How to play Fictionary

Fictionary is the old parlor game played with a big dictionary. Someone reads out a rare word that nobody at the table knows. Everyone writes a made-up meaning that sounds real, the true meaning goes in with the fakes, and then everyone votes for the one they believe. Here we bring the dictionary: every word is real, and so is its meaning.

A round

• You see a rare word and what kind of word it is (a noun, a verb, an adjective).
• Write a fake meaning and tap Done. Against the computer there is no clock unless you choose one in Settings (one, two or three minutes); with friends the table starts with two minutes.
• If you happen to know the word, tap I know this word for another one, up to two times a round.
• All the meanings are shown together, the real one mixed in. Tap the one you believe and tap Vote. You cannot vote for your own.
• A game is five words (three or eight in Settings). The most points wins.

Scoring

• One point for voting for the real meaning.
• One point for every other player who votes for your fake meaning.
• If you write the real meaning itself, word for word, you score the point without voting. A meaning that is close but worded differently goes in with the fakes.
• When two players write the same fake meaning, it is shown once, and both score for every vote it gets.

Today's words

Daily Words is five rare words, the same for everyone today. Each comes with its real meaning and four others, all real meanings of other rare words, so the style will not give it away. Find the real one for each and see how you compare with everyone else. Share your score without giving the words away.

Game night with friends

Choose Play with friends and send the link, or read out the four-letter table code. Everyone writes and votes on their own phone, and nobody sees who wrote what until the votes are in. To show the word, the meanings and the scores on a TV for the whole room, open the TV link from the table on the TV's web browser. Open seats are played by the computer.

Tips

• Sound like a dictionary. Start with "a", "to" or "having", and keep it short and plain.
• Fit the look of the word. A word ending in "ling" sounds small, and one ending in "ate" sounds like something you do.
• When you vote, read every meaning and ask which one a dictionary would really need. With friends, watch who fools you: everyone has habits.
• Stuck? Tap Idea for a fake meaning to start from (not with friends).

Questions

Where do the words come from? Every word is in a standard dictionary such as Merriam-Webster, Collins, Wiktionary or the 1913 Webster's. The meanings are written in our own words and checked against those dictionaries.

How strong are the computers? Easy players rarely spot the real meaning and write fakes that are easy to see through. Normal and Sharp players borrow real meanings of other words, so their fakes sound just like a dictionary, and Sharp ones find the real meaning most often.

Is there a reader, like with a real dictionary? The game is the reader, so everyone plays every round.

Do I need an account? No. Your game is saved in this browser, so you can close the page and come back.