Party · 1989
Taboo
One clue-giver, one forbidden word and a buzzer: describe without saying the obvious and beat the other team.
- 4–10 players
- 30–60 min
- 1.2 / 5 · Light
Set up the game
0 of 5 steps
Tick each step as you complete it.
Table from above 
The card holder 
Hourglass 
Cards 
Guess word and taboo words 
Score pad 
Table from above
What it is about
Taboo is a word game won on verbal reflexes. The rules fit on a card: describe the big word without using the five below it, do not gesture, do not make noises and do not say any part of the word. Everything else is improvisation and tempo.
The pressure comes from the clock and from the rival holding the buzzer. Every taboo word is an obvious trap, and the other team is waiting for you to fall in. The clue-giver learns to skirt the obvious words with examples, categories and associations, and the team learns to shout answers without fear of being wrong.
Games are decided by small things: two extra skips, a buzz at the worst moment or a clue-giver stuck on the one card they do not know. With several turns per team, the game is also a memory test about how each person thinks.
Source note
The classic rulebook is a two-page scan. It covers team play, the clue rules, scoring and tie-breakers; it does not include the game-changer die of the newer edition.
EN instructions (Parker Brothers / Hasbro, classic edition) · Reviewed: 24 Oct 2026