Pictionary is a trademark of Mattel; this is an independent free word list for drawing games and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Mattel. The complete 250-word list is below, five tiers of 50, easy objects through nearly impossible idioms, free to print or play on screen with the pictionary word generator’s built-in round timer. A dedicated printable pictionary word cards page, sized for cutting, is on the way for exactly this list. Whichever way you play, the same 250 words carry the whole game, there’s no need to look anywhere else once you’ve picked a tier that suits the room.
The 250 words by difficulty
Tier 1, easy objects
Cat, sun, house, tree, book, pizza, boat, snowman, dog, ball, star, moon, cup, hat, shoe, fish, bird, apple, banana, chair, table, door, window, flower, cloud, rainbow, umbrella, candle, clock, key, ring, crown, ladder, bridge, mountain, river, island, tent, kite, balloon, guitar, drum, telephone, camera, television, bicycle, car, train, airplane, rocket.
Tier 2, everyday actions and scenes
Brushing teeth, traffic jam, waiting in line, missing the bus, washing dishes, walking the dog, making the bed, mowing the lawn, doing laundry, parking a car, riding a bike, flying a kite, building a sandcastle, having a picnic, blowing out candles, opening a present, packing a suitcase, catching a bus, crossing the street, standing in the rain, sweeping the floor, cooking dinner, setting the table, watching a movie, reading in bed, taking a shower, tying a shoelace, planting a tree, painting a fence, fixing a flat tire, feeding the cat, walking up stairs, running late, falling asleep, waking up, getting a haircut, going to the dentist, doing homework, taking a test, giving a speech, waiting for a bus, missing a flight, moving house, cleaning a window, hanging a picture, wrapping a gift, carrying groceries, waiting at a red light, standing in a queue, sharpening a pencil.
Tier 3, medium
Rollercoaster, lighthouse, snorkel, greenhouse, escalator, waterfall, volcano, avalanche, campfire, tornado, earthquake, shipwreck, treasure map, scarecrow, windmill, drawbridge, submarine, spaceship, telescope, microscope, compass, hourglass, chandelier, fountain, maze, labyrinth, quicksand, igloo, oasis, mirage, glacier, canyon, waterslide, ferris wheel, carousel, trampoline, seesaw, jungle gym, sandpit, treehouse, birdcage, beehive, cobweb, anthill, dam, tunnel, pier, harbor, shipyard, observatory.
Tier 4, hard
Jealousy, gravity, bankruptcy, echo, patience, courage, freedom, justice, democracy, curiosity, honesty, loyalty, ambition, greed, envy, pride, wisdom, chaos, harmony, silence, friction, momentum, inflation, recession, monopoly, diplomacy, rebellion, revolution, evolution, extinction, migration, hibernation, metamorphosis, camouflage, symmetry, infinity, eternity, mortality, immortality, destiny, fate, karma, serendipity, temptation, forgiveness, sacrifice, resilience, integrity, stubbornness, procrastination.
Tier 5, nearly impossible
Déjà vu, nostalgia, irony, “break the ice,” “raining cats and dogs,” “the last straw,” “spill the beans,” “hit the nail on the head,” “let the cat out of the bag,” “once in a blue moon,” “the elephant in the room,” “burning the midnight oil,” “costs an arm and a leg,” “when pigs fly,” “beat around the bush,” “bite the bullet,” “kick the bucket,” “piece of cake,” “under the weather,” “on thin ice,” “barking up the wrong tree,” “the ball is in your court,” “add insult to injury,” “back to square one,” “best of both worlds,” “better late than never,” “actions speak louder than words,” “curiosity killed the cat,” “don’t judge a book by its cover,” “every cloud has a silver lining,” “hit the sack,” “in the heat of the moment,” “it takes two to tango,” “keep your chin up,” “make a long story short,” “once bitten twice shy,” “practice makes perfect,” “the grass is always greener,” “time flies,” “wear your heart on your sleeve,” “a blessing in disguise,” “cutting corners,” “food for thought,” “get your act together,” “go down in flames,” “hang in there,” “in hot water,” “jump on the bandwagon,” “know the ropes,” “straight from the horse’s mouth.”
What makes a pictionary word hard
| Tier | The test | Typical time to guess |
|---|---|---|
| Easy (1) | Draws as a single recognizable object | Under 20 seconds |
| Medium (2–3) | Needs a whole scene, or more than one object together | 20–40 seconds |
| Hard (4) | An abstract concept with no direct visual form, drawn through symbols or association | 40–60 seconds |
| Nearly impossible (5) | An idiom or expression that only works if you draw its literal, silly meaning | Often the full round |
Sort any word you add yourself against this table, single object, whole scene, abstract concept, or idiom, before deciding which tier it belongs in. The “typical time to guess” column is a planning range, not a promise, a lucky first stroke can land tier 4 in five seconds, and a genuinely tricky tier 1 object can stall a whole minute if the drawer’s first line reads as something else entirely. Use the table to sort new words into a deck, not to predict any single round.
How to play
Split into two teams, any size, roughly even on both sides. One player from the drawing team picks a word and draws it, no letters, no numbers, no symbols, no talking, and no gesturing, drawing is the only channel allowed. Set a clock, 60 seconds is standard, 90 seconds is easier on kids or a mixed-ability group, and agree the time before the first round. Teammates call out guesses until time runs out or someone lands it, a correct guess before time expires scores a point, and the next round rotates to the other team with a new drawer. For a bigger party, an “all-play” round lets every team’s drawer sketch the same word at once, first team to guess correctly wins that round outright. Keep a simple running tally, one point per correct guess, rather than a complicated scoring system, the game moves fast enough that a heavier scoring scheme just slows everyone down between rounds.
