How to Play the Taboo Game

Divide the game players into two teams. Get your buzzer and place it with the cards at the center of your game table.

Choose a person from one team to be the first clue giver. She should sit opposite her team before drawing a card. Start the timer as soon as she draws the card. The card should remain hidden from her teammates but completely visible to at least one member of the opposing team. Allow an opponent to hold the buzzer.

Give verbal clues to your teammates to help them guess the word printed at the top of the card. Your clues can be sentences or single words. Do not use the words that are printed on the Taboo list on the card. The list on the card contains a number of words or terms that are considered "taboo," and therefore cannot be said aloud by the clue giver. The listed words, and any parts or forms of them, are forbidden as clues. For instance, you cannot say the words "baby" or "sitter" if the word "babysitter" is listed. You also cannot say"work" if one of the words listed is "working."

Score a point for the clue giver's team for each word that it is able to guess correctly from the list in under one minute. No penalty will be given for wrong answers.

Award a point to the clue giver's opponent team if the clue giver says the Taboo word or word form. Give the opposing team a point for each word the clue giver "passes" on.

Hit the buzzer if you hear the clue giver use the Taboo word. If this happens, the clue giver must move on to another word. The clue giver may continue giving clues until the time (one minute) expires. The team with the biggest number of words guessed wins.