Describe It — the talk-fast, don’t-say-it word game with a referee
Two teams, one describer at a time — and one referee from the OTHER team watching for slips. The describer’s phone privately shows the target word plus its forbidden words; say one and the referee buzzes it dead.
Plays like a Taboo-style forbidden-words round, but the card lives on two phones — the describer’s and a referee’s from the other team — so the shared screen never leaks the word and every buzz is a fair call.
Ideal player count
6–20 players split evenly across two teams keeps the rotation moving; 4 players (2 per team) is the minimum.
Session length
15–25 minutes for a default 3-round game; configurable shorter or longer.
Phone experience
When it’s your turn to describe, your phone shows the target word and four or five forbidden words you can’t say — plus GOT IT / SKIP and a running clock. At the same time, the opposing team’s next-up describer gets the identical card on their phone with one job: buzz if you say the target or a forbidden word.
TV / shared-screen experience
The shared screen shows who’s describing, who’s refereeing, the timer, the turn score, and the streak — never the word itself. A buzzed foul flashes on screen instantly and the describer gets a fresh word with no time lost off the clock.
Scoring
A normal word is worth 1 point, a hard word is worth 2, and during the last 10 seconds of a turn (Bash Time) every word is worth a flat 2 regardless of difficulty. A referee’s buzz voids the word for free — it doesn’t cost the describer one of their 3 skips. Highest team score after every round wins; a tie goes to sudden death.
Languages / content packs
English, Nepali (native pack), Hindi (native pack)
What players need
- • A phone with a browser — no app to install
- • One shared screen (TV, laptop, or monitor) for the timer and scores
- • A GameBash room code to join
Best occasions
Family game night · House parties · Team-building nights · Holiday gatherings
How Describe It works
Teams take turns sending one describer up. That describer’s phone privately shows a target word and its forbidden words; they describe it out loud without saying any of them while their team shouts guesses. A correct guess deals the next word immediately, and the describer can skip up to three words a turn if the room is stuck.
The twist: the opposing team’s next-up describer is the referee for this turn. They see the identical card and hold a single BUZZ button — say the target or a forbidden word and they buzz it, the word is voided, and a new one appears instantly with no penalty beyond losing that word.
Why it works as a party game
Because both the describer and the referee see the exact same private card, the calls stay fair — nobody’s guessing at what counts as a foul, and the shared screen never shows the word or the forbidden list.
Giving the referee job to the other team’s next-up describer means nobody sits out refereeing — it costs them nothing in the rotation, and it keeps both teams leaning in even on the other side’s turn.
Keep exploring
Games like Taboo
How Describe It compares to Taboo-style forbidden-word games.
Act It Out
The charades version of this engine, if your group wants acting instead of talking.
Crowd Says
A team-based survey game if your group wants buzzers and steals instead of describing.
Party games for 6 people
See how Describe It splits into two teams of three.
Family party games
Why a fast-talking word game with a referee twist works across mixed ages at one party.
Frequently asked questions
- Who can see the target word and forbidden list?
- Only two phones: the describer’s and the referee’s — both delivered over a private channel. The shared screen never shows the word or forbidden list.
- Who is the referee?
- The opposing team’s next-up describer. They get the same card as the describer and a BUZZ button, and refereeing doesn’t cost them their turn in the rotation.
- Does a buzzed foul cost the describer a skip?
- No — a foul only costs the word in play. The describer still has all 3 skips for words they genuinely can’t describe.
- How many players can play Describe It?
- From 4 up to 20, split evenly across two teams — 2 players per team is the minimum for a playable game.
- Is Describe It like Taboo?
- It plays like a Taboo-style round — describe a word without saying it or its forbidden words — but there is no physical card deck or buzzer to pass around: the describer and a referee from the other team both get the card on their phones, the TV keeps time and score, and a buzzed word is replaced instantly. It is not the Taboo product and is not affiliated with its owner.
- Is Describe It like Heads Up!?
- Both are spoken clue games, but Heads Up! puts the word on the guesser’s forehead. In Describe It the describer holds the word, the whole team guesses, and a referee polices forbidden words — closer to a team round than a one-on-one one.
- Can we play Describe It in Nepali or Hindi?
- Yes — pick the Nepali or Hindi pack when you create the room. Those packs are written natively (household words, festivals, food, film), not translated from English.
Free to start — pick Describe It once your room is created.