Common pictionary disputes and how to settle them
- “Is that a letter or part of the drawing?” Standard rules block anything that reads as a letter, number or symbol, agree this before the first round rather than debating a specific drawing mid-game.
- “Can the drawer nod or shake their head at a guess?” No, under most house rules, a drawer gives no feedback beyond the drawing itself, no nodding, no pointing at a correct guess, no timer countdown gestures.
- “Does a guess after time runs out count?” Decide this in advance, most groups say no, but some allow a single steal guess from the other team once the clock hits zero.
- “Can you draw the same word twice in a game?” Once a card’s been drawn, set it aside rather than reshuffling it back in, repeats waste time and give the next drawer an unfair head start if they overheard the earlier round.
Pictionary with kids
Tier 1 and most of tier 2 above are the kid-safe subset, concrete objects and simple, familiar scenes a child under 10 can both draw and recognize. Skip tiers 4 and 5 entirely for a young group, abstract concepts and idioms need a vocabulary and a sense of wordplay that develops later. Give kids 90 seconds rather than 60, drawing steadily takes longer when fine motor control is still developing, and a whiteboard or large easel pad works better than small paper, a bigger surface means less erasing and restarting when a first attempt goes wrong. Mixing ages at the same table works better than it sounds, an older child or adult teammate can steer a younger player toward easier words from the pile without it feeling like a handicap, and pairing up rather than playing solo keeps a shy or younger drawer from feeling put on the spot in front of the whole room. If the group skews younger still, draw only from tier 1, tier 2 tends to need a bit more life experience, a “waiting in line” or “missing the bus” scene lands better with someone who’s actually done either.
Christmas and holiday pictionary words
Twenty-five seasonal words for a holiday party, separate from the 250 above: Santa Claus, reindeer, snowman, Christmas tree, stocking, mistletoe, gingerbread man, sleigh, ornament, wreath, candy cane, elf, chimney, present, carol singer, nativity scene, snow globe, ice skating, hot chocolate, fireplace, tinsel, north pole, Christmas cracker, fruitcake, advent calendar. These sit in tier 1 and tier 2 territory, concrete, drawable objects and simple scenes, so they play at the same easy pace as the main list and suit the same mixed-age table a family holiday gathering usually is. Pair these with Christmas charades for a two-game holiday session, one drawing, one acting, run back to back so nobody has to sit out a format they’re less confident in, or run a themed round alongside Christmas bingo for a full three-game party lineup.
How many words per game
As a rough planning guide, four players for thirty minutes typically needs 30 to 40 words, ten players more like 60 to 80, since a bigger group runs more simultaneous rounds in the same half hour. If you’re printing rather than playing on screen, cut 8 cards per US Letter sheet at 2 across by 4 down for a larger, easier-to-read card, or 12 smaller cards per sheet at 3 by 4 if you’d rather get more words from fewer sheets of paper. A mixed deck, some tier 1, some tier 2, a lighter sprinkle of tier 3, plays better across a whole evening than a deck sorted strictly by difficulty, since a run of five hard cards in a row can stall a round badly. Shuffle the printed cards together after cutting rather than keeping each tier in its own pile, and set aside tiers 4 and 5 in a separate envelope for a group that specifically wants the harder challenge later in the night.
Print the list or play on screen
Printing suits a paper-and-pencil party where everyone’s gathered around one table, cut the words into cards, shuffle them into a bowl, and draw on a shared pad or whiteboard. Playing on screen suits a game night that wants the round timer and team scores handled automatically, the pictionary word generator runs both for you, so there’s no manual score-keeping. Either way, the words are the same 250 above, split by tier so you can pick a difficulty that suits the room before the first round starts. A screen also solves one paper-game annoyance on its own, there’s no risk of a player accidentally seeing next round’s word face-up on the table, since the generator only shows the current word to the person whose turn it is. Paper, on the other hand, needs no device, no charging, and no screen glare across the room, genuinely useful for an outdoor party or anywhere a phone or tablet doesn’t want to come out. Pick whichever fits the room rather than assuming one is strictly better than the other.
FAQ
What are good pictionary words?
A good pictionary word is drawable as a clear scene or object, cat, house, rollercoaster, rather than something with no visual shape at all. The 250 words above are split into five tiers, easy objects through nearly impossible idioms, so you can match the word to the group’s skill level.
What are the hardest pictionary words?
Idioms and abstract concepts with no direct visual form, deja vu, irony, “raining cats and dogs,” “the last straw.” Tier 5 above is built entirely from these, save it for a group that wants a real challenge.
How long do you get in pictionary?
60 seconds is standard, 90 seconds is easier on kids or a mixed-ability group. Agree the time before the first round and keep it consistent for every turn.
How many words do you need for pictionary?
As a rough planning guide, four players for 30 minutes typically needs 30 to 40 words, ten players more like 60 to 80, since more players means more simultaneous rounds.
Can you write letters or numbers in pictionary?
No. Standard rules block letters, numbers and symbols in the drawing, along with talking and gesturing, drawing is the only channel allowed.
Ready to play? The pictionary word generator runs the round timer and team scores on screen, or print any tier above for a paper-and-pencil party. For an acting game instead of a drawing one, the same 250-word difficulty structure carries over to charades words, and both browse alongside every other set in printable games for every occasion.