy with my little eye…” If you didn’t play this as a child then you missed out! But fear not, you have a chance to catch up with this fun game now.

1. Student 1 first picks an object in the room (without saying what it is). For example, maybe they see a “clock”.
2. They then have to say the phrase “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…” and say the first letter of the word [c].
3. The other students have to guess what it is and whoever is correct becomes the next person to play.

Keep going until everyone has had a turn to play. This game can be fairly simple if there are common words such as “pen”, “book” etc.

However, if you really want to bring more of a challenge, then bring some props with you or load up an image on a projector with many items.

This game is good when learning basic vocabulary and is better suited to beginners and more specifically children.

6. Word Association

Student level: Pre-Intermediate to Advanced
Type of lesson: Group or Individual
Student type: Children & Adults

This one is great to stimulate some creativity. It is also a very simple idea.

1. Student 1 says a word. It can be anything but for this example, we will say “green”
2. Student 2 says a word that is related to Student 1’s word. “Grass”.
3. You can then continue around the chain with each student adding a related word to what the previous person has said.

The rules are simple. You have to be able to explain why a word is related. You also can’t repeat a word that has already been said! To make this one harder you can also include a timer.

7. A-Z Categories

Student level: Pre-Intermediate to Advanced
Type of lesson: Group or Individual
Student type: Children & Adults

In this game, the teacher picks a category such as (fruit, countries, languages, etc). The idea is then for the students to think of something for each letter of the alphabet.

So if we picked the category “countries” then it would go like this:

1. Student 1: “America”
2. Student 2: “Belgium”
3. Student 3: “China”

You can then continue until all of the letters have been completed. Some beginners will be fine with something like “food” but some categories can be more difficult so bear this in mind when picking a topic.

You may also want to consider cultural backgrounds. “Countries” is a good topic because although they have different names in different languages, they are known by everyone. However, a topic like “bands” can become more difficult as students may want to pick their local favourites which might not be known by others.

8. Match

Student level: Beginner to Pre-Intermediate
Type of lesson: Group or Individual
Student type: Children

For this game, you need two sets of cards. The first set of cards will have pictures of various things (e.g ball, house, etc), the second set will have the vocabulary on. As you probably have guessed by now, the student’s aim is to match the pictures up with the vocabulary.

You can vary this one a bit depending on how many are playing.

1. With just one student playing you can simply time how long it takes them to match them all and then get them to try and beat that record the second time around.
2. With more students, you can divide them into two teams. Whichever team gets the most pairs wins. (You may prefer to have the teams have one student up at a time to make sure things don’t get too crazy!)

This one is for children. It works especially well with complete beginners because the explanation needed is minimal, demo the game to them and they will take to it like ducks to water!

9. Word Grab Race

Student level: Beginner to Intermediate
Type of lesson: Group
Student type: Children

To set this game up you again need a collection of cards with the vocabulary on. Mix all the cards up (while still being able to see them all.) Next, divide your students into two teams. A student from each group will have their turn first.

When the teacher says the word, the chosen student from each team has to run to the front and find the correct card with the word on from the pile. Once they have brought it back to the group both teams will then switch the active player.

This is repeated until all of the cards have been captured. The team with the most at the end wins.

To make this harder, instead of the teacher saying the word you could show a picture (on a screen) or hold up an object. This forces the students to use the vocabulary and understand what it means.

10. Hangman

Student level: Pre-Intermediate to Advanced
Type of lesson: Group or Individual
Student type: Children & Adults

Hangman takes a little bit of explaining but… once your students understand it then they will love it!

The basic point of hangman is for the students to guess a word (picked by the teacher).

They take turns guessing a letter each. If the guess is correct (the letter is in the word) then the teacher will write the letter on the board, if the guess is wrong then a part of “the hangman” is drawn.

There are 8 parts to the drawing:

1. Draw the post (an upside-down “L”).
2. Draw the head (a circle) underneath the horizontal part of the post.
3. Draw the body (a vertical line under the head).
4. Draw arm 1 (a stick from the body).
5. Draw arm 2 (another stick from the other side of the body).
6. Draw leg 1 (a stick at the bottom of the body).
7. Draw leg 2 (a stick on the other side at the bottom of the body).
8. Draw the noose (a line joining the head to the post).

