Need some inspiration for charades ideas? We’ve curated the best list of silly, energetic, and fresh ideas that are perfect for a game of charades for adults!
Our charades ideas for adults are separated into categories – movies, tv shows, books, plays and musicals, songs, quotes and phrases – we’ve even included a hard clues section! All the ideas are popular enough to be known by most players and the list is completely clean!
Movies Charades List – Top 40
These charades movie ideas are perfect for adults, they are all popular movies that are likely to be known by most players!
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| Twister | Rocky |
| Airplane! | Men in Black |
| Pink Panther | Braveheart |
| Seven Samurai | Titanic |
| Silence of the Lambs | Friday the 13th |
| Blazing Saddles | The Matrix |
| Home Alone | Lord of the Rings |
| Gladiator | Harry Potter |
| Taken | Avatar |
| The Sound of Music | Taxi Driver |
| Superbad | Anchorman |
| Zoolander | Dodgeball |
| Grease | The Big Lebowski |
| Goldfinger | Bridesmaids |
| Groundhog Day | The Beach |
| West Side Story | The Hobbit |
| Jurassic Park | Alien |
| The Princess Bride | Jaws |
| Goodfellas | Back to the Future |
| E.T. | The Wizard of Oz |
Want more charades movie ideas? See our mega list of 210 Charades Movie Ideas including Disney and family-friendly ideas! We definitely recommend it for any movie-themed charades night!
TV Shows Charades List – 40 Faves
These choices range from funny to cartoon to romantic and everything in between TV show charades ideas. Do you see your favorite on the list?
| Supernatural | Stranger Things |
| The Boys | Breaking Bad |
| Russian Doll | Umbrella Academy |
| Game of Thrones | Buffy |
| American Idol | The Big Bang Theory |
| Friends | Always Sunny in Philadelphia |
| How I Met Your Mother | Rick and Morty |
| Bojack Horseman | Gravity Falls |
| The Vampire Diaries | Adventure Time |
| Southpark | American Dad |
| Doctor Who | This is Us |
| Squid Game | Seinfeld |
| Sherlock | Firefly |
| Better Call Saul | Modern Housewives |
| Love Island | Jersey Shore |
| Riverdale | Orange Is the New Black |
| Euphoria | Sweet Tooth |
| Fargo | Cowboy Bebop |
| Fawlty Towers | The Handmaid’s Tale |
| The Sopranos | Mythbusters |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | The West Wing |
| Blackadder | Twin Peaks |
| The Mandalorian | The Simpsons |
| House of Cards | Downton Abbey |
| Top Gear | Parks and Recreation |
Book Charades Ideas – 30 Pageturners
In a world full of technology, the books category for charades may be the hardest to place.
Have a chapter of the night be all about the best novels you’ve read. When I was in high school, all my friends and I had to read the same books. If your group is stuck for ideas, sprinkle some nostalgia by having all players add a book from high school/college to the drawing pile.
| Animal Farm | The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe |
| Da Vinci Code | The Catcher in the Rye |
| Count of Monte Cristo | Great Expectations |
| Frankenstein | The Little Prince |
| The Great Gatsby | Little Women |
| 1984 | The Great Gatsby |
| A Tale of Two Cities | Alice in Wonderland |
| Charlotte’s Web | The Picture of Dorian Gray |
| Fifty Shades of Gray | The Wind in the Willows |
| Dracula | The Kite Runner |
| 100 Years of Solitude | The Life of Pi |
| The Help | The Hunger Games |
| Brave New World | Harry Potter |
| Twilight | Charlotte’s Web |
| The Odyssey | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
Play Inspired Charades Ideas – 30 Musicals and Classics
Whether you prefer dancing in your seat, or getting the feels as Caesar is taken out, our play charades ideas got you covered.
| Hamlet | Mary Poppins |
| Cats | Hamilton |
| Les Miserables | The Lion King |
| Beauty and the Beast | Jersey Boys |
| Mamma Mia | Chicago |
| Spamalot | The Phantom of the Opera |
| Wicked | Fiddler on the Roof |
| West Side Story | Rent |
| Moulin Rouge | Romeo and Juliet |
| My Fair Lady | Guys and Dolls |
| Macbeth | The Tempest |
| Billy Elliot | Hairspray |
| Miss Saigon | Evita |
| Cabaret | The Producers |
| Avenue Q | Legally Blonde |
Now that I think about it, Hamilton is stuck in my head again.
