This or That
Ten rapid-fire picks — tap the one you like more, then talk about your choices.
Ready for 10 quick picks?
Two options, tap the one you like more. Don't overthink it — your gut answer is the right answer. The talking comes after.
How to play
Tap through 10 picks
Each screen shows two everyday options — coffee or tea, mountains or beach, read minds or see the future. Tap the one you like more and the next pair appears instantly.
Don't overthink it
Speed is the point. Gut answers make the recap more honest — and more fun to defend. A full round takes well under a minute, so the energy stays high.
Talk about the recap
At the end you see all ten choices together. Your student picks three of them and explains why — that's where the speaking happens. Push for reasons, comparisons and follow-up questions.
This or That as a classroom energizer
Why the speed is the point
Slow speaking activities give anxious students time to translate in their heads — and translated answers sound translated. Ten picks in under a minute removes that planning window: the student reads, decides and reacts in English, which is automaticity practice dressed up as a game. The picks themselves are throwaway; what they buy you is ten honest, instinctive opinions to work with afterwards.
Treat the recap as the real activity
When the summary screen appears, the language work starts. At A1, ask for one full sentence per pick: "I chose dogs, not cats." At B1, require a comparison with every reason: "I picked the mountains because they're quieter than the beach." At B2 and up, challenge two or three of their picks and make them defend the choice under follow-up questions — instinct first, justification second is exactly how real conversations work.
Variation: Mind Reader
Before the recap is revealed, the student predicts your answers — or their partner's — out loud: "I think you chose tea, because you seem like a calm person." Then compare. This turns a solo preference quiz into genuine communication, and it drills speculation language ("I think…", "probably", "you seem like…") that rarely gets a workout in beginner lessons. Score it if you like; learners get strangely competitive about knowing their teacher.
Fitting it to the class in front of you
One-to-one, play simultaneously and compare answers at the end — matching picks make easy small talk, clashing ones make better lessons. In groups, read each pair aloud, have everyone point left or right on a count of three, and interview whoever lands in the minority. Online, screen-share and let the student call out their choices while you tap; with kids, keep just the tapping and have them shout each answer in a full sentence as they go.
Frequently asked questions
What levels does This or That work for?⌄
Roughly A1 to C1. The options use simple everyday vocabulary, so beginners can answer with 'I prefer coffee because...' while intermediate and advanced students can be pushed into comparatives, justifying opinions, or defending an answer their partner disagrees with.
How is this different from Would You Rather?⌄
Would You Rather is built around big dilemmas you stop and discuss one at a time. This or That is the opposite: rapid-fire picks with no discussion until the end, then a recap of all ten answers to talk about. Use This or That when you want energy and pace; use a dilemma game when you want depth on a single question.
How long does a round take?⌄
Tapping through the ten picks takes under a minute, and talking about the recap takes another three to five. That makes it ideal as a lesson opener, a brain break between activities, or a quick closer when you have five minutes left.
What does a rapid-fire game actually teach?⌄
More than it looks like. The speed strips away planning time, so students practice automatic recall — reading, deciding and reacting in English without translating first. The real language work then happens at the recap, where they justify choices they made on instinct: giving reasons, comparing options and handling follow-up questions about opinions they didn't know they had.
Does it work with kids and teens as well as adults?⌄
It's one of the safest games across age groups, because the topics are universal — food, weather, animals, superpowers. Kids love the tapping; teens like that answers are quick and low-stakes; adults treat the recap as a real conversation starter. For very young learners, skip the recap discussion and just have them say each choice in a full sentence as they tap.
What variations can I try when the basic game gets familiar?⌄
Three favorites: have the student predict YOUR answers before you reveal them ('I think you chose tea because...'); make them defend the option they didn't pick for thirty seconds; or in a group, have everyone answer on a count of three and interview whoever was in the minority. Each variation reuses the same ten picks, so one round can fuel fifteen minutes of speaking.
Can my student and I play it together online?⌄
On this page the game is single-screen, so on a video call you'd share your screen and let your student call out their answers. Inside a Tuton classroom there's a This or That activity you and your student play together in real time, right next to your video, lesson notes and vocabulary.
Love this? Play it live with your students.
In a Tuton classroom you and your student play This or That together in real time — alongside video, lesson notes, vocabulary and AI feedback, all in one place.