The students need to guess what this word is before the picture of the hangman is complete. If they guess it correctly before the hangman is complete then they win, if not then they lose.

If you want to include the students further then whoever wins the round can have a turn at drawing the hangman in the next round.

This game is fun regardless of age, group size or ability (as difficulty can be altered by using harder or easier vocabulary).

11. Stand up / Sit Down

Student level: Beginner to Intermediate
Type of lesson: Group
Student type: Children

For this game, you will need either a board and projector or some realia. First of all, make a line of chairs with the students sat down (facing the teacher).

1. You will then show either an image or hold up an object.
2. Next, you say either the correct vocabulary or a different word.
3. If what you say and what is shown is correct then the children stand up, if not then they stay sat down.

To add a competitive angle to this you can have the ones who get it wrong lose the game and leave the round, repeat this until there is a winner. Alternatively, if everyone is very good then you could do the last student to stand up / sit down lose that round.

This game is ideal for children, they love getting involved and moving around. It is a great way to win pre-schoolers back if you find you have lost their attention part way through a class.

12. Spelling Throw

Student level: Beginner to Intermediate
Type of lesson: Group
Student type: Children

The idea of this game is to get the students to spell a word out one letter at a time, each student takes it in turns saying each letter though which is what makes it difficult.

To begin, you first need to arrange the students in a circle (either seated or standing). You will also need a ball. For this example let’s say the chosen word is “tiger”.

1. Student 1 – “t” *throws the ball to student 5
2. Student 5 – “i” *throws the ball to student 3
3. Student 3 – “g” etc

This continues until the word is complete. Again, like with the other games you could do a knockout rule where if a student gets the wrong letter then they are out of that round (repeat until there is a clear winner).

If this game is slightly too easy for the students then you can introduce a timer system where they will only get a few seconds to answer, if they don’t answer in time then they are also out.

This game is best suited to children, they will enjoy using a ball to interact with. It is also more suited to beginner levels (especially when learning how to spell.) Keep this one away from adults or advanced students unless you want to hear some patronized groans!

13. Draw It

Student level: Beginner to Intermediate
Type of lesson: Group or Individual
Student type: Children & Adults

Great fun with children and adults alike. Similar to “describe it”, the idea is for the student to express a chosen word without saying it. The difference here is that we are now drawing instead of describing.

Obviously we will need something to draw with for this. Pen and paper would work fine if we are struggling for resources but it would be better to use something bigger so it’s easier for the students to see, so try to grab a whiteboard!

Once you have a chosen student, tell them the chosen word (without anyone else hearing), they then have to draw it. The other students have to guess and the first one to get it right can then have their turn. Keep going until everyone has played at least once.

The advantage of this game over “describe it” is it can be a lot easier for beginner students to draw something than to try to think of a way to describe it in English. That being said if your students are advanced, they may benefit more from the added difficulty of “describe it”.

14. Word Search

Student level: Beginner to Advanced
Type of lesson: Individual
Student type: Children & Adults

These take a little longer to prepare but when it comes to actually playing, they are as easy as they come.

For anyone that doesn’t know what a word search is, you basically have a grid of squares. Inside each square is a letter. At first glance, it will appear as if you are staring at a giant mess of random letters. However, there are words hidden inside this mess that must be found.

Although this game could, in theory, be done in groups, it is one that is better suited towards individual students. It can be hard for some students to wait for their turn without shouting out that they’ve found one (especially true with children!).

The great thing about a word search is that they are very easy to play. Even if you use advanced vocabulary, the ability to look for a word is still the same so this game is suitable for students of all levels.

15. Synonyms

Student level: Intermediate to Advanced
Type of lesson: Group or Individual
Student type: Adults

With synonyms, the point is to give a student a word, and they have to give you a synonym for that word in return. (E.g. teacher says scalding, student says hot). For this, you will need to do some research and make sure you know some synonyms for the TL of that lesson.

