Drawing prompts
Pictionary words for two players
This list is for two people who want to draw and guess without spending ten minutes deciding what counts as fair. Pick a section, set a timer, and keep moving.
The easier words are for quick warm-up rounds. The harder ones need more planning, and some will go badly in a useful way. That is usually the round you remember.
If you want it to run in the browser, Doodle & Guess gives one of you a secret word and a canvas while the other watches the drawing appear live and guesses.
Play it live instead of reading it out
Doodle & Guess is the live version: one of you makes a room, the other joins with a four-letter code, and you play it together on two screens. Free, no sign-up.
Easy pictionary words for a quick first round
Use these when you want clean drawings and fast guesses. Most of them can be shown with one clear shape and one useful detail.
- 01Banana
- 02Mailbox
- 03Candle
- 04Teapot
- 05Bicycle
- 06Ladder
- 07Mushroom
- 08Sofa
- 09Donut
- 10Anchor
- 11Feather
- 12Wheelbarrow
Medium pictionary words for two people on a call
These need a little more structure. Start with the big outline, then add the clue that separates it from three other things.
- 01Greenhouse
- 02Treasure chest
- 03Violin
- 04Ski lift
- 05Beekeeper
- 06Ferry
- 07Raccoon
- 08Typewriter
- 09Falcon
- 10Bookshop
- 11Scarecrow
- 12Garden hose
Hard pictionary words when the easy ones are too polite
These are harder because they are abstract, crowded, or easy to confuse with something else. Give the drawer enough time to make a mess of it properly.
- 01Echo
- 02Gravity
- 03Rumour
- 04Homesickness
- 05Daydream
- 06Blueprint
- 07Sneezing fit
- 08Stage fright
- 09Lost luggage
- 10Power cut
- 11Secret handshake
- 12Mismatched socks
Things to draw for pictionary with clear shapes
These are good when one of you says they cannot draw. The object is recognisable if you get the outline right.
- 01Padlock
- 02Rolling pin
- 03Clothes peg
- 04Fishing rod
- 05Suitcase
- 06Magnifying glass
- 07Chessboard
- 08Slippers
- 09Sewing needle
- 10Lunchbox
- 11Doorbell
- 12Snow globe
Pictionary action words that are awkward in a good way
Actions work best when the drawer shows the body first, then the problem. A stick person is usually enough.
- 01Tying shoelaces
- 02Folding laundry
- 03Climbing a fence
- 04Dropping groceries
- 05Blowing bubbles
- 06Peeling an orange
- 07Waving from a train
- 08Chasing a receipt
- 09Carrying a sofa
- 10Hiding a present
- 11Skipping stones
- 12Spilling soup
Two-word pictionary phrases for longer rounds
These give the drawer two clues to combine. They are fair, but they take a few more strokes before the guesser sees it.
- 01Moonlit picnic
- 02Broken crown
- 03Garden gnome
- 04Frozen pond
- 05Paper dragon
- 06Kitchen disaster
- 07Pirate map
- 08Robot waiter
- 09Sleepy camel
- 10Thunder cloud
- 11Pocket watch
- 12Tiny parade
Getting the most out of them
Pick the section before you start
Do not mix easy and hard prompts unless that is the point of the round. A drawer getting “banana” after the other person got “homesickness” will not feel like the same game.
Use a short timer
Sixty to ninety seconds is enough for most words. If the drawing is going nowhere by then, the wrong guesses are probably better than the finished picture would have been.
Say guesses out loud and type them too
Out loud keeps the round moving. Typing gives you a clean final answer, especially when two words sound similar over a call.
Do not write letters
Letters turn the game into slow charades with handwriting. Draw symbols, scenes, and bad stick people instead.
Questions about this list
What are good pictionary words for beginners?
Use objects with a clear outline: banana, mailbox, candle, bicycle, suitcase, padlock. Beginners do better when the word can be recognised from its shape before any detail is added.
How many pictionary words do we need for two players?
For a short game, ten to twenty words is plenty. If you are taking turns drawing, that gives each person five to ten rounds, which is usually enough before the drawings start getting lazy.
Can two people play pictionary online without sharing a screen?
Yes. In Doodle & Guess, one person gets the secret word and draws in the browser. The other watches the strokes appear live and types guesses. You can keep your call open beside it.
What makes a pictionary word too hard?
A word gets hard when it is invisible, abstract, or only makes sense through text. “Gravity” is harder than “ladder” because you have to draw what it does, not what it looks like.
Should pictionary words be nouns or actions?
Use both. Nouns are cleaner and better for warm-ups. Actions make better later rounds because they force the drawer to show movement, timing, and a small scene.
Play it live instead of reading it out
Doodle & Guess is the live version: one of you makes a room, the other joins with a four-letter code, and you play it together on two screens. Free, no sign-up.