ESL Charades Word List
If you’re like us, you know Charades is a really fun game to play in your ESL class, but preparing suitable vocabulary words for it can be a pain. The right topics and words are ideal for miming, and make for an engaging game your English students will love. On the other hand, some vocabulary is just so difficult to act out it really doesn’t work for Charades. Choosing the right words is key – so that’s why we created this ESL Charades word list!
Charades is a great warmer or low intensity time-filler for reviewing vocabulary. The vast majority of students will enjoy the opportunity to practise in this more light-hearted way, plus it really helps visual learners. But not only that, the very fact that it is so different from traditional activities makes the experience and the vocabulary stick in students minds more! For helpful tips on making your Charades game a success, check out our instructions here.
You can use this ESL Charades word list by preparing cards with these words, or just writing them on the board as you go. But the easiest possible way to play Charades in an ESL class is our interactive Charades Game. This has all the vocabulary items below preloaded into separate categories, allows you to select exactly the words you want, and even keeps track of each team’s score! Simply select your topic and project words on the board instantly, no prep required. Try it out with a free trial of our interactive resources (no payment details required):
Try our interactive Charades Game now
A screenshot of our interactive Charades game:
For easy reference, we’ve categorised our ESL Charades word list by topic, and divided those topics into beginner level word lists, and intermediate level word lists. The beginner level lists are targeted at the top end of beginners, so you may still need to filter some words out for lower levels (you can do that with our interactive game!). We’ve also provided implementation tips for each category, including how students can act the vocabulary items.
ESL Charades Words List (Beginner, A1-A2)
Animals (Basic)
Great with kids! Get students to imitate how an animal moves, or its distinctive body parts.
bear, bird, cat, chicken, cow, crocodile, dog, dolphin, duck, elephant, fish, frog, giraffe, horse, lion, monkey, mouse, penguin, pig, rabbit, rat, sheep, snake, spider, tiger, turtle
Common Verbs
For common verbs, students can simply mime the action the verb represents.
speak, make, think, see, look, find, give, work, call, ask, hear, play, run, write, sit, stand, pay, meet, study, watch, read, open, close, walk, swim, clean, buy, wait, build, fall, catch, cut, dance, listen, push, pull, cook, climb, jump, cry, eat, drink, hit, kick, laugh, ride, shout, sing, smile, throw, touch, turn, sleep
Daily Routine
Charades is ideally suited to practising daily routine vocabulary, with students acting out things they commonly do in a day.
brushing your hair, brushing/cleaning your teeth, cooking dinner, doing homework, getting dressed, getting up, going shopping, going to bed, going to school, going to sleep, having a coffee, having a shower, having breakfast, having dinner, having lessons, having lunch, putting on make up, putting on your shoes, shaving, waking up
Jobs (Basic)
To practise jobs vocabulary, students can act out things that those people commonly do in their jobs. Some are tougher than others, but students often get very creative!
actor / actress, artist, astronaut, baker, barber / hairdresser, builder, bus driver, businessperson, butcher, cashier, chef, coach, dancer, dentist, doctor, electrician, farmer, firefighter, fisherman, flight attendant, mechanic, model, musician, nurse, painter, photographer, pilot, plumber, police officer, salesperson, scientist, security guard, singer, soldier, sportsperson, taxi driver, teacher, server / waiter / waitress, writer
Musical Instruments (Basic)
A nice straightforward one – as long as you’ve taught the words already, as they may not crop up that often! Students can simply act out playing the instrument.
guitar, cello, cymbal, drums, flute, piano, recorder, saxophone, tambourine, trumpet, violin
Household Objects (Basic)
This is another one that can be a little trickier, and so it’s usually best with older students who can be a bit more creative in how to act them out. How we interact with or use these objects is usually the way to go!
alarm clock, ball, balloon, bag, bat, bin, book, bottle, bowl, box, camera, comb, computer, cup, dice, flag, fork, hammer, hairbrush, headphones, key, knife, laptop, magazine, microphone, newspaper, pen, pencil, phone, plate, present, radio, remote, soap, scissors, shampoo, spoon, toothbrush, toothpaste, torch, towel, toy
Sports and Hobbies (Basic)
A popular topic to practise with Charades! Because there are generally recognisable actions associated with each of tehse items, students can mime those actions.
acting / drama, American football, athletics, badminton, ballet, baseball, basketball, boxing, car racing, chess, cooking, cricket, cycling, dancing, fishing, football/soccer, gardening, going to the gym, golf, gymnastics, hiking, hockey, horse riding, listening to music, painting, photography, playing cards, playing music, reading, running, sailing, singing, skateboarding, skiing, surfing, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, yoga
Times
This is a less well known but really useful variation known as Act The Time. To practice associating digital times with analog times on a clock with hands, students move their arms to the position the clock hands would be in.
