Fishbowl Game: Rules for the Three-Round Party Word Game

Fishbowl is a party word game played in teams over three rounds. Everyone writes words or names on slips of paper and drops them into a bowl. In round one, players describe the words. In round two, they may say only one word as a clue. In round three, they must act the words out without speaking. Because the same slips are used in every round, the jokes and clues from earlier rounds come back again and again, which is what makes the game so much fun. It is also known as salad bowl or the hat game.

What you need

• At least four players, in two teams. It works well with about 6 to 16.
• Small slips of paper and pens for everyone.
• A bowl, hat or bag to hold the slips.
• A timer, such as the one on a phone.
• A fair way to split the teams and choose who starts, such as the random name picker and a coin flip.

How to play

1. Each player secretly writes a few words, names or short phrases on separate slips, folds them and puts them in the bowl. Famous people, characters, places and objects all work well.
2. Split into two teams and sit so that the teams alternate around the circle.
3. A player from the first team takes the bowl and has one minute. They draw a slip and try to get their own team to guess it. When the team guesses right, the player keeps the slip and draws another.
4. When the minute is up, the bowl passes to a player from the other team.
5. When the bowl is empty, the round ends. Each team counts its slips for points, and all the slips go back in the bowl.
6. Round 1: describe the word using any words except the word itself.
7. Round 2: give exactly one word as a clue.
8. Round 3: act it out like charades, with no words or sounds.
9. After three rounds, the team with the most points wins.

Rules differ between groups. Some allow one skip per turn, some put skipped slips back, and some groups add a fourth round where players may only make a sound. Agree before you start.

Fair random teams and order

Teams matter in fishbowl, because some players are great at acting and others at describing. To avoid the same friends always teaming up, let the random name picker or our random teams guide split the group. Then use a coin flip to decide which team starts round one. The team that did not start round one starts round two, and so on, so each team gets a fair share of first turns.

How many slips per player?

Too few slips and each round is over in a moment. Too many and the third round drags on. A simple rule of thumb is a total of about 30 to 50 slips. The table shows one way to reach that. “Players” is the number of people, “Each” is how many slips each player writes, and “Total” is the number of slips in the bowl.

These are suggestions, not fixed rules. If your group is new to the game, or the players are young, use fewer slips. If the first round finishes very quickly, use more slips in your next game.

Hosting tips

• Ask for words that most people in the room will know. Inside jokes are fine if everyone shares them.
• Read out the rules for each round before it starts, as people often forget the switch to one-word clues.
• Keep a scorekeeper who also checks the timer.
• Keep slips that were not guessed in the bowl when a turn ends, so they carry over to the next player.
• Remind everyone that the guessing in round three is the best part: the words should feel familiar by then.

Variations

• Themed bowl: only movie titles, only animals, or only things from your school or office.
• Sound round: add a fourth round where you may only make sounds.
• Under a sheet: in a final round, the clue-giver hides under a sheet and acts out the word.
• No teams: pairs play together and every pair scores for itself.
• Drawing round: add a round where clues must be drawn, like Pictionary.

For more party games for groups, try charades, Pictionary or two truths and a lie.

FAQ

How do you play fishbowl?

Everyone writes words on slips of paper and puts them in a bowl. Two teams take turns to get their teammates to guess as many slips as they can in one minute. The same slips are used for three rounds: describe the word, give one word as a clue, then act it out.

What are the three rounds of fishbowl?

Round one is describing, round two is one-word clues and round three is acting without words.

How many slips does each person write?

It depends on the group size. A total of about 30 to 50 slips works well, so in a group of 8 each player writes about 5.

Is fishbowl the same as salad bowl?

Yes. Fishbowl, salad bowl and the hat game are common names for the same game.

Who goes first in fishbowl?

Flip a coin to choose the starting team, then let the other team start the next round.