Party Games
How to play Password
Use a one-word clue to help your partner name a password. The same secret passes between teams, losing value after each unsuccessful clue.
What you need
Classic Password cards and revealers, scoring indicator and score pad
Set up the game
- Make two partnerships, each with an A and B player. Both A players see the A list, hidden from both B players; reverse for the B list.
- Start A word 1 at value 10. Alternate which pair gives clues and which team receives first opportunity on successive passwords.
Playing Password
- Give one non-hyphenated clue word; your partner makes one guess. No pantomime, spelling or part/form of the password. Proper names may be clues.
- If incorrect, lower the value by one and let the opposing giver try with their partner. Previous clues and guesses remain public information.
- A correct password earns its current value. After ten failed clues, nobody scores that word.
- Switch giver/receiver roles for B word 1, then continue A word 2, B word 2 and onward. Each list’s fifth word scores double the current value.
- After B word 5, total both partners’ points. Higher team total wins; a tie can remain shared.
Why the third clue earns eight
The password is “umbrella.” Team A clues “rain,” but hears “coat.” Team B clues “parasol,” but hears “shade.” Team A then clues “canopy” and receives “umbrella.” Three clues were used, so the award is eight. If this were a fifth-list password, the same indicator position would award sixteen. Record the word’s value before moving to the next list.
Settle compound-word disputes consistently
The printed game checks a disputed two-word or hyphenated clue against a dictionary and awards the current value to the side that was right. Keep one shared reference ready. With homemade lists, agree compound spelling and an endpoint first. Do not import a television bonus round or a different edition’s match target without saying so.
Beginner decisions
- Choose a direct meaning your partner recognizes. An obscure association can waste the high-value first opportunity even if it feels clever.
- Use an incorrect answer as information. A later clue should narrow the interpretation instead of repeating the same broad association.
Common rule mix-ups
- Adding a sentence around an emphasized single word.
- Doubling the fifth clue rather than the fifth password on each list.
Questions about this game
May a clue be repeated?
Yes, by either giver. Voice inflection and facial expression are allowed in this edition; gestures are not.
What if the guess is a grammatical form?
The printed game permits one correction to the exact password. If it fails, neither team scores that word.
Sources and edition notes
Endless Games classic home Password: four-player partner game, two five-word lists, double-value fifth words. Not the Neal.fun browser puzzle.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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