[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":402},["ShallowReactive",2],{"game-en-taboo":3,"overlays-en-taboo":401},{"id":4,"title":5,"accent":6,"age":7,"backdrop":8,"bggUrl":9,"body":10,"categories":27,"components":8,"cover":31,"deepDive":32,"description":16,"duration":145,"extension":148,"faq":149,"industryLegend":8,"lastReviewed":185,"leaders":8,"locale":186,"manualUrl":187,"mechanics":188,"meta":191,"navigation":192,"path":193,"players":194,"publisher":199,"quickStart":200,"resourceLegend":8,"rulesVersion":360,"seo":361,"sourceFiles":362,"sourceNotes":364,"stem":365,"strategies":366,"summary":397,"videoLanguage":8,"videoUrl":8,"weight":398,"year":399,"__hash__":400},"games\u002Fen\u002Ftaboo.md","Taboo","#B0245F","12",null,"https:\u002F\u002Fboardgamegeek.com\u002Fboardgame\u002F1111\u002Ftaboo",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":23},"minimark",[13,17,20],[14,15,16],"p",{},"Taboo is a word game won on verbal reflexes. The rules fit on a card: describe the\nbig word without using the five below it, do not gesture, do not make noises and do\nnot say any part of the word. Everything else is improvisation and tempo.",[14,18,19],{},"The pressure comes from the clock and from the rival holding the buzzer. Every\ntaboo word is an obvious trap, and the other team is waiting for you to fall in. The\nclue-giver learns to skirt the obvious words with examples, categories and\nassociations, and the team learns to shout answers without fear of being wrong.",[14,21,22],{},"Games are decided by small things: two extra skips, a buzz at the worst moment or a\nclue-giver stuck on the one card they do not know. With several turns per team, the\ngame is also a memory test about how each person thinks.",{"title":24,"searchDepth":25,"depth":25,"links":26},"",2,[],[28,29,30],"Party","Words","Teams","\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Ftaboo\u002Fcover.webp",{"title":33,"intro":34,"phases":35},"One minute, five forbidden words","You can already give clues and watch the buzzer. The turn is won on pace: which cards deserve time, how to circle a word without saying the forbidden ones and when it is better to skip than to insist.",[36,73,116],{"id":37,"label":38,"steps":39},"pace","The clock and the cards",[40,59],{"title":41,"text":42,"images":43,"check":52},"Every card has a price in points","A correct guess scores one point; a skipped or cancelled card gives one point to the rival. Insisting on an impossible card is therefore not neutral: you are handing over points while burning seconds. The right call depends on the clock: early in the turn you can afford two or three attempts; in the last fifteen seconds, a card that will not land is skipped. The team must know who calls the skip so no time is wasted arguing.",[44,48],{"src":45,"alt":46,"label":47},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Ftaboo\u002Fholder.webp","Taboo card holder loaded with a sample card reading Screwdriver and its five forbidden words.","The card holder",{"src":49,"alt":50,"label":51},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Ftaboo\u002Fguia-reloj-1.webp","Whole hourglass, sand and both bulbs in frame.","Hourglass",{"question":53,"options":54,"answer":57,"explanation":58},"What happens when a card is skipped?",[55,56],"The rival team scores a point","Nothing, you only lose time",0,"Skipped or cancelled cards give the rival a point.",{"title":60,"text":61,"images":62,"check":67},"Skipping is a team decision","The speaker should not decide alone when to abandon a card: the team can see the speaker's face and urge them to continue or skip. A group stuck on a hard word loses the whole turn; one that skips fast and moves on turns a mediocre turn into four or five hits. Before the turn starts, agree on a signal for “skip” that costs no words.",[63],{"src":64,"alt":65,"label":66},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Ftaboo\u002Fguia-cartas-1.webp","Game cards face up in a fan, none covering another.","Cards",{"question":68,"options":69,"answer":57,"explanation":72},"Who should decide when to skip?",[70,71],"The team, with an agreed signal","Only the speaker, unaided","The team can see the speaker and help decide without spending clue time.",{"id":74,"label":75,"steps":76},"clues","Circling the word",[77,91,105],{"title":78,"text":79,"images":80,"check":85},"Break it down before defining","The five forbidden words usually include the obvious definition and its direct synonyms, so attack the word in pieces: category, concrete example, situation of use, opposite or cultural association. “It is what you use to…” usually works better than “it is an object that serves to…”, because the second formula wastes time and drifts towards the forbidden words. Start specific and go general if there is no answer.",[81],{"src":82,"alt":83,"label":84},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Ftaboo\u002Fcards.webp","Two Taboo cards with the guess word on top and five forbidden words below, resting on a stack of cards.","Guess word and taboo words",{"question":86,"options":87,"answer":57,"explanation":90},"Which approach usually works better?",[88,89],"A concrete example or situation of use","Starting with the dictionary definition","The definition is often among the forbidden words; concrete examples are not.",{"title":92,"text":93,"images":94,"check":99},"The forbidden words are clues too","The five crossed-out words tell you which path you cannot take, but also which path the team already knows: if the forbidden word is “beach”, the team is already thinking of the sea. You can use that association without saying the word, as long as you neither name nor write it. The card becomes a map of what the team will think, and the speaker only has to avoid the exact trigger.",[95],{"src":96,"alt":97,"label":98},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Ftaboo\u002Fguia-tarjeta-1.webp","Whole card, legible, no glare.","Card",{"question":100,"options":101,"answer":57,"explanation":104},"What are the forbidden words for?",[102,103],"To know which associations to avoid and which to use","Only to limit vocabulary","Forbidden words reveal the most obvious associations: you can circle them without naming them.",{"title":106,"text":107,"images":108,"check":110},"The rival is playing too","The rival team watches the buzzer and can press for gestures, sounds, rhymes or illegal clues. The speaker must control their body: pointing, drawing in the air or imitating sounds can cancel a card that was about to land. A legal clue is verbal only; everything else is a way to give points away. If the rival is quick on the buzzer, be more conservative with gestures.",[109],{"src":64,"alt":65,"label":66},{"question":111,"options":112,"answer":57,"explanation":115},"What can cancel a card?",[113,114],"Gesturing or making sounds","Speaking too fast","Gestures and sounds are illegal clues: the rival can buzz.",{"id":117,"label":118,"steps":119},"team","The team and the score",[120,131],{"title":121,"text":122,"images":123,"check":125},"Every turn counts the same","The game ends when both teams have had the same number of turns as speaker, so a bad turn is not offset by a good one: it is offset by the average. The goal is not a spectacular turn but avoiding disastrous ones. A team that never skips late and never gets stuck on one card wins more than one with a brilliant turn and two bad ones.",[124],{"src":45,"alt":46,"label":47},{"question":126,"options":127,"answer":57,"explanation":130},"When does the game end?",[128,129],"When both teams have had the same number of turns","When the card deck runs out","The score closes when both teams have played the same number of turns.",{"title":132,"text":133,"images":134,"check":139},"A tie is settled with an extra turn","If the game ends tied, each team plays one extra turn with its best speaker. That changes preparation: know who your fastest speaker is and save them for that tiebreak. It also means a single point at the end is worth a lot: an avoidable skip can be the difference between winning and playing an extra turn you do not control.",[135],{"src":136,"alt":137,"label":138},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Ftaboo\u002Fguia-esquema-1.webp","Annotated diagram that makes the idea of the step visible.","Diagram",{"question":140,"options":141,"answer":57,"explanation":144},"How is a tie settled?",[142,143],"With an extra turn for each team","The team that started wins","On a tie, each team plays one extra turn with its best speaker.",{"min":146,"max":147},30,60,"md",[150,154,157,161,164,167,171,174,178,181],{"category":151,"question":152,"answer":153},"setup","How many players do you need?","At least four, two per team. More players means more noise and faster guessing; six or eight is the sweet spot. Uneven teams are allowed.",{"category":151,"question":155,"answer":156},"Can you play with one person per team?","The classic rules ask for four or more players. With only two people there is no rival team to watch and no teammates to guess, so the game loses its point.",{"category":158,"question":159,"answer":160},"turn","Can you clue with questions?","Yes. You can ask \"what animal gives milk?