A very basic idea, but we have a lot of room to work with this. Here are some things we can change:

• Add a time limit (e.g the student has 3 seconds to reply)
• Time limit for the whole group (e.g how many can the group get in 3 minutes)
• In a group, the student (who just answered) could ask the next student
• Use antonyms as well
• Have the students ask the teacher

This game is dependant on the students having at least a medium-size vocabulary so I would advise sticking to medium to advanced level students. Also, while this game is fun to an extent, it is more so for adults. Some children may lose concentration with this one so only play with them if you know you can hold their focus.

16. Shiritori

Student level: Intermediate to Advanced
Type of lesson: Group or Individual
Student type: Adults

The classic Japanese game – Shiritori! You need very little to play this game, which makes it ideal as a backup activity as well.

Simply set up the chairs in the classroom so that everyone can see and hear each other clearly. A circle arrangement is a great choice as it allows everyone to hear each other and there’s an obvious order to whose go it is.

1. Choose a student or go first yourself
2. The first person (A) says a word. This can be something that was taught in the class if you want to reinforce that. Or, if this is a backup activity then it can be any word.
3. The next person to the left (B) will then say a word that starts with the last letter of A’s word. So if A said “boat” then B could say “three”.
4. The game carries on around the circle until you reach the original student again.
5. At this point you can either end the game there or carry on if you have time.

A very basic idea but we have a lot of room to work with this. Here are some things we can change:

• Add a time limit (e.g the student has 3 seconds to reply)
• Time limit for the whole group (e.g how many can the group get in 3 minutes)
• In a group, the student (who just answered) could ask the next student
• Use antonyms as well
• Have the students ask the teacher

This game is dependent on the students having at least a medium-size vocabulary, so I would advise sticking to medium to advanced level students. Also, while this game is fun to an extent, it is more so for adults. Some children may lose concentration with this one so only play with them if you know you can hold their focus.

17. Charades

Student level: Beginner to Intermediate
Type of lesson: Group
Student type: Children & Adults

In case you haven’t played charades before, this is how to play:

1. Select a student to be “a word”, e.g. red, an apple
2. Without speaking, this student has to get the other students to guess the word.
3. They can elicit the answer by using body movements, pointing to things in the room etc. Basically anything, as long as they do not speak.
4. Whoever guesses the answer first gets to be “it” in the next round.

This is a great game for beginners as it works better with beginner vocabulary (run, sit, 4 etc.) 

Beware, you may struggle with more complex vocabulary… (try acting out the word situational!)

18. Vocab Bingo

Student level: Beginner to Intermediate
Type of lesson: Group
Student type: Children & Adults

Prepare Bingo sheets with grids and add one word to each square. Select the grid size (from 3×3 to 6×6) and the words according to the level of English of your students and the expected duration of the game.

Write all words you’ve added to the sheets on a list; maybe add some more. Call out the words in random order, and have the students mark the words when they hear it.

They can use a pen, or better: put little items on the squares. This is more fun, and you can reuse the sheets.

The first person to mark each word on his sheets wins.

You can make this ESL vocab game a bit harder: Don’t call out the exact words in the squares, but synonyms, or opposites, or any kind of related words (for example when you call “rain”, they have to mark “umbrella”).

Conclusion

So, there we have it, 18 games for you to try in your classes.

Make sure to pay attention to the suitability for each game and most importantly practise these before you get in the classroom.

Hopefully, these will also have sparked your creative juices so you will be able to think up some of your own.

Remember to keep it fun, educational and engaging!

If you want to find activities to build classroom community, you can have a look at this article.

Word Games with a difference. Play them with friends or in teams. Increase your Vocabulary. Build team spirit. Spin funny stories

Play these
Word Games — Antakshari, Rigmarole, Memory, Dud, Atlas — with kids and have fun with vocabulary and spellings.

If you need more information about games other than the ones found on this page please use the
Contact Us Page.

© For the building blocks picture

If you would like to check out other kinds of games to play with kids, go to

• Paper-pencil games
• Acting games
• Board games
• Self-esteem Games

Word Games 1 : Antakshari. Antakshari is an Indian word which means the last letter. That is what the game is all about.

How many players are needed? The more the merrier. If there are eight players or more you can divide the group into two teams for the game.

How is it played? The non-team version.

1. Everybody sits in a circle.

2. Pick the denner (the player who will start the game): Recite a rhyme — one word per player. The person at which the rhyme ends will start the game.

