How to play with the word generator
- Choose the words. Under Categories, pick from Objects, Animals, Food, Places, Actions, Nature, Office and Seasons. Under Difficulty, Easy and Medium are on by default.
- Set up teams. Choose one to six Teams and name them. Each team sends one drawer per round.
- Let the drawer look. The drawer presses Show word, memorizes it, and presses it again to hide the word.
- Start the round. Start round (or the Space bar) begins a 3-2-1 countdown and then the timer. The drawer draws; the team guesses out loud. Got it scores the point and shows the next word, Skip (S) passes.
- Score and swap. When the time is up, the round summary lists every word. Fix a mistake by tapping a word, then press Next team.
Easy, medium and hard drawing words
The built-in list has 528 words: 22 in each category for each level, all original and free of brands and titles. The level is about how hard a word is to draw, not to guess.
- Easy: single objects with a clear outline — a cup, a key, the sun, an apple, a snowman.
- Medium: more detail or a bit of action — a ladder, a pineapple, a tornado, a Ferris wheel, a video call.
- Hard: ideas and scenes that need several sketches — an hourglass, the northern lights, procrastinating, daylight saving time, reply all.
Mixed groups usually enjoy Easy plus Medium. Turn on Hard for experienced players, or give each team a different level as a handicap by changing it between games.
Round timer, drawer view and scoring
Rounds last 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 or 180 seconds. The timer turns red for the last five seconds, and Beeps in the last 5 seconds and a chime at time up adds sound. Skips per round can be none, one, three or unlimited, and a Skip penalty of minus one point stops teams from passing every hard word. With Play to set to 5, 10, 15 or 20 points, the game ends after the round in which a team gets there; otherwise press End game. Pause (P) freezes the clock and hides the word. Scores and the deck are saved on this device, so a reload continues where you left off.
Playing on a video call or a whiteboard
On a call, the drawer opens this page on a phone and shares a whiteboard app or a webcam pointed at paper. The team guesses in the chat or out loud, and the drawer presses Got it on the phone. In a meeting room, put the drawing on the whiteboard and keep the phone with the drawer. The scoreboard is easy to read when you press Present (F) on a shared screen between rounds.
Drawing game ideas for teams and parties
- Team social: split people with the team generator, choose Office and Seasons, and play to 10 points.
- Workshop warm-up: five minutes of Easy words gets everyone laughing and drawing before a design session.
- Party night: choose Hard with unlimited skips for wild guesses and a lot of crossings-out.
- Sketch practice: for longer drawing prompts on your own, try the random drawing generator.
Prefer acting to drawing? The charades generator has words chosen for acting and a forehead mode. For a quiz instead, build a board with the quiz board maker, and for single words with grammar filters, use the random word generator.
Trademark note
Jeopardy!, Pictionary and Heads Up! are trademarks of their owners. Unbiased Wheel is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
FAQ
How do I get random words for a drawing game?
Pick categories and a difficulty, then let the drawer press Show word to see the first word privately. Press Start round, and after a 3-2-1 countdown the timer runs; Got it scores a point and shows the next word, Skip passes. Words come from a deck shuffled once per game, so nothing repeats.
What makes a good word for drawing games?
A good drawing word has a clear shape or a scene you can sketch in a few lines: an anchor, a cactus, a snowman. Easy words are single objects; harder ones are actions, ideas or scenes that need several drawings, like eavesdropping or a fire drill. Every built-in word was chosen because it can be drawn without letters or numbers.
How long should each drawing round be?
90 seconds is the default here and works for most groups: enough for two or three easy words or one hard one. Use 60 seconds for quick rounds, or 120 to 180 seconds for Hard words and groups who enjoy detailed drawings. The timer turns red for the last five seconds.
How do I keep the word secret from the guessers?
Before each round the word is covered. The drawer presses Show word, looks, and hides it again before turning the screen; the round starts only when the drawer presses Start round. During the round, keep the screen with the drawer and the drawing surface facing the team — or play on a phone while a laptop shows the drawing.
Can I add my own words?
Yes. Open My words and type one word or phrase per line, up to 500. Mix with built-in adds them to the deck; Use only my words makes a fully custom game, for example product names for a team event or vocabulary for a language class. Duplicates of built-in words are removed automatically. Want film titles or a theme? Type them here — the built-in list has none.
Is this the official Pictionary game?
No. This is an independent word generator and timer for pictionary-style drawing games, made by Unbiased Wheel. It doesn't use the official cards, board, rules or artwork. Pictionary is a trademark of its owner, and Unbiased Wheel is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Are the words suitable for adults and work events?
Yes. Every built-in word is original and leaves out brands, titles and suggestive words, so the list suits office socials and mixed company. The Office category adds workplace words such as video call or reply all. For a sillier round with a lot of wild guessing, choose Hard and set Skips per round to unlimited.
How is a drawing game different from charades?
A drawing game asks the clue-giver to draw; charades asks them to act, and nobody talks in either. The two pages use separate lists: only 197 words appear in both, often at another level — a birthday cake is easy to act but hard to draw. Drawing rounds default to 90 seconds instead of 60, and only the charades generator has a forehead mode.
Updated November 6, 2026