Articulate Rules Explained: How To Play Without Arguing
Articulate is a describing game with a board attached, and most of the rules arguments are about what you're allowed to say.
Here's how it's meant to work, and the fair way to settle the usual disputes.
Cards for the people you play with
Funny cards, blank inside, drawn and printed by us in the UK. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.
Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
"Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day Card From The Cats
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day, My Love (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
You're Purr-fect To Me (Cat Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
Happy Birthday Papa (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs)
£3.87
How to play
- Two or more teams, minimum four players. Everyone sits with their team.
- One person describes as many words as possible from the cards in thirty seconds while their team guesses.
- The category is set by the space your counter is on: object, nature, action, world, person or random.
- Move one space for each correct guess. First team round the board wins.
- You may pass, but the passed card goes to the bottom and you can't come back to it.
What you're not allowed to say
- No part of the word itself, and no rhymes with it.
- No 'sounds like' or spelling it out.
- No initials - you can't describe Marilyn Monroe as 'MM'.
- No gestures, mimes or pointing. It's a talking game.
- If you break a rule, that card is forfeited. No going back for it.
The spinner square
- Land on the orange spinner space and one player from each team competes head to head on a single word.
- Everyone can win points on a spinner, which is how teams come back from a long way behind.
- It's the single biggest source of Articulate drama, and it's meant to be.
Settling the usual arguments
- Agree before you start whether a guess has to be word-perfect or just close enough.
- One person keeps time and doesn't play in that round.
- Pick a neutral adjudicator for disputed clues, and their decision is final.
- Plurals and tenses are generally accepted. Say so out loud at the start.
How to write it so it lands
- Nominate a timekeeper who isn't playing that round.
- Agree the 'close enough' rule up front - it's what people fall out over.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you play Articulate?
In teams, one player describes as many words as they can in thirty seconds without saying the word, rhyming with it, spelling it or miming. Each correct guess moves your counter one space, and first round the board wins.
Can you mime in Articulate?
No. Articulate is a describing game - no gestures, mimes or pointing. Break that and the card is forfeited.
How many people do you need for Articulate?
At least four, in two teams. It's much better with six or more.
Do you sell board games?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, so these picks are simply what we'd recommend to a friend. The cards on this page are ours.