Possible rhymes: You could choose any of the nursery rhymes that you remember. If not, you can use one of the following. The first one is an Indian rhyme usually used to find the denner. You can use it if you can get your tongue around the words. The second is an English rhyme.

Akkad bakkad bambe bo,
Assi nabbe poore sau,
Sau me laga dhaga,
Chor nikalke bhaga.

Inky pinky ponky,
Daddy had a donkey;
Donkey died, Daddy cried,
Inky pinky ponky.

3. Once the denner has been identified, she starts with any word. (You can decide in the beginning whether you want to use random words in the game or categories of words. The categories could be names of places, things, five-letter or bigger words)

4. You can decide to continue the game clockwise or anti-clockwise.

5. The next person in the circle has to say a word which begins with the last letter of the first word.

6. Like this the game goes on around the circle until the kids decide to stop

7. In the team version, the team thinks up the word. If a team is taking time to think up a word, the other team can use a countdown like the one in the game
Name, Place, Animal, Thing.

8. This game can also be used with songs (my children prefer to use peppy songs and have rip-roaring fun with the game). The players should think up songs which begin with the last letter of the previous song.

Word Games 2: Decode the Concept and Define (NEW)

Play it with any topic. Say you want to practice a set of concepts in Physics like:

• speed
• velocity
• mass
• acceleration etc

Instructions: Give students time, say 1 minute, to encode a concept of their choice. Following are some ways to encode the word ‘mass’

• Nbtt — Every letter in the code appears before the needed letter in the Alphabet
• Matter acts subtly substantial (beginning letter of every word)
• Emeralds say astute psychology  (second letter of every word)
• 1311919 (ordinal number of every letter in the Alphabet)

The student will choose one such code or make up something entirely their own. Then in turns, each will present their code to the class. The class has to guess the word and then define the concept. 

A student can choose any of the concepts that are being practiced in the class.

Word Games 3: Rigmarole: This is another example for ‘word games’ which is played in group setting. In this game the group spins a story. The more ludicrous the story more the fun.

1. The group sits in a circle and selects a denner using a rhyme (see Antakshari above for sample rhymes)

2. The denner begins to spin the story. The rule is everybody says a couple of sentences at a time and should end their spin with a conjunction.

3. The next person picks up the story and adds her spin. Again the norm is a couple of sentences ending with a conjunction.

Remember this is a word game and the aim of the game is to escape completing a word and becoming a ‘DUD’. If you complete the word three times in a row you are a ‘dud’.

The first time you complete a word you become a ‘d’. The second time you complete a word you become a ‘u’. The third time you complete a word, you become a ‘d’ and so as a ‘dud’ you are out of the game.

How is this word game played? Let’s imagine that a group of five is playing this word game.

A player begins with a letter (any letter) say ‘A’. The next person can add another letter to this say ‘l’. The third person starts to guess the number of words that could begin with ‘Al’, so she might add ‘t’ as her bit.

Suppose the fourth person says ‘a’, the fifth person has no option but to say ‘r’ and complete the word ‘altar’. As she has completed the word she is penalised by being assigned first ‘D’ of ‘DUD’. As she completes the word ‘altar’ she also calls out ‘D’.

A twist in the game: Suppose the fifth person says ‘i’ instead of ‘r’. The next person in the group might get suspicious that she is trying to bluff her way out of completing the word.

So the first person (remember we are using a group of five people and the person next to the fifth person is the first one) calls out ‘challenge’ to the fifth person.

Now the fifth person is obliged to complete the word or accept the first ‘D’ of the ‘Dud’. So if she knows that there is such a word as ‘altaic’ she can say it and escape being a ‘dud’, or if she was bluffing then she has to call out ‘D’.

After one word is complete the game starts again with another random letter. Whoever gets ‘d’, ‘u’ and ‘d’ first becomes the ‘dud’ and is out of the game. This way the game goes on and whoever remains finally is the winner.

Generally children have fun by bluffing their way through the game and avoiding the completion of a word. There is a lot of laughter when somebody’s bluff is called and she is challenged.

For younger children, have wordcharts displayed in the room, so that they will be encouraged to play. A sample word chart is shown above.