12:15am, 4:30am, 6:00am, 7:15am, 8:00am, 8:30am, 8:45am, 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:45pm, 1:15pm, 2:45pm, 3:30pm, 4:15pm, 5:00pm, 5:45pm, 6:30pm, 7:00pm, 8:15pm, 9:30pm, 10:00pm, 11:15pm
Want all these words preloaded into an online Charades game, no prep required? Get a free trial of our interactive resources (no payment details required):
Try our interactive Charades Game now
ESL Charades Words List (Intermediate, B1-B2)
Animals
Definitely one for students that don’t mind a little silliness, students can imitate how these animals move, or give visual representations of their distinctive features.
bat, bear, bird, butterfly, cat, chicken, cow, crab, crocodile, dog, dolphin, duck, elephant, fish, frog, fox, goat, gorilla, giraffe, hamster, horse, kangaroo, leopard, lizard, lion, monkey, mouse, octopus, owl, panda, penguin, pig, rabbit, rat, shark, sheep, snake, spider, tiger, turtle, wolf, zebra
Cooking Verbs
Acting out cooking verbs is a really great way to strengthen associations between the words and the distinctive motions they represent. A nice addition to intermediate classes on food, and pairs well with the Celebrity Chefs ESL activity.
bake / roast, blend, boil / steam, chop, crack, cut, dice, fry, grate, grill / barbecue, knead, peel, pour, serve, sieve / sift, slice, spread, sprinkle, squeeze, stir, taste, weigh, whip / whisk
Health
Health problems are a common topic at lower intermediate level, and acting out which part of the body hurts or what the symptoms are is a fun way to practise them.
a cold, a cough, a fever, a headache, a rash, a sore throat, asthma, backache, chicken pox / measles, earache, heartburn, stomachache, sunburn, the flu, toothache, a broken arm, a broken leg, heartburn
Household Objects
Probably one of the most challenging options, but higher intermediate or even advanced students will enjoy acting out how we use or interact with these objects. Lots of possible words to play with too!
alarm clock, ball, balloon, bag, bat, bin, blanket, blender, book, bottle, bottle opener, bowl, box, broom, brush, bucket, camera, can, candle, can opener, chopping board, chopsticks, cloth, coin, colander, comb, computer, corkscrew, cup, dice, dustpan and brush, envelope, flag, (dental) floss, fork, frying pan, (cheese) grater, hammer, hairbrush, hairdryer, headphones, helmet, iron, jug, kettle, key, (computer) keyboard, knife, laptop, letter, lightbulb, lighter, magazine, magnifying glass, matches, microphone, mop, (computer) mouse, mug, nail, nail polish, napkin, newspaper, oven gloves, paintbrush, saucepan, peeler, peg, pen, pencil, phone, plate, pot, present, radio, rake, remote, rubber gloves, soap, scissors, screw, screwdriver, shampoo, sheet, sieve, spade, speakers, sponge, spoon, suitcase, tablet, tape measure, teapot, toaster, toothbrush, toothpaste, torch, towel, toy, vacuum, vase, washing powder, watering can, whisk
Jobs
Again a more difficult option with lots of possibilities! Students can get creative with acting out common actions in these professions. You could even try getting pairs to act these out to make it slightly easier.