Song Charades List – 40 Tunes
Oops, I did it again. Here are 40 top song charade ideas before we say Bye Bye Bye.
| Imagine – John Lennon | It’s Raining Men – The Weather Girls |
| Wrecking Ball – Miley Cyrus | Hotel California – The Eagles |
| London Calling – The Clash | Man in the Mirror – Micheal Jackson |
| Baby – Justin Bieber | Uptown Funk – Bruno Mars |
| Stayin’ Alive – The Bee Gees | I Wanna Be Your Dog – The Stooges |
| Dancing Queen – ABBA | Blue Suede Shoes – Elvis Presley |
| Gold Digger – Kanye West | Sk8r Boy – Avril Lavigne |
| Hound Dog – Elvis Presley | Rock Around The Clock – Bill Hayley and the Comets |
| Despacito – Daddy Yankee | Over the Rainbow – Judy Garland |
| Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice | Light My Fire – The Doors |
| Stand By Me – Ben E King | What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong |
| Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen | River Deep – Mountain High – Ike and Tina Turner |
| Paint It Black – Rolling Stones | All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey |
| Hello – Adele | Dancing Queen – ABBA |
| Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash | YMCA – Village People |
| Cotton Eye Joe – Rednex | Sittin On The Dock of The Bay – Otis Redding |
| So What – Pink | Single Ladies – Beyonce |
| Buttons – Pussycat Dolls | I Want To Hold Your Hand – The Beatles |
| Umbrella – Rihanna | POPSTAR – Drake and DJ Khaled |
| Airplanes – Haley Williams | Thunder – Imagine Dragons |
Did I just leak my dance playlist? Maybe. Are these songs amazing to act out in charades? 100% yes.
Quote Charades Ideas – 20 Famous Statements
To be or not to be, you talking to me? That is the question. Wait. I didn’t get that quote right, did I?
Here are some accurate quotes for charades ideas!
| “I’m walking here! I’m walking here!” Midnight Cowboy | “You talking to me?” Taxi Driver |
| “Show me the money!” Jerry Maguire | “The early bird gets the worm.” |
| “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” | “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Jaws |
| “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Wizard of Oz | “It’s alive! It’s alive!” Frankenstein |
| “‘Toga! Toga!” National Lampoon’s Animal House | “Here’s Johnny!” The Shining |
| “I’m the king of the world!” Titanic | “This is Sparta!” 300 |
| “Keep the change, ya filthy animal.” Home Alone | “To infinity and beyond!” Toy Story |
| “Here’s lookin’ at you kid.” Casablanca | “Clever girl.” Jurassic Park |
| “You had me at hello.” Jerry Maguire | “Nobody puts the baby in a corner.” Dirty Dancing |
| “Just keep swimming.” Finding Nemo | “These go to eleven.” This is Spinal Tap |
Funny Charades Ideas for Adults – 20 ideas
Looking for something to act out for the laughs? Enjoy entertaining your friends and family with these funny charades ideas!
| Frog | Stuck in a conversation at a party |
| Bull riding | Putting on a wet suit |
| Charlie Chaplain | Walking in giant shoes |
| Putting on eyeliner | Suppressing a sneeze |
| Twerking | Stubbing your toe |
| Hiccups | Typing an angry email |
| Feeling like Rocky | Dancing like no-one is watching |
| Catwalking | Throwing a ball with your off-hand |
| Playing VR | Secretly picking your nose |
| Constipation | Lost your glasses |
For a list of funny charades ideas across all the usual categories like TV shows and movies, see our 225+ Funny Charades Ideas for Big Laughs!
32 Hard Charades Ideas
Your charades group is sailing through all the suggestions, additions, and challenges – it’s time to take it up a notch.
This charades category is completely randomized, with no theme in mind to make the guessing even more difficult than before. There are some pop culture references, old-school throwbacks, and odd bits.
| Forget | McLovin from Superbad |
| Cardi B | “Cool as a cucumber” |
| Jell-O | Using a coupon at the store |
| Influencer | Spilling the tea |
| Govern | Kanye interrupting Taylor Swift’s speech |
| Wedding speech | “Best thing since sliced bread.” |
| Cold turkey | Eleven from Stranger Things |
| Jet lag | A closed door |
| A mermaid | Mark Zuckerberg |
| Elon Musk | Marty from Back to the Future |
| Deja-Vu | The T-Rex from Night at the Museum |
| Ordering groceries | International move |
| The sun | Pretending to be any of your fellow co-players |
| A rock | Polishing valuables |
| Road trip | Making homemade pasta |
| Buying car insurance | Setting up lawn sprinklers |
Conclusion – Charades Ideas for Adults
No acting out here – we’re hoping you loved this list!
Charades is a game that’s enjoyable for all crowds, ages, and ranges. This list is perfectly designed with adults in mind, but we have a mega list of 260+ Fun Charades Ideas for Kids that are perfect for playing with kiddos.
If you and the other players have acting skills to rival oscar winners, then make your game more challenging with our 150+ Hard Charades Ideas!
Happy gaming, friends!
You may also like these articles
- 210 Charades Ideas: Movies! + Disney & Family Titles!
- 260+ Fun Charades Ideas for Kids!
- 225+ Funny Charades Ideas for Big Laughs
- 150+ Hard Charades Ideas!
- How to Play Charades – Actions, Ideas & Rule Variations!
- 33 No Grease, No Mess Snacks for Game Night
Emily
Hi, I’m Emily, the tabletop gamer behind My Kind of Meeple. If this article helped you, I’d be honoured if you’d say, “Thanks!” with a £3 coffee on Ko-fi.