You can use it with any class of facts. You can use it for places, rivers, concepts etc.

A group of 8-10 kids is an ideal number to play this word game. If you have many more kids in your class you can make two to three teams.

The game begins by the group of kids spelling out the word ‘ATLAS’, one letter per kid. Whoever gets to say ‘s’ of Atlas begins the game.

The beginner picks a letter of the Alphabet say ‘A’ and names a place that begins with ‘A’. The next person also names another place beginning with ‘A’. Like this the rest of the group does the same, until the group feels it has exhausted all the places beginning with ‘A’.

Then the group starts the next round with another letter say ‘D’. In this manner the game goes on with the other letters of the Alphabet. Of course, if there are two or three teams, the teacher or the adult decides the letters of the Alphabet that the teams will play with.

The teacher or the adult keeps track of the number of places that each group has been able to recall from each alphabet. The group which is able to recall the most number of places is the winner.

The rules of the game:

1. The sequence in which the game will be played is decided in advance, i.e., group 2 follows group 1, which is followed by group 3 and then group 4, until all the groups have taken turns.

2. Each group gets only 30 seconds to answer. The group that does not answer does not get a mark/score. The next group gets the score, if they get the answer.

3. The facilitator initiates the game by a word, say, ‘dictionary’

4. The first group in the sequence has to look in the dictionary for the next word, but which begins with ‘dj’. Suppose the word is ‘djellaba’.

5. The next group has to look up a word which has ‘djf’ or the next possible third letter after ‘dj’

6. The third group looks up a word that is in dictionary sequence upto the 4th letter. The 5th letter is the last in that sequence of dictionary word list. If after the 5th letter there are still groups left, they should start with the next word.

7. The game continues until all the groups in the sequence complete 1 round. Scores are taken stock of at the end of the round. Two to three rounds are played in this manner. The winning group gets an applause.

I played this game for the first time in an English Language Teaching training in Nasik last week. The teachers went overboard over it. I hope you have fun.

Another kind of word game is to use ‘cross and dots’ grid. Here’s a video of this kind of game. Go to the following link on Youtube.

Also get a monthly e-zine ‘Stories for EL’ free for stories that you can use to emphasise experiential learning. Stories and their lessons are easily remembered.

They can also be used to communicate a concept effectively. They add the ‘aha’ or ‘Eureka’ or ‘got it’ factor to presentations and lectures. They are great tools to use in debriefs of games, to drive home a crucial point.

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Planning a game night is no easy feat. Making your friends show up on time is the first challenge. The second? Brainstorming what to play, as quips and complaints pour in.

To save you precious time, we’ve compiled a list of six fun word games that you can play with friends online. No downloads are needed—simply type these games’ addresses into your browser, and start playing:

1. Letterbox

How to play: In 60 seconds, make as many words as possible using nine letters shown on a grid. The longer the words, the more points you get:

Tricky letter combinations can show up on Letterbox. If you get an ‘S’ like this, try plurals for a higher score. (Source: letterboxgame.com)

No. of players: Min. 2-3 to be competitive, but you can also play solo. 

Play here: http://letterboxgame.com

2. Codenames

How to play: Codenames is a cult party game that tests your ability to link diverse concepts. To play, operatives from two teams (red and blue) must compete to guess the secret cards assigned to them on a board. But there’s a catch: only the spymaster (leader) of each team knows which cards are red, and which cards are blue—everyone else is guessing blind. To help their operatives pick the right card, each spymaster must speak in code, and write down one word that acts as a clue to link their team’s cards. The team that correctly finds all of their cards first, wins:

No. of players: Min. 4, to allow at least one spymaster and one operative per team. Codenames is best played via voice chat, for easy coordination. 

Play here: https://codenames.game

3. Google Feud

How to play: Predict the top 10 most popular online searches on a given topic. You’ll get a partial search prompt to start with, and must make educated guesses on how Google would auto-complete that search query. The format is based on the hit US show Family Feud:

I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. (Source: googlefeud.online)

No. of players: Min. 2 to solve as a team, but you can also play solo. Use a voice chat to make the guesses together!