accountant, actor / actress, architect, artist, astronaut, babysitter, baker, banker, barber, barista, bartender, blogger, builder, bus driver, businessperson, butcher, camera operator, carpenter, cashier, chauffeur, chef, coach, composer, computer programmer, dancer, dentist, director, doctor, electrician, engineer, farmer, fashion designer, firefighter, fisherman, flight attendant, florist, gardener, graphic designer, hairdresser, homemaker, interior designer, journalist, judge, lawyer, librarian, lifeguard, magician, masseuse, mechanic, model, musician, nurse, optician, painter, paramedic, photographer, physiotherapist, pilot, plumber, police officer, politician, postal worker, product-designer, professor, psychiatrist, psychologist, receptionist, reporter, salesperson, scientist, sculptor, secretary, security guard, shop assistant, shopkeeper, singer, soldier, sound engineer, sportsperson, surgeon, tailor, taxi driver, teacher, TV presenter, vet, video game designer, waiter / waitress, web designer, writer
Musical Instruments
Very specific vocabulary here, but acting out playing instruments is really good option if your class has been learning this topic. Also works as a impromptu challenge for advanced students!
accordion, acoustic guitar, bagpipes, banjo, bassoon, bongos, cello, clarinet, cymbal, double bass, drums, electric guitar, flute, french horn, harp, keyboard, oboe, organ, piano, recorder, saxophone, synthesizer, tambourine, trombone, trumpet, tuba, viola, violin, xylophone
Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs can be tough for students to get their head around, so we love this practise method for them. Making visual associations is really helpful when the meaning isn’t obvious from the words. Definitely another one for higher intermediate classes though!
blow up, fill in / out, give away, find out, hand in, hang up, look up, pick up, take off, put on, put away, throw away / out, try on, turn up, turn down, look after, break in, break up, break down, eat out, put down, wake up, get up, go out, hang out, hold on, take out, turn around, stand up, sit down, work out, give up, get along / on with
Sports and Hobbies
A list of all possible sports and hobbies you could practise with Charades would be almost endless! But here’s a pretty comprehensive set for you. The actions associated with each item are an intuitive way to act out this vocabulary.
aerobics, acting / drama, American football, archery, athletics, badminton, ballet, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, bodybuilding, boxing, bowling, bungee jumping, camping, canoeing / kayaking, car racing, chess, cliff jumping, cooking, cricket, crossfit, cycling, dancing, darts, diving, fencing, fishing, football, gardening, going to the gym, golf, gymnastics, handball, hiking, hockey, horse riding, horse racing, hunting, ice skating, ice hockey, judo, juggling, karate, kite surfing, lacrosse, listening to music, mixed martial arts, motocross, mountain biking, netball, painting, photography, playing cards, playing music, polo, pool / snooker, quad biking, rafting, reading, rock climbing, roller skating, rowing, rugby, running, rhythmic gymnastics, sailing, scuba diving, shooting, singing, skateboarding, skiing, skydiving, snowboarding, squash, stand-up paddleboarding, surfing, swimming, synchronised swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, wakeboarding, water polo, weightlifting, windsurfing, wrestling, yoga
Thanksgiving (Actions and Traditions)
It’s great to include some games in a class on Thanksgiving, and Charades with actions and traditions is a perfect option for older students. In fact it’s part of our free Thanksgiving Lesson Plan!
watch football, watch the Macy’s day parade, go Black Friday shopping, volunteer, say what you are thankful for, have a Friendsgiving, run a Turkey Trot, make dinner, set the table, play games, go for a walk, baste the turkey, carve the turkey, make a toast, bake a pie, host a potluck, have dinner, say grace, roast the turkey, decorate the house, take a family photo, make crafts, travel to see family, wear a costume
Verb-Adverb Combinations
There aren’t that many fun activities for practising adverbs, but here’s one for you! Higher intermediate or advanced students can act out these fun and unusual verb-adverb combinations to review the adverbs.
eating carefully, swimming angrily, typing quickly, running crazily, fighting bravely, jumping sadly, dancing passionately, singing nervously, cooking quietly, walking hungrily, flying smoothly, painting slowly, writing hopefully, drinking happily, dressing smartly, reading proudly, kicking confidently, riding dangerously, breathing heavily, speaking clearly, waiting patiently, driving badly, cutting loudly, celebrating safely, cleaning suddenly, throwing lazily, hitting gently, catching seriously, crying sleepily, studying cheerfully, climbing calmly
Want all these words preloaded into an online Charades game, no prep required? Get a free trial of our interactive resources (no payment details required):
Try our interactive Charades Game now
