Word games to play online with friends

What makes a good word game to play online?

Not every word game works over the internet with a group. The good ones share a few things:

• Rules you can explain in a minute. Games everyone half-remembers from school get going fastest.
• Little waiting around. In games where everyone plays at once, nobody sits idle. Turn-based games need short turns to keep the energy up.
• The right size for your group. Some games shine with three friends, others with thirty.
• A fair referee. Someone has to time the rounds, check the letters and keep score. When the game does it, nobody has to sit out to run it, and nobody argues about the clock.
• Easy to join. If friends have to install something or make an account first, some won't bother. A link that opens in the browser is the easiest way in.
• Good on a call. The best word games give the group something to laugh and argue about together, so playing over voice or video adds to the fun.

All four games below are built around those ideas.

NOUN: Name, Animal, Place, Thing

NOUN is the classic letter game. One player picks a letter, and everyone has 10 to 30 seconds to write a Name, an Animal, a Place and a Thing that start with it. Then each player secretly reviews one other player's answers. An accepted answer scores 10 points if nobody else wrote it and 5 if someone did, and the fastest player gets a 10-point bonus if they also top the round.

• Best for: groups of any size, from 2 to 100 players, since everyone answers at the same time.
• Game length: you choose, from 1 to 26 rounds, one letter each.
• Why it works online: the server checks every letter, finds the unique answers and adds up the points, so nobody has to compare paper lists.

Flexi Noun: choose your own categories

Flexi Noun is NOUN with categories the host picks: 4 to 6 of them, from 15 presets (like Food, Movie, Country, Sport and Song) or typed in by the host. Same letter, same race, same scoring, but the categories can match a theme, a party or your group's in-jokes.

• Best for: groups who already know the classic version and want something fresh, or themed nights like a movie night or a travel quiz.
• Players: 2 to 100.
• Why it works online: custom categories can be typed in any language's letters, and the server still checks the letter for every answer.

Word Chain: keep the chain alive

Word Chain is turn-based: each word must link to the one before it, before your timer runs out. Break the rule, repeat a word or run out of time and you lose a life; lose them all and you're out. There are 8 modes, from the classic last-letter chain to rhymes, related meanings, whole sentences and Custom, where the host sets up to 5 rules. Words score a point per letter, up to 15, and players still in at the end earn a lives bonus.

• Best for: 3 to 20 players who like a bit of pressure and a lot of banter.
• Game length: until one player is left; turn time (5 to 60 seconds) and lives (1 to 10) set the pace.
• Why it works online: the server checks letters and repeats instantly, and anyone can flag a doubtful word for a quick 15-second vote.

20 Questions: find the secret

20 Questions is the deduction game. One player types a secret person, place, object or idea, and everyone else asks yes-or-no questions, which the holder answers with Yes, No or Kinda. Each guesser has 20 questions and guesses, and the server gives hints from the secret itself: how many words it has, how long they are, whether it has a Q, X or Z, and how it ends.

• Best for: 2 to 20 players, and calmer moments, like the end of a long call.
• Game length: 3 to 30 minutes per game, set by the host.
• Why it works online: the secret is sent only to the holder, all the guessers ask at once, and finding it quickly with fewer questions scores more.

Also try: Trivia

If your group likes facts more than spelling, Trivia is the natural next pick. Everyone gets the same multiple-choice question at the same time, quick correct answers score more, and a game runs from 1 to 25 questions. The host can also write their own questions. For more ideas, see our party games and drawing games.

Which word game should you pick?

• For a big group (10 or more): NOUN or Flexi Noun, since everyone plays every round. More ideas in games for big groups.
• For three to six friends on a call: Word Chain for quick turns and arguments, or 20 Questions for detective work. See also games for video calls.
• For a themed night: Flexi Noun, with categories that match the theme.
• For new players: turn on "No timer for first round" in any of the four games, so the first round is a relaxed practice.
• For a mixed crowd: start with NOUN, then switch games in the same room when you want a change.

Why Ping44 for word games

• The server is the referee. It times rounds and turns, checks letters, refuses repeated words, works out the hints and keeps score. Secret information, like the 20 Questions secret or the answers you're reviewing, is sent only to the player allowed to see it.
• Free, with no ads and no download. Every game is free, and it all runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers.
• Friends join in seconds. Only the host needs a free account. Everyone else opens the invite link, scans the QR code or types the 6-character room code, and picks a name.
• One room, many games. The host can switch to another game between games without anyone leaving, and room scores add up across games until the host resets them.
• Voice chat built in. The host can turn it on when creating the room, with up to 16 microphones open at once, plus text chat with emote reactions.
• Made for your own group. Rooms are private: Ping44 is for playing with people you invite, not strangers.
• In English, French and Vietnamese. Accented letters count by their base letter in NOUN and Word Chain, so "Éclair" works for E.
• Stats and bragging rights. Signed-in players keep their wins and points per game, with leaderboards (global and among friends) and achievements.

How to start in under a minute

1. Go to ping44.com, sign in with email or Google (it's free) and create a room.
2. Share the room with your friends: the invite link, the 6-character room code or the QR code. They can join as guests.
3. In the lobby, pick a game: NOUN (choose Classic Noun or Flexi-Noun in Game settings), Word Chain (choose one of the 8 modes in Game settings) or 20 Questions.
4. Adjust the settings if you like, and start. Anyone who'd rather watch can join as a spectator.

Frequently asked questions