Charades generator
This charades generator is for acting, not drawing: one hidden card for the performer, a 30, 60, or 90 second round timer, and a reveal button if the actor needs a peek. Paste your own prompts or load a short original starter deck. Hide card stays on by default so the room does not shout the title. Random word on this site stays the Pictionary noun tool. Draws use crypto.getRandomValues; the pasted list can sit in localStorage. Reset restocks the deck.
Why this charades generator is not random word
People search charades generator when they need a title to act, a timer the team can hear, and a card the audience should not see. Random word on TheOwlBay is a Pictionary-friendly noun. Control-V pastes three mixed words. Neither hides a card or counts 60 seconds. This page exists so a party, a drama class, or a youth group can draw an acting prompt without a stack of paper. The starter deck is original short phrases, not a scraped movie dump. Paste your own list for a themed night. Hide card is the default so only the actor’s device (or a whispered peek via reveal) shows the prompt. If you wanted drawing, go back to random word. If you wanted two spoken options, would you rather is the other party URL. We do not stream video or score teams on a server.
How to run a charades round
Leave the prompts box empty to use the built-in deck, or paste one prompt per line. Press load starter list to fill the box with the original phrases so you can edit them. Choose 30, 60, or 90 in round length. Keep hide card from the room checked unless the actor is looking at a private screen. Press draw prompt. The actor reads the hidden card (or hears it via a screen reader when revealed). The round timer starts. Press reveal card if you need a peek. When time is up the timer text says so; it is not sound-only. Press reset deck to shuffle the remaining prompts back. Your paste is stored in localStorage. Share a result URL only if you are fine putting that prompt in a link.
How hidden cards and the timer work
The deck is your paste if the box has lines; otherwise it is the original starter list injected at build time. Each draw shuffles with crypto.getRandomValues and pops one prompt, with no repeat until the deck is empty or you reset. Hide card shows a message that the card is hidden rather than the words, so a shared TV does not spoil the title. Reveal writes the prompt in the open. The round timer is 30, 60, or 90 seconds on this page — not the classroom timer — so you do not leave the game mid-scene. Empty deck and reset have their own messages. We do not claim a physics wheel. Acting still happens in the room. localStorage remembers the textarea on this device.
Who this acting tool is for
Party hosts, drama teachers, and families who remember charades but forgot the bowl of paper slips. Classroom-safe starter phrases are short and original; add your own list if you want film titles the group actually knows. It is not a drawing game — send those tables to random word. It is not karaoke; that page picks a song from a playlist. Halloween parties can follow a costume pick with a round of acting. If you need a giant clock for a different activity, use the classroom timer instead of this round selector. TheOwlBay does not host video chat. Point the actor at a laptop with hide card on, or reveal on a phone they hold.
FAQ
Can the rest of the room see the prompt?
Not if hide card from the room is checked. Press reveal card when the actor needs a peek or the round is over.
Is this the same as random word?
No. Random word is for drawing. This charades generator is for acting, with a hidden card and a 30/60/90 timer.
What happens when time is up?
The round timer shows that time is up. There is no required beep. Draw again for the next actor.
Can I use my own titles?
Yes. Paste one prompt per line or load the starter list and edit it. The box can stay in localStorage.
Do prompts repeat immediately?
Not until the deck is exhausted or you press reset deck. Draws use crypto.getRandomValues.