Pictionary is an exciting game for the whole family, perfect for any occasion where you are looking for a fun, engaging activity to do with your family and friends - even kids can play! It’s a classic game, which has been played for years and years. And it’s a very inclusive game, as anyone can join in and play, no matter what their age or level of skill.

With Pictionary, you get to develop your drawing skills and challenge yourself, while also having a great time with your family and friends. You’ll be laughing and having fun for hours while playing this amazing game.

How to Play Pictionary

While it is recommended to use the official boxed game to get the best Pictionary experience, the truth is: you can set up a game of Pictionary just as easily with some basic materials you might have within reach!

Number of Players: 4+

Setup

  • Paper
  • Pencils
  • Timer
  • Dice
  • Notecards

Choosing Pictionary words

  • Pick at least five different categories (ex: animals, celebrities, landmarks, actions)
  • On each card, write down words from the categories chosen.
  • Sort each into their matching category, then shuffle.
  • Assign each category a corresponding number when the dice is rolled.
  • Set out the remaining materials.

How to Play

  • Split everyone into teams or two or more (everyone playing solo is also an option). Everyone rolls the dice to see who goes first.
  • Designate someone as the ‘judge’; they will hand out the cards and keep track of the time.
  • Whoever starts rolls the die and is given a card corresponding to the category. They may start drawing at the judge’s cue.
  • The player has 60 seconds to draw, and everyone else must guess what is being drawn within those 60 seconds too.
  • Whoever is drawing cannot talk, make noises/gestures, and cannot draw letters/numbers.
  • Whoever guesses correctly scores a point and can attempt to guess the next word being drawn out. If they are incorrect, the turn passes to the next player for them to attempt to guess.
  • The game ends based on whatever conditions determine a winner(ex: first team/player to ‘x’ number of points)

Playing Pictionary / Draw It Online

Draw It is a fun way to play Pictionary Online

Another great way to get drawing without any supplies is through Draw It. It’s a free version of Pictionary that’s online at Brightful Meeting Games. It’s the easiest way to play a drawing game, and while the list of Pictionary words below may be useful if you are playing in person, Draw It allows you to connect easily with friends and family from across the world. The aim of the game is similar to Pictionary, one player draws a word and the rest try to guess it. The earlier the word has been guessed, the more points are scored for the guesser and the drawer! It takes the guesswork out of scorekeeping, so you can focus on the fun parts of the game.

Pictionary Words

We've included over 350 fun Pictionary words in an easy to use list. The list is divided by difficulty, so you can always keep it fair and even. Here’s our list of super fun Pictionary words sorted by difficulty. There's Easy, Medium and Hard difficulties. These are perfect for you to decide depending on your level of skill. If you're playing Pictionary with Kids, you'll find a section at the bottom with some bonus Pictionary Words for Kids!

You also may want to check out our Random Pictionary Word Generator for an even easier way to play!

Easy Pictionary Words

These words are fun to draw and are mostly objects found around the house or the office, so they should be familiar to lots of people. Start with this list and work your way down as they get progressively harder!

Stapler

Desk

Pay cheque

Work computer

Fax machine

Phone

Paper

Light

Chair

Desk lamp

Notepad

Paper clips

Binder

Calculator 

Calendar 

Sticky Notes 

Pens

Pencils

Notebook

Book

Chairs 

Coffee cup

Chairs

Coffee mug

Thermos 

Hot cup

Glue

Clipboard

Paperclips

Chocolate 

Secretary 

Work

Paperwork

Workload 

Employee

Boredom

Coffee

Golf 

Laptop

Sandcastle

Monday

Vanilla

Bamboo

Sneeze

Scratch 

Celery 

Hammer

Frog 

Tennis

Hot dog

Pants

Bridge

Bubblegum

Candy bar

Bucket 

Skiing 

Sledding

Snowboarding 

Snowman 

Polar bear

Cream

Waffle

Pancakes

Ice cream

Sundae 

beach

Sunglasses

Surfboard

Watermelon

Baseball

Bat

Ball

T-shirt

Kiss

Jellyfish

Jelly

Butterfly

Spider

Broom

Spiderweb

Mummy

Candy

Bays

Squirrels

Basketball

Water Bottle

Unicorn

Dog leash

Newspaper

Hammock

Video camera

Money

Smiley face

Umbrella

Picnic basket

Teddy bear 

Ambulance

Ancient Pyramids

Bacteria

Goosebumps

Pizza

Platypus

Clam Chowder

Goldfish bowl

Skull

Spiderweb

Smoke

Tree

Ice

Blanket

Seaweed

Flame

Bubble

Hair 

Tooth

Leaf

Worm

Sky

Apple

Plane

Cow

House

Dog

Car

Bed

Furniture

Train

Rainbow

Paintings

Drawing

Cup

Plate

Bowl

Cushion

Sofa

Sheet

Kitchen

Table

Candle

Shirt

Clothes

Dress

Pillow

Home

Toothpaste

Guitar

Schoolbag

Pencil Case

Glasses

Towel

Watch

Piano

Pen

Hat

Shoes

Socks 

Jeans

Hair Gel

Keyboard

Bra

Jacket

Tie

Bandage 

Scarf

Hair Brush

Cell Phone




Draw It is a free Pictionary game that works on any device

Did you know the easiest way to play Pictionary online is with Brightful? You can even play with friends and family from across the world. Simply host a game and share the link, you can get started in seconds. The game also automatically keeps track of everyone's total score and time.

