Describe It!
Describe the target word without saying the three forbidden words — your partner guesses what it is.
The timer is optional — without it, just keep drawing cards at your own pace.
How to play
Show the card
One player describes, the other guesses. The card shows a target word plus three forbidden words — the exact words the describer is NOT allowed to say.
Talk around it
Explain the word with definitions, examples and synonyms — "it's a place where…", "you feel this when…". Anything goes except the forbidden words.
Score and swap
Hit Got it ✅ when your partner guesses right, Skip ⏭ to pass. Want pressure? Start the 60-second round, race the clock, then swap roles and beat the score.
Ways to play Describe It! in your lessons
Reverse roles
Most of the time you'll want the student describing — that's where the speaking practice lives. But flipping it now and then is worth it: when you describe and the student guesses, they get focused listening practice and, more importantly, hear a good model of paraphrasing — relative clauses, hedges, definitions — that they'll imitate in their next turn. One tutor card for every three student cards is a good ratio.
Student makes the card
Hand the card-writing over: the student picks a word from their own vocabulary notebook and writes the three forbidden words themselves. Choosing the forbidden words forces them to identify a word's strongest associations — deeper vocabulary processing than the guessing itself. Then you guess; if you get it too easily, their forbidden words weren't the real crutch words, which is a useful conversation in its own right.
Category rounds
Constrain a round to a theme — only words connected to travel, or only feelings — by skipping any card that doesn't fit. Themed rounds tie the game to the unit you're actually teaching, and skipping costs nothing. For revision, ignore the deck for a round and describe last week's vocabulary list to each other instead; the format works with any words.
Scaffolding down, stretching up
For a strong A2 student, stick to the Everyday set, allow gestures, and let them "spend" one forbidden word per round when they're stuck. For B2–C1, deal from the Challenge set and add rules: every description must start with a relative clause, no gestures allowed, or ban examples entirely so they have to define abstract words abstractly.
One-to-one, groups, and the webcam
One-to-one, keep the 60-second timer off until your student is warmed up — the game is harder than it looks. In groups, run a team hot seat: one guesser sits with their back to the screen while teammates take turns describing, then teams swap; the timer earns its keep here. Online, remember that a shared screen shows you the card too — guess a beat slower than you could, and you'll draw two or three extra sentences of description out of every card.
Frequently asked questions
What level is Describe It! for?⌄
The sweet spot is B1 and above. Every target word is something a B1 learner already knows — the challenge is describing it, not understanding it. Strong A2 students can play the Everyday set with some support, and the Challenge set (abstract words like habit, courage, regret) suits B2+ students who need a real workout.
Why is describing words good speaking practice?⌄
It trains circumlocution — talking around a word you can't (or don't) know — which is exactly what learners need in real conversations when vocabulary runs out. Students practise relative clauses ("it's a thing that…"), definitions, examples and synonyms, all under light time pressure. It also doubles as a vocabulary review: put last week's words in play by describing them yourself.
How do I play it one-to-one in an online lesson?⌄
Share your screen on any video call and let your student be the describer — that maximises their talking time while you guess. Swap roles now and then so they hear a good model of paraphrasing. The timer is optional: leave it off for a relaxed warm-up, or run 60-second rounds and keep score for a competitive finish.
How do I run Describe It! in a group class?⌄
The classic setup is the hot seat: one student sits with their back to the screen while teammates take turns describing the card, then teams swap and try to beat the score. The 60-second timer earns its keep here — it keeps turns short and the whole class leaning in. With smaller groups, simply rotate the describer role each card so everyone gets equal speaking time.
How long does a game take?⌄
A timed round is 60 seconds, and a satisfying head-to-head — two or three rounds each, with a score to beat — fits in ten to fifteen minutes. Untimed, a single card takes a minute or two including follow-up talk. As a warm-up, two cards each is plenty; as a vocabulary review, keep dealing until the week's words are used up.
Can a student play Describe It! alone as homework?⌄
Not in its standard form — the game needs a guesser, so it's built for at least two people. What does work solo: ask the student to draw five cards and record themselves describing each one in under thirty seconds, then play the recordings at the start of your next lesson and guess live. That keeps the paraphrasing practice intact, just in an asynchronous format.
Is this the same as the classic forbidden-words party game?⌄
It's our original take, inspired by classic forbidden-words party games. Every card here is written for English learners: the target is a word a B1 student already knows, and the three forbidden words are the exact crutch words they'd normally lean on — so they have to paraphrase instead of reciting.
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