How to Play the Thrilling Six Word Game for 2 to 8 players

The Six Word Game is a simple, fast-moving party game for two to eight players, inspired by the Six Word Wonder. The challenge is to describe a famous person, place, or even another player using no more than six words. It is a game of creativity, quick thinking, and general knowledge, and it works just as well with family as it does with friends.

Six Word Game Rules

Objective of the Six Word Game:

The aim of the game is to score points by giving clever six-word clues and correctly guessing other players’ answers.

What you need:

You do not need any special equipment to play, although a pen and paper can be useful for keeping score.

How to play:

The game is played over four rounds: Celebrity, Historical Figure, Famous Landmark, and Other Players.

In the first round, one player becomes the Describer. They must think of a celebrity and describe that person using no more than six words. The other players then try to guess who it is.

If someone guesses correctly, both the Describer and the successful guesser earn five points. If nobody gets the answer, no points are awarded and the turn ends.

If the Describer uses more than six words, or accidentally says any part of the answer, they lose ten points and their turn ends immediately.

Play then moves clockwise to the next player, who thinks of a different celebrity and gives their own six-word clue. The round continues until every player has had one turn as Describer.

The player with the most points at the end of round one starts round two. The rules stay the same, but this time each clue must describe a historical figure.

The winner of round two starts round three, in which all answers must be famous landmarks.

The final round is Other Players. In this round, each player chooses one of the other players and describes them in six words. In a two-player game, simply choose a person you both know.

Who wins the Six Word Game?

At the end of the fourth round, the player with the highest total score wins.

If two or more players are tied, the winner is the player who won the most rounds. If there is still a tie, you can settle it with a sudden-death bonus round.

Bonus rounds:

If you want to keep playing, it is easy to add extra rounds. Popular categories include Movies, TV Shows, Books, Politicians, and Countries. You can also invent your own categories to suit the group.

Six Word Game tips:

Choose your words carefully. You do not need to speak in full sentences, so focus on the most distinctive clues.

If you suspect players may change their answer after someone guesses, ask the Describer to write it down before speaking.

You can also play in pairs, with the highest-scoring team winning. That makes it a fun option for couples, dinner parties, or ice-breaker nights.

It helps to nominate one player as scorekeeper, especially if the game gets competitive.

To avoid going over six words, some players like to count on their fingers as they speak. Remember, you can use fewer than six words if you want. You just cannot use more.

The Six Word Game is inspired by Six Word Wonder. If you try it, leave a comment with your favourite clues, your own house rules, or any twists you invented to make the game even more fun.