\" or answer your team's questions. What you cannot do is say the word or any part of it.",{"category":158,"question":162,"answer":163},"Can you sing or hum?","Sound effects are not allowed, but the rules explicitly let you break into song. If the team recognises the tune, they can reach the word without a forbidden clue.",{"category":158,"question":165,"answer":166},"How many guesses does the team get?","As many as they like. There is no penalty for wrong guesses: the team can try everything that comes to mind until they hit the word or the clue-giver skips.",{"category":168,"question":169,"answer":170},"special","Can you spell or use acronyms?","No. No spelling, no initials and no abbreviations whose meaning contains the word. If the word is television, \"TV\" and \"telly\" are both out.",{"category":168,"question":172,"answer":173},"What if the word is a proper noun?","Same rules: you can give context, era or category, but not parts of the name. If the name contains one of the taboo words, that part is forbidden too.",{"category":175,"question":176,"answer":177},"scoring","Does the unfinished card score?","No. The card on the easel when time runs out is set aside and scores for neither side. Only completed and discarded cards count.",{"category":175,"question":179,"answer":180},"How is a turn scored?","The clue-giver separates guessed cards from the discard pile. At the end of the turn, guessed cards are one point each for their team and discarded cards one point each for the rival. Both are added to the scorepad.",{"category":182,"question":183,"answer":184},"end","How many turns do you play?","Each team must have the same number of turns as clue-giver. You can play one round or several; several is better because everyone gets a turn at giving clues.","2026-10-24","en","https:\u002F\u002Finstructions.hasbro.com\u002Fen-us\u002Finstruction\u002Ftaboo-game-instructions",[189,190,30],"Word game","Race against time",{},true,"\u002Fen\u002Ftaboo",{"min":195,"max":196,"best":197},4,10,[198],6,"Parker Brothers \u002F Hasbro",{"pitch":201,"pitchCheck":202,"setup":208,"turn":267,"mistakes":326,"winning":353,"winningCheck":354},"Taboo is the word game with your hands tied. Two teams alternate: each turn one clue-giver sits facing their own team with the card holder and timer, and tries to get the big word guessed without using any of the five forbidden words printed beneath it. The opposing team watches with the buzzer: say a taboo word, gesture, make a noise or break a clue rule, and they buzz, killing the card. Each guess scores a point; each skipped or buzzed card gives a point to the rival. When time runs out the cards are counted and the turn passes.",{"question":203,"options":204,"answer":57,"explanation":207},"What happens when the clue-giver says a taboo word?",[205,206],"The other team buzzes, the card is killed and they score a point","The turn ends and passes to the other team","The buzzer does not end the turn: it kills that card, gives the rival a point and the clue-giver carries on.",[209,222,233,243,257],{"text":210,"images":211,"check":216},"Form two teams. They do not have to be the same size: if one has an extra player, alternate who starts to balance it. Each team picks a clue-giver for the first turn.",[212],{"src":213,"alt":214,"label":215},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Ftaboo\u002Fguia-cenital-1.webp","Top-down view of the table at the setup point the step describes.","Table from above",{"question":217,"options":218,"answer":57,"explanation":221},"Can the teams be uneven?",[219,220],"Yes, the rules allow it explicitly","No, they must be equal","Uneven teams are allowed; what must be equal is the number of turns.",{"text":223,"images":224,"check":227},"Put the buzzer and timer within everyone's reach and load the holder with cards, green side up. Cards are positioned so the clue-giver sees them and their teammates do not.",[225,226],{"src":45,"alt":46,"label":47},{"src":49,"alt":50,"label":51},{"question":228,"options":229,"answer":57,"explanation":232},"Which side of the cards is played first?",[230,231],"The green side","The purple side","You play the green side first and then flip every card over for the purple game.",{"text":234,"images":235,"check":237},"Seat the watching team: its players sit behind or beside the