At a glance
| The box game | On Table Party | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 4 or more, ages 13+ | 2–12 |
| What you need | Cards, a squeaker, a sand timer and a score pad | A phone each |
| Winning | Most points once everyone has described | Most points once everyone has given clues |
The goal
Get your team to say the word on the card without saying the forbidden words, and score more cards than the other team.
Setup
- Split into two even teams and sit so each can watch the other.
- Choose which colour of card to play and stack the cards face down.
- Decide which team goes first.
How a turn works
- Your team picks a describer; everyone else on the team guesses.
- Someone from the other team takes the squeaker and watches the describer’s card.
- Start the timer. The describer flips a card and describes the guess word without saying any of the forbidden words.
- When the team says the guess word, that card is a point. Skip it, or get squeaked, and it goes to the other pile.
- Keep going until time runs out, then the other team plays. Change describer every turn.
Scoring and winning
- Your team scores 1 point for each card it guessed.
- The other team scores 1 point for each card you skipped or were squeaked on.
- Once everyone has described the same number of times, the team with the most points wins. On a tie, each team takes one more turn.
What gets you squeaked
Any part of a word
You can’t say any part of a word on the card: not “space” or “ship” for spaceship.
Sneaky forms
No plurals or abbreviations of the words: not “feet” for foot, or “TV” for television.
Gestures and noises
No gestures, noises or sound effects. The box game’s rules do let you sing.
Shortcut clues
No “sounds like”, “rhymes with” or “starts with the letter”.
Playing Forbidden Words on Table Party
Forbidden Words is Table Party’s version: free in the browser, with everyone on their own phone. A round goes like this.
- One player gives clues; their team shouts guesses. A point per word.
- The card lists five taboo words — say any of them and the other team buzzes.
- A buzzed card is dead, and the point goes to the buzzing team.
- Caught yourself slipping? Tap I said one — it costs the same, but you keep your honour.
- No “rhymes with”, no “sounds like”, no charades. Just talk around it.
- The whole opposing team sees your card, so the buzzer is always watching.
What’s different here
- Forbidden Words is Table Party’s own game: the whole other team sees your card, so the buzzer is always watching.
- Say a forbidden word yourself and you can tap “I said one”. It costs the same point, but you keep your honour.
- A co-op challenge puts everyone on one team for fifteen levels of tighter clocks and harder words.
The fiddly bits on Table Party
What a buzz costs
The card is discarded and the buzzing team takes the point. It is not a lost card, it is a point handed over.
Skips go to the bottom
A skipped card rejoins the deck and can come round again this same turn. The host sets how many skips a turn allows, or lifts the cap entirely.
A round is a turn each
Every player gives clues once per round, rounded up so both teams take the same number of turns. Two rounds at six players is twelve turns.
The ladder scores net
On the challenge ladder a slip subtracts from the level tally rather than just killing the card, so five cleared with one slip counts as four.
The weekly run
The Weekly Challenge is the ladder on a fixed deal, one run per player per week. There is no retry: a failed level ends the run where it stands.
The official rules
For the publisher’s own wording, read the official rules from Hasbro. Table Party is independent and isn’t affiliated with Hasbro.
Questions about Forbidden Words
Can you use gestures when you describe?
No. Gestures, noises and sound effects all get you squeaked. You’re allowed to sing, though.
Does skipping a card cost a point?
Yes. In the box game’s current rules, every card you skip scores a point for the other team.
Can you say part of a forbidden word?
No. Saying any part of any word on the card counts, so “fire” is out if the card says fireplace.
Is Forbidden Words free?
Yes. Every game on Table Party is free, with no accounts, no adverts and nothing to buy.
How many people do you need for Forbidden Words?
Between 2 and 12. Below 2 there are not enough of you for the game to work.
Do we need to download anything?
No. One person opens the site and starts a room; everybody else joins by typing the room code on their own phone. Nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.
Can we play Forbidden Words over a video call?
Yes. Share the room code in the chat and play with the call running — everything private stays on each player’s own phone.
Play Forbidden Words online
Free, in the browser, with everyone on their own phone.