A man and woman playing a board game at a wooden table, cards and boards spread out
For the competitive table

Hard charades words

When the usual list is too easy, these 393 hard charades are the next step: idioms like "barking up the wrong tree", long titles that need every syllable sign, and feelings such as "nostalgic" that have no single gesture.

Hard words make for slow rounds, so give each actor 90 seconds, or mix a few into an easier deck so newcomers are not stuck.

SportsHard

Curling

 

Hard phrases and idioms50 of 57

This set has 57 ideas. Start with "Bite off more than you can chew", "Burn the midnight oil", "Jump on the bandwagon" — give each actor 90 seconds; it leans on long titles and "sounds like" clues, so give actors the longer timer and expect half the round to need a second pass.

Best for: mixed-age groups, family night and first-time players · 57 in this set, shown below

  • Bite off more than you can chewHard
  • Burn the midnight oilHard
  • Jump on the bandwagonHard
  • The ball is in your courtHard
  • Barking up the wrong treeHard
  • Beat around the bushHard
  • Best of both worldsHard
  • Hit the nail on the headHard
  • Let sleeping dogs lieHard
  • Miss the boatHard
  • See eye to eyeHard
  • Sit on the fenceHard
  • Take a rain checkHard
  • You can't judge a book by its coverHard
  • Actions speak louder than wordsHard
  • Add fuel to the fireHard
  • Bury the hatchetHard
  • Cut cornersHard
  • Drop the ballHard
  • Get out of handHard
  • Go the extra mileHard
  • In hot waterHard
  • Know the ropesHard
  • The last strawHard
  • Let your hair downHard
  • Paint the town redHard
  • Rule of thumbHard
  • Steal someone's thunderHard
  • Throw in the towelHard
  • Up in the airHard
  • Wild goose chaseHard
  • A penny for your thoughtsHard
  • Bite your tongueHard
  • Blow off steamHard
  • Chip on your shoulderHard
  • Every cloud has a silver liningHard
  • Back to the drawing boardHard
  • Out of the blueHard
  • Shoot for the moonHard
  • Straight from the horse's mouthHard
  • Take the bull by the hornsHard
  • The early bird catches the wormHard
  • Wear your heart on your sleeveHard
  • Dark horseHard
  • Happy as a clamHard
  • The lion's shareHard
  • Rain on someone's paradeHard
  • Herding catsHard
  • Fly on the wallHard
  • Turn over a new leafHard

Hard movie charades40 of 51

This set has 51 ideas. Start with "Turning Red", "Soul", "Elemental" — give each actor 90 seconds; it leans on long titles and "sounds like" clues, so give actors the longer timer and expect half the round to need a second pass.

Best for: mixed-age groups, family night and first-time players · 51 in this set, shown below

  • Turning RedHard
  • SoulHard
  • ElementalHard
  • My Neighbor TotoroHard
  • InceptionHard
  • InterstellarHard
  • The Truman ShowHard
  • Sleepless in SeattleHard
  • The Devil Wears PradaHard
  • Crazy Rich AsiansHard
  • It's a Wonderful LifeHard
  • Breakfast at Tiffany'sHard
  • Some Like It HotHard
  • Roman HolidayHard
  • Rear WindowHard
  • North by NorthwestHard
  • Ben-HurHard
  • Lawrence of ArabiaHard
  • The Great EscapeHard
  • 2001: A Space OdysseyHard
  • Close Encounters of the Third KindHard
  • Ferris Bueller's Day OffHard
  • The NeverEnding StoryHard
  • Remember the TitansHard
  • 50 First DatesHard
  • Miracle on 34th StreetHard
  • National Lampoon's Christmas VacationHard
  • The Social NetworkHard
  • MoneyballHard
  • Hidden FiguresHard
  • Casino RoyaleHard
  • The Bourne IdentityHard
  • 10 Things I Hate About YouHard
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsHard
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find ThemHard
  • Indiana Jones and the Last CrusadeHard
  • Spirited AwayHard
  • GoodfellasHard
  • The Silence of the LambsHard
  • The Shawshank RedemptionHard
See the full list →

Hard book and song titles

This set has 27 ideas. Start with "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom", "How Far I'll Go", "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" — give each actor 90 seconds; it leans on long titles and "sounds like" clues, so give actors the longer timer and expect half the round to need a second pass.