Play here: https://googlefeud.online

4. Eldrow.io 

How to play: Like the name, it’s Wordle in reverse. In Wordle, you use the placement of green, yellow and grey tiles to guess a word within six tries. In Eldrow, you are given one solved word as the answer, and must find the previous word that led to it. A set of five words are released daily, and it can be challenging for even the best Wordle players to get them all right:

The yellow tiles hint that two letters except R and E from the word ‘THREE’ are present somewhere in the blank word, but at a different spot. (Source: eldrow.io)

No. of players: Eldrow doesn’t have a live multiplayer option, but you can compete with 3-4 other players via voice chat to see who finishes first. You can also play solo. 

Play here: https://eldrow.io

5. Scattergories 

How to play: If you passed out of school in the last 10 years, you might know the game ‘Name Place Animal Thing’. Well, Scattergories is the more intense version. First, players must join a lobby where an admin can pick multiple categories out of 30 free options (e.g. ‘bad habits’, ‘movies’, ‘memes’). Once the game starts, everyone gets the same letter (e.g. ‘C’), which must be used to name one thing in each category. When the clock stops, everyone weighs in on whether your answers were valid, or too creative:

Example of a completed list of answers before the timer runs out. (Source: scattergoriesonline.net)

No. of players: Min. 2 to be competitive, but you can also add bots to play with. The answer ‘approval’ process at the end is best done via voice chat. 

Play here: https://scattergoriesonline.net

6. Wheel of Fortune – Toss Up Challenge

How to play: The game selects a secret (but well-known) phrase around a common topic. Once you press ‘Play Now’, the letters making up the phrase will slowly appear on a tiled board. The goal is to quickly guess the phrase before all the tiles are revealed:

When you know the answer, tap on ‘Solve Puzzle’ to stop the tile reveal. (Source: wheeloffortune.com)

No. of players: Min. 2 to be competitive, but you could also play solo or as teams. There is no live multiplayer setup, so you can compete via voice chat. 

Play here: https://www.wheeloffortune.com/play/toss-up-challenge 

That’s our list so far for entertaining word games that adults would enjoy playing. Do you know any other crowd-pleasers that should make this list?

No matter how old or young you are, or how intelligent you think you may be, it’s important to exercise your brain regularly. Thankfully, there are lots of fun ways to do that. One of which is to play multiplayer brain games with your friends.

These mobile games will test your gray matter, and let you show off your knowledge and skills to anyone willing to play with you. So, can you beat your friends at one of these awesome multiplayer brain games? They’re all free to play.

1. Maze King

Mazes can make for great brain exercise game and the bigger the maze, the more challenging it is. Maze King is a great game for showing off your solving skills against others. Play through the Stage Mode to get the hang of the game, then head to the Multiplayer Mode to take on a friend.

You can invite friends with a tap that will send a link to the game via text message. Or, you can compete against a random player if you prefer.

Download: Maze King for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

2. Chess Time

Chess Time is a terrific mobile option for playing pals around the world. The game offers different background colors to choose from, leaderboards by country and rating, and a timer to see how long the challenge lasts. You can also enable options such as the quick chat keyboard, coordinates display, and valid move color.

Connecting with friends is easy: You can search for a player if you know their username or send an invitation to them via email or text.

Download: Chess Time for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

3. Chess With Friends Free

If you prefer to take on your Facebook friends in a game of chess, then Chess With Friends Free is the way to go. Search for one of your pals or find a player by username. You can enable chat notifications, show yourself available to other players, and make yourself visible on the leaderboards.

Chat while you play or just concentrate on the game. You can also discover a new opponent and view the leaderboard for the month.

Download: Chess With Friends Free for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

4. Skillz – Logical Brain

Skillz – Logical Brain is an excellent way to train your brain alone, but is even better against others. The app has a variety of brain teasers for you to pick from or you can play a random game.

Start off level one by picking a friend, once you sign into Google (on Android). Then, show off your skills in puzzles and challenges that put your memory, reflexes, accuracy, and speed to the test.

You can type a message to other players who are waiting in rooms to play and see where you stand on the leaderboard.

Download: Skillz – Logical Brain for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

5. QuizUp

QuizUp is an enjoyable trivia games with a huge variety of topics. You can pick from business, education, history, and science. Or see who knows the most about sports, games, television, and music. The trick is to answer quickly and correctly in a round of questions. Move up the levels as you annihilate your pals in this battle of wits.

