Thanksgiving Password Game: A Private 24-Word Host Kit

Print your host kit and keep the answers private

The printable card faces show secret words only. Cut on the borders, use opaque backing if needed, and show just the current card to both clue-givers. The separate host key includes all notes, the agenda and six autumn substitutions. Do not project this article or any private file.

These are public downloads, not access-controlled files: private means keep them away from guessers. Give players only the answer-free instructions and blank score sheet. Edit the newline list before manually pasting into the game; nothing imports automatically.

• Open printable secret-word cards — clue-givers only

• Download editable secret-word cards (.txt) — private
• Download host key, agenda and autumn swaps (.txt) — private
• Download 24-word newline list (.txt) — private, manual paste
• Download player instructions and blank score sheet (.txt) — answer-free

Set up two teams and agree on legal clues

For four players, make two teams of two, each with a clue-giver and guesser. An optional non-playing host holds the key. Both clue-givers see the same secret word. Team A says one word and their partner makes one guess; after a miss, Team B gives a different clue and gets one guess. Continue alternating.

Use one spoken word as a clue. Do not say the answer, a form or part of it, spell it, give its first letter, rhyme on purpose or act it out. A clue is an association, not a guarantee: Sauce could lead to several guesses. Agree before play that an obvious pronunciation identifying the intended word counts.

On paper, award one point to the team that solves the word. After four unsuccessful clues, reveal it and move on with no point. Rotate roles after each card and alternate the starting team. Anyone may pass without explanation. These are optional paper house rules; Classic in the app uses its own decreasing points.

• Read the full game rules and scoring

A 20-minute agenda with three difficulty choices

Choose 12–16 familiar targets privately before the event. Cards 1–8 are an easy opening, 9–16 are the main round, and 17–24 offer a challenge. The full 24-word deck provides reserves; you do not have to finish it. Difficulty is a host suggestion, not a tested age rating.

1. Minutes 0–3: explain hidden cards and one-word clues. Model a separate practice word, Ocean → Waves, so no deck answer is revealed.
2. Minutes 3–8: play easy cards 1–8, using the four-clue pass limit and rotating giver/guesser roles.
3. Minutes 8–13: choose main-round cards 9–16 that the group recognizes. Keep the starting-team order alternating.
4. Minutes 13–18: offer a few challenge cards from 17–24, or use remaining easy/main cards. Stop for a quiet pass whenever needed.
5. Minutes 18–20: finish the current card and total paper points. Share a tied win, or give each team a separate unused card with the same four-clue limit.

Private host key: 24 original words and one-word clues

These suggestions are for the host and clue-givers. Use one clue at a time; notes are for preparation, never extra hints read during a turn. Alternative clues in notes are also single words. Keep this key out of the shared screen.

Swipe across the table to compare all columns.

Six autumn swaps for groups with different associations

Choose substitutions before printing or remove the original cards from the deck. These replace cards rather than adding extra scored turns. A food, sports or holiday reference can be unfamiliar; preview vocabulary privately with the clue-givers and use the ordinary printable deck if a seasonal theme does not fit. Autumn is a theme, not an assumption about everyone’s local season.

Swipe across the table to compare all columns.

Include family, Friendsgiving and workplace players

For mixed reading levels, print larger cards or let the host privately read the target to the clue-givers. Use familiar concrete words first, allow extra thinking time, and replace unknown vocabulary before play. Do not make holiday customs, food choices, pronunciation or personal experiences into a test.

For a bigger gathering, rotate a pair from each team into the active seats after every card. Other teammates watch quietly so one guess remains one guess. At work, observing is fine and no gratitude speech is required. On a video call, send the current target privately to both clue-givers and share only an inspected answer-free player view.

• Remote screen-sharing setup
• More role rotation for large groups

Manually build the selected round in PlayPassword

Try the public sample to check how the game works. To create and save your own round, sign in at Create, name the game, choose Classic for player-given clues, and paste the selected newline targets into the first Password field at Step 3. Remove unwanted targets or apply substitutions first; this article does not preload the editor.

For Host Mode, enter each prepared clue with its answer separately. Preview privately and keep the host view away from guessers. The paper one-point score and four-clue limit above are host-managed alternatives, not promises of an app preset. Check current plans and live-room limits before inviting participant devices.

• Try the public sample
• See current plans and access
• Prepare another holiday: Christmas Password