clue-giver, see the cards and hold the buzzer. The clue-giver's teammates sit opposite, unable to see the cards, and shout the answers.",[236],{"src":64,"alt":65,"label":66},{"question":238,"options":239,"answer":57,"explanation":242},"Who may see the card?",[240,241],"The clue-giver and the watching rival team","Only the clue-giver","Rivals see the card precisely so they can buzz rule breaks.",{"text":244,"images":245,"check":251},"Keep the scorepad visible. Each guessed card is worth a point; each skipped or buzzed card is worth a point to the rival team, scored immediately.",[246,247],{"src":82,"alt":83,"label":84},{"src":248,"alt":249,"label":250},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Ftaboo\u002Fguia-libreta-1.webp","Open score pad with an entry and a pencil beside it.","Score pad",{"question":252,"options":253,"answer":57,"explanation":256},"How much is a guessed card worth?",[254,255],"One point","Two points if guessed quickly","Every guess is one point, with no speed bonus.",{"text":258,"images":259,"check":262},"Agree how many rounds you play: the usual is the same number of turns as clue-giver for each team. If the scores tie, each team picks its best clue-giver and plays one extra turn to break it.",[260],{"src":261,"alt":214,"label":215},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Ftaboo\u002Fguia-cenital-2.webp",{"question":263,"options":264,"answer":57,"explanation":266},"How is a tie broken?",[265,143],"One extra turn with each team's best clue-giver","The tie-breaker is one additional turn per team with their strongest clue-giver.",[268,280,293,304,315],{"title":269,"text":270,"images":271,"check":274},"Set the card and flip the timer","The clue-giver takes the first card from the holder, places it on the easel and turns the timer over. That is when cluing starts: not before, not after.",[272,273],{"src":64,"alt":65,"label":66},{"src":49,"alt":50,"label":51},{"question":275,"options":276,"answer":57,"explanation":279},"When does the clock start?",[277,278],"When the timer is flipped, with the card already in place","As soon as the clue-giver picks up the holder","The clock starts on the flip; cluing starts at that moment.",{"title":281,"text":282,"images":283,"check":287},"Clue around the five words","You may use sentences, examples, categories and comparisons, but no part of the word, no gestures, no sound effects, no \"sounds like\" or \"rhymes with\", and no initials or abbreviations.",[284],{"src":82,"alt":285,"label":286},"Taboo card with the word Bacon and the forbidden words pig, eat, breakfast, sausage and eggs.","A sample card",{"question":288,"options":289,"answer":57,"explanation":292},"Can you say 'it starts with a B'?",[290,291],"No, initials and spelling are forbidden","Yes, as long as you do not say the whole word","No part of the word may be given, neither by sound nor by letter.",{"title":294,"text":295,"images":296,"check":298},"Guesses and skips","When a teammate says the word, the clue-giver sets the card aside, takes another and keeps going. If a card is impossible, they may skip it: the rival team scores a point, but time is saved.",[297],{"src":64,"alt":65,"label":66},{"question":299,"options":300,"answer":57,"explanation":303},"What does skipping a card cost?",[301,302],"One point for the rival team","Nothing, skips are free","A skip always gives the rival a point; it can still be worth it.",{"title":305,"text":306,"images":307,"check":309},"The buzzer","If the clue-giver uses a taboo word or breaks a clue rule, the rival buzzes and explains why. The card is killed, goes to the discard pile and the rival scores a point. The clue-giver continues with the next card.",[308],{"src":64,"alt":65,"label":66},{"question":310,"options":311,"answer":57,"explanation":314},"Does a buzz end the clue-giver's turn?",[312,313],"No, it only kills that card","Yes, the turn passes to the other team","A buzz kills one card and scores a point, but the turn runs until time is up.",{"title":316,"text":317,"images":318,"check":320},"End of turn and scoring","When time runs out, count it: each card left on the easel is one point, and each card in the discard pile is one point for the rival. The card in progress is set aside and scores nothing. Then swap seats and the other team names a clue-giver.",[319],{"src":64,"alt":65,"label":66},{"question":321,"options":322,"answer":57,"explanation":325},"Does the unfinished card score when the timer ends?",[323,324],"No, it is set aside and scores for nobody","Yes, if the