You can connect easily using Facebook and then search for friends who have the game installed. After you play a round, tap the chat button to gloat to your buddy about how you just outscored them.

Download: QuizUp for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

6. Trivia Crack

The original Trivia Crack is still around and still a blast. Your goal is to collect a character for each of the six categories: art, history, science, sports, geography, and entertainment. To do this, continue to answer questions correctly for the category you hit when you spin the wheel.

Log into Facebook to play against friends or connect to Twitter to invite others. Trivia Crack is a turn-based game, so you can take your spin when you have time. You can also chat within the game and share your level achievements to rub in your victories.

Download: Trivia Crack for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

7. Trivia Crack Kingdoms

If you enjoyed the first Trivia Crack game, then check out Trivia Crack Kingdoms. In a royal battle against your buddies, find out who really is the brainy one in the realm of trivia.

Pick a channel topic such as sports, world history, food and drink, movies, or television shows. Then when you answer correctly, you earn crowns, striving to collect them all before your opponent does.

By connecting to Facebook, you can challenge your friends. Plus, Trivia Crack Kingdoms offers an in-app chat for a little trash talk.

Download: Trivia Crack Kingdoms for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

8. Words With Friends

Words With Friends has been popular around the world for years. But if you’ve never tried it and you enjoy word games, then you must check it out. Gameplay is similar to Scrabble, where you create words with the letters you are given. The words must connect on the game board and longer words and letters with higher point values help you score bigger.

Like Chess With Friends Free and made by the same company, Words lets you play against your Facebook pals. Chat during the game, take your turn when you have a minute, and show off your smart skills with high-scoring words.

Download: Words With Friends for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

9. Word Chums

For a Words With Friends style game with cute characters, try your skills at Word Chums. With the same type of Scrabble gameplay, a colorful interface, and a cheerful experience, creating words for high scores is truly fun. Word Chums also offers power-ups for replacing all of your letters and getting high-scoring hints.

You can play against your Facebook friends, other Word Chums players, or someone in your contacts list. The game has an in-app chat for some friendly ribbing during the competition.

Download: Word Chums for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

10. Pictoword

For a different type of word game battle, Pictoword is a picture-based challenge. The concept is simple. You see two images that combine to form one word. You just have to figure out what that word is with the number of letter spaces provided.

Unlike the other games in this list, Pictoword lets you create a «family» to play against others. You will need to solve your way through many levels first, but this is great practice. Then, create your group, invite members, and chat during a break.

Download: Pictoword for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

11. Infinite Word Search

Another brainy game to play against your friends is Infinite Word Search. The game is played in the same classic style of the word search puzzles you have seen all over the place. But Infinite Word Search lets you choose the topic for your puzzle with options like animals, countries, fashion, and many more.

If you think your word finding skills are better than your Facebook friends, connect and play a pal. In real-time gameplay, see who can find the most words the quickest. This adds quite a bit of challenge to the gameplay, especially if you are both looking for the same word at the same time.

Download: Infinite Word Search for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

Facebook Games

Don’t forget that there are tons of Facebook Instant Games worth playing as well. There are plenty to play alone, but what’s the fun in that when you can outscore a friend and brag about it?

Pop open your mobile Facebook app and select Gaming from the menu. Or, when you are online on a desktop or laptop, click the Home button and pick Games from the left-hand navigation.

Here are just a few brainy games you can play against your friends:

• 12. SongPop Arcade: A music trivia challenge for songbirds.
• 13. Dominoes: Battle!: Classic dominoes where you compete for a high score.
• 14. Draw Something: Draw pictures for the other player to guess.
• 15. Wordalot Express: Complete the crossword puzzle with words from the picture.

On your mobile device or online, just choose a game and hit Play.

These Multiplayer Brain Games Are Extremely Entertaining

It’s normal to love a game that you are good at. If you often outscore or simply outplay your friends, that’s even better. With these games, you can sharpen your skills and prove that you’re the smartest among your friends. So, let the brainy battle of wits begin! You might even want to try some free online cognitive tests.

For more fun games to play with friends, check out these cross-platform mobile multiplayer games.