Ghost
Take turns adding one letter to a growing word. Whoever is forced to finish a real word loses the round.
the best bit: cornering a friend so they have to say the final letter
- Players
- 2–8 (best with 3–5)
- Time
- 10–30 min
- Learn in
- A minute
- Mood
- Chill
- Format
- Everyone for themselves
The 30-second version
Players take turns adding one letter to a growing word. Every letter has to keep it on track to become a real word, but if you complete a word, you lose the round and take a letter of G-H-O-S-T. Think someone's bluffing? Challenge them. Spell GHOST and you're out.
read this, then walk through the steps below once.
Grab these
Nothing at all. just your people.
Set up
- Sit in a circle and choose who goes first.
- Only words of four or more letters count, so finishing a short word like "the" is safe.
How to play
-
Say a letter
The first player says any letter. The next player adds a letter to the end, and so on, with everyone building toward a real word.
-
Don't finish a word
If the letter you add completes a word of four or more letters, you lose the round. "T-A-B-L" is safe. Adding an "E" isn't.
-
Challenge
Instead of adding a letter, you can challenge the last player if you don't believe their letters lead to any real word. They have to say the word they had in mind.
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Settle it
If they can't name a real word, they lose the round. If they can, the challenger loses the round.
-
Collect letters
Each time you lose a round, you get the next letter of GHOST. The next player starts a new round.
How to win
Spell G-H-O-S-T and you're out. The last player standing wins.
Once you know it
- Superghost
- Add your letter to the front or the back. Much harder, much better.
- Haunted
- Players who are out become ghosts. They can talk to the living, and anyone who answers a ghost gets a letter.
From experience…
- Count ahead. Steer the word so its last letter lands on someone else's turn.
- Bluffing is allowed. Just have a real word ready in case you're challenged.