team had partly guessed it","The card in progress scores for neither side; only completed and discarded cards count.",[327,335,344],{"title":328,"text":329,"check":330},"Saying a taboo word by accident","The classic slip is a derivative or a word containing the forbidden one. \"Paying\" will not do for PAYMENT, and \"payday\" is out if PAY is taboo: any part of the word is off limits.",{"question":331,"options":332,"answer":57,"explanation":334},"If the word is PAYMENT, can you say 'pay'?",[333,291],"No, it is part of the word","No part of the card's word may be used, spoken or spelt.",{"title":336,"text":337,"check":338},"Gesturing on reflex","Gestures are forbidden, but the body moves on its own. Pointing at the clock to mean \"time\", shaping an object with your hands or holding up fingers is buzzable.",{"question":339,"options":340,"answer":57,"explanation":343},"Are gestures allowed as long as you say nothing?",[341,342],"No, gestures are forbidden","Yes, as long as you avoid taboo words","The rules explicitly forbid gestures as clues.",{"title":345,"text":346,"check":347},"Sticking with an impossible card","Ten seconds on a card your team does not know are ten seconds not spent on two easy ones. Skipping costs a point, but lost time costs more.",{"question":348,"options":349,"answer":57,"explanation":352},"When should you skip?",[350,351],"When the team does not recognise the reference and time is running","Never, every card can be solved","Skipping is a tempo tool: one point in exchange for keeping the turn moving.","When both teams have had the same number of turns as clue-giver, the team with more points wins: one per guessed card plus whatever the rival conceded through skips and buzzes. On a tie, each team plays one more turn with its best clue-giver and the higher score wins.",{"question":355,"options":356,"answer":57,"explanation":359},"Who scores a buzzed card?",[357,358],"The rival team","Nobody, the card is removed","Buzzed and skipped cards both give a point to the opposing team.","EN instructions (Parker Brothers \u002F Hasbro, classic edition)",{"title":5,"description":16},[363],"reglamentos-pdf\u002FTaboo_Rules_EN.pdf","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\u002Ftaboo",[367,371,374,377,381,384,387,391,394],{"level":368,"title":369,"text":370},"beginner","Start with the category","\"It is a food\", \"it is an animal\", \"it is a place\": a category steers the team without spending words you may need later. Save detail for when the category is not enough.",{"level":368,"title":372,"text":373},"Use concrete examples","\"You eat it for breakfast\" or \"it is in the bathroom\" works better than abstract definitions. Examples also dodge the taboo words, which are usually the obvious definitions.",{"level":368,"title":375,"text":376},"Skip impossible cards fast","If the team does not recognise the reference after two or three tries, move on. A point can be recovered; time cannot.",{"level":378,"title":379,"text":380},"intermediate","Read the five words first","Before speaking, scan the forbidden words and choose a route that avoids all of them. They are there because they are the shortest path, and the rival knows it.",{"level":378,"title":382,"text":383},"Change the angle, not the volume","When a clue fails, do not repeat it louder. Change the angle: if they do not get the object, describe what it does; if not that, where it is found.",{"level":378,"title":385,"text":386},"Know your team","Cultural references only work if they are shared. A clue-giver quoting a show only they watch burns the turn; one using what the team knows chains guesses.",{"level":388,"title":389,"text":390},"advanced","Chain off the last answer","Use the momentum: if they just got \"milk\", the next card about \"cow\" or \"cheese\" falls in seconds with a clue that links the two.",{"level":388,"title":392,"text":393},"Save skips for the end","Skipping early costs a point and tells the rival how your team thinks. If time is tight, skip without hesitating; otherwise work the card, because cheap skips add up in the final count.",{"level":388,"title":395,"text":396},"Play the rival too","The rival is watching, but they are also listening. A clue can steer your team and mislead the watchers, especially if you build a route with a false start you abandon in time.","One clue-giver, one forbidden word and a buzzer: describe without saying the obvious and beat the other team.",1.2,"1989","001oICJZwLm0C7AgJ2CejBE33u7ypTiVEZxNXmiQjD4",[],1792932784468]