Medium Pictionary Words

These words to draw are ranked medium difficulty because they’re still objects but they are less common. They may be a bit harder to recognize. For more of a challenge, keep scrolling down!

Printer

Cork Board

Office Supplies 

Cork Board

Paperweight

Letter Opener 

Post-It notes

Pen holder

File cabinet 

Boss

Water-cooler

Commute 

Lunch break

Employer

Late

Passion

Ambition

Pay

Pride 

Unemployment

Job

Hire

Lazy

Worried

Tired

Poverty

Olympics 

Recycle

Black hole

Applause 

Blizzard

Sunburn

Time Machine

Laceq

Atlantis 

Swamp

Sunscreen

Dictionary

Century 

Sculpture

Sneaker

Admiral

Water polo

Ninja

Snorkeling

Surfing

Volleyball

Pitcher

Catcher

Batter

Home Plate 


Swing

Cheerleader

Pumpkin

Halloween

Ghost

Jack-o’-lantern

Spooky

Skeleton

Vampire

Scary

Witch

Noodles

Hula hoop

Unicycle

Whiteboard

Knitting

Thunderstorm

Bubble wrap

Thermometer 

Skipping Rope

Canned Food

Waffles 

Chalkboard

Home run

Milkshake

Snowball fight

Bug zapper 

Pot of gold

Loudspeaker

Wind chimes

Musical instrument 

Bird feeder

Bookworm

Wig

Monster Truck

Houseplant

S’mores

Pie chart

Water gun

Shopping cart

Knife and fork

Blue whale

Canary Islands

Christmas tree

Daytime

Earthquake

Frog legs

Junkyard 

Vomiting 

Aardvark

Dolphin 

Rainforest

Spiders Web

Great Wall of China

Bat

Worms

X-Ray

Yawning

Daytime TV

Fireman

Frogs Legs

Hard hat

Hospital gown

Invisible Man

Underwear

Quicksand

Stomach ache

Vacuum cleaner

Swiss cheese 

Cream cheese

Pizza crust

Bruise

Fog

Crust

Battery

Cereal

Blood

Moss

Thorn

Algae

Slug

Antenna

Butterfly Wing

Parasite 

Pollen

Asteroid

Family

Painting

Sketch

Wallpaper

Chandelier

Ketchup 

Plane ticket

Fruit juice

Slippers

Sneakers 



Draw It has HARD words to challenge you

HARD Pictionary Words

These words are difficult to draw! They sometimes represent more abstract ideas, and you may need to be more expressive in your drawing skills. That being said, the challenge of drawing such difficult words is what makes it fun! Attempt this if you are a drawing maestro.

If you're looking for a great drawing challenge, you'll find that Draw It has a built-in "Hard" word that allows you to score 2x Bonus Points. Try it out if you think you're up for it!

Salary

Punctuality

Slacking

Stress

Overtime

Redundant 

Unemployed

Disconnect

Freelance

Part-time

Workaholic

Stressful

Exhausted 

Worries

Career

Overqualified

Unhappy

Panama Canal

Cheer

Vacation

Trick-or-treat 

Minimalism

Egghead

Hypnosis

Fidget spinner

Artificial Intelligence

Scientific research

Dreamcatcher

Screaming child

Jello shots

Surprise party

Chilli cheese dog

Mugshot

Moonwalk

Couch potato

Aurora Borealis

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Fairy

Steamed Hams 

Hornets Nest

Immune System

Mushroom

The Sun

Zebra

Computer 

Lawnmower

Moonwalking

Oyster crackers

Striped pajamas

Shaving cream

Hiccups

Breath Mints

Giant zit

Snot bubbles

Body odor

Chicken pox

Crustacean 

Gameplay Variations

Once you get used to the flow of how to play Pictionary, you may be keen to explore other ways to play or add some new game conditions to keep things interesting, by making gameplay a little more difficult.

Below are some ideas of how you can change up your next Pictionary game: either to make it your own, offer a more challenging experience for players, or just to experiment with another way to play Pictionary!

  • Remove the use of dice; have random cards drawn at each turn
  • Assign different point values for easy, medium, and hard words (harder the word, the more points it's worth)
  • Allow opposing teams/players to attempt to guess what the word being drawn is; either all at the same time or when time runs out
  • Reduce/increase the time allocated for the artist to draw out the word and for other players to guess.

Pictionary with Jimmy Fallon

If you're not sure how a typical Pictionary game looks like, refer to this example from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon!

Looking for other games to play with your team, friends, or family?

In addition to Pictionary, there are many other games that are perfect for team and relationship building. Check out our articles on further suggestions -

  1. How to Play Werewolf
  2. 8 BEST Team Building Games of 2021
  3. 17 Best Icebreaker Games