Best for: mixed-age groups, family night and first-time players · 27 in this set, shown below

  • Chicka Chicka Boom BoomHard
  • How Far I'll GoHard
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?Hard
  • Johnny B. GoodeHard
  • Jane EyreHard
  • Wake Me Up Before You Go-GoHard
  • Wuthering HeightsHard
  • Total Eclipse of the HeartHard
  • Great ExpectationsHard
  • Friends in Low PlacesHard
  • The Hound of the BaskervillesHard
  • Smells Like Teen SpiritHard
  • Around the World in Eighty DaysHard
  • Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeasHard
  • The OdysseyHard
  • Don QuixoteHard
  • Les MisérablesHard
  • To Kill a MockingbirdHard
  • Of Mice and MenHard
  • The Catcher in the RyeHard
  • 1984Hard
  • Fahrenheit 451Hard
  • Brave New WorldHard
  • Anne of Green GablesHard
  • The Fault in Our StarsHard
  • Percy Jackson and the OlympiansHard
  • Where the Crawdads SingHard

Hard TV show charades

This set has 19 ideas. Start with "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood", "Dexter's Laboratory" — give each actor 90 seconds; it leans on long titles and "sounds like" clues, so give actors the longer timer and expect half the round to need a second pass.

Best for: mixed-age groups, family night and first-time players · 19 in this set, shown below

  • Mister Rogers' NeighborhoodHard
  • Daniel Tiger's NeighborhoodHard
  • Dexter's LaboratoryHard
  • Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat NoirHard
  • How I Met Your MotherHard
  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirHard
  • The Good PlaceHard
  • Pretty Little LiarsHard
  • The Vampire DiariesHard
  • Buffy the Vampire SlayerHard
  • Xena: Warrior PrincessHard
  • Fawlty TowersHard
  • BlackadderHard
  • Everybody Loves RaymondHard
  • Malcolm in the MiddleHard
  • That '70s ShowHard
  • I Dream of JeannieHard
  • Avatar: The Last AirbenderHard
  • Twin PeaksHard

Hard actions, jobs and feelings60 of 131

This set has 131 ideas. Start with "Hanging a picture", "Iguana", "Grim Reaper" — give each actor 90 seconds; it leans on long titles and "sounds like" clues, so give actors the longer timer and expect half the round to need a second pass.

Best for: young children, classrooms and first rounds · 131 in this set, shown below

  • Hanging a pictureHard
  • IguanaHard
  • Grim ReaperHard
  • SarcasticHard
  • ArchitectHard
  • Synchronized swimmingHard
  • Shearing a sheepHard
  • JaguarHard
  • Court jesterHard
  • NostalgicHard
  • LawyerHard
  • Hang glidingHard
  • Telling ghost storiesHard
  • ArmadilloHard
  • Sea captainHard
  • OverwhelmedHard
  • News anchorHard
  • ParaglidingHard
  • Sitting in a waiting roomHard
  • AnteaterHard
  • Superhero's sidekickHard
  • SuspiciousHard
  • Tour guideHard
  • PoloHard
  • Scanning groceriesHard
  • PlatypusHard
  • Father TimeHard
  • SkepticalHard
  • TailorHard
  • CricketHard
  • Ordering at a drive-throughHard
  • ManateeHard
  • SmugHard
  • Ice cream truck driverHard
  • LacrosseHard
  • Eating at a fancy restaurantHard
  • NarwhalHard
  • AwkwardHard
  • OptometristHard
  • SquashHard
  • Riding the subwayHard
  • ParakeetHard
  • HangryHard
  • PharmacistHard
  • JavelinHard
  • Searching for Wi-FiHard
  • BisonHard
  • StarstruckHard
  • BankerHard
  • Shot putHard
  • PhotobombingHard
  • YakHard
  • BashfulHard
  • ReceptionistHard
  • DiscusHard
  • Crowd surfingHard
  • MoleHard
  • MischievousHard
  • ArchaeologistHard
  • TriathlonHard

64 cards from this list, eight to a page with cut lines and card backs for double-sided printing. Free PDF.

US Letter PDFA4 PDF

Questions

What are some hard charades ideas?

Idioms ("let sleeping dogs lie"), long titles ("Close Encounters of the Third Kind"), abstract feelings ("skeptical") and situations ("replying all by mistake").

How do you act out a hard charade?

Break it down: show the number of words, then act one word at a time, use the syllable sign for long words and "sounds like" for words you cannot show. The charades rules page explains the signs.

How long should a turn be with hard words?

Ninety seconds is a fair limit. With 60 seconds most hard titles go unguessed, which slows the game down.

Are hard charades suitable for teenagers?

Yes, most teens enjoy the idioms and film titles. A few entries refer to adult life, such as doing taxes; skip any that do not fit your group.

Can I mix hard and easy words?

Yes. In the generator, set difficulty to Any for a mixed deck, or pick Hard only for this list.