20 Questions Game: 431 Secret Things to Guess

Deal a secret thing, answer yes or no, count to twenty.

Read the card out. Press Next card or the Space key, or the card itself, for another.

Jobs · Easy

Bus driver

See all 431 secret things

Print gives slips to cut apart, up to 120 cards at a time.

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Press +1 when a team scores. Press a name to change it.

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20 Questions Game: 431 Secret Things to Guess: how it works

In the 20 questions game one player thinks of a secret thing and everyone else gets twenty yes-or-no questions to find it. This page deals the secret: 431 things to guess in seven groups, from animals to tricky things such as a shadow.

How to play 20 questions from one phone

The answerer turns the screen away and presses Next card, because everyone has seen the card that shows on load. Read out the group printed above the card, the way the old game opens with animal, vegetable or mineral. Guessers ask yes-or-no questions in turn, and the answerer may not lie. The page does not count questions, so one guesser counts on fingers. Whoever names the thing answers next. After twenty, the answerer has stumped the room and deals again.

Read the full guide

Easy bananas, hard sea sponges and 88 notes

The 20 questions game ideas sit in seven groups, from Animals to Tricky things. Easy cards are things a six-year-old can answer questions about, such as a banana. Hard cards are unusual or easy to call wrong: a sea sponge is an animal, and amber is fossilized tree resin, so it is vegetable. Tricky things are not objects at all (a shadow, an echo, Monday), so say so first. In the list under the tool, 88 cards carry a note on that call: a book is vegetable, because paper is made from wood pulp.

Tips

  • Halve the field. Twenty yes-or-no answers can separate 1,048,576 things, so ask questions that split what is left in two.
  • In the car, the front passenger deals and answers; the driver only guesses.
  • Agree on "maybe" before the first card. It saves an argument when the secret table could be wood or glass.

Questions and answers

What are good 20 questions game questions to ask first?

Start wide. Is it alive? Is it bigger than a microwave? Could I hold it in one hand? Each answer should rule out about half of what is left. Save a direct guess, such as "is it a penguin?", until two or three things remain.

Does a wrong guess count as one of the twenty?

That is a house rule, so settle it first. Counting guesses is the stricter way; with young children, let them be free. To keep score, press +1 for whoever names the thing, or for the answerer when all twenty run out. Add a team allows up to four names.

Where does the 20 questions game come from?

It is an old parlor game, dating to at least the eighteenth century. A letter from 1786 describes it being taught at a London dinner party, and a quiz show built on it first aired on American radio in 1946.

All 431 secret things

Animals 80

  • Albatross
  • Axolotl
  • Badger
  • Barnacle Animal: a relative of crabs and lobsters that cements itself to a rock, a shell or a ship for life.
  • Bear
  • Bee
  • Bison
  • Butterfly
  • Cat
  • Chicken
  • Clam
  • Clownfish
  • Cow
  • Crocodile
  • Crow
  • Deer
  • Dodo An extinct bird that could not fly. Tell the guessers if extinct animals are in play.
  • Dog
  • Dolphin
  • Donkey
  • Duck
  • Eagle
  • Earthworm
  • Eel A fish, though it is shaped like a snake.
Show all 431 secret things (407 more)

Animals, continued

  • Elephant
  • Falcon
  • Fox
  • Frog
  • Gazelle
  • Gecko
  • Giraffe
  • Goat
  • Goldfish
  • Hamster
  • Horse
  • Housefly
  • Iguana
  • Jaguar
  • Kangaroo
  • Kiwi bird A bird that cannot fly. Say "bird" at the start so nobody thinks of the fruit.
  • Komodo dragon A real animal: the largest living lizard.
  • Lion
  • Mongoose
  • Monkey
  • Moth
  • Mouse
  • Mule
  • Okapi
  • Opossum
  • Orangutan
  • Orca A mammal, not a fish, and the largest member of the dolphin family.
  • Otter
  • Owl
  • Oyster Animal, even though it looks like a rock and never walks anywhere.
  • Pangolin A mammal covered in hard scales.
  • Penguin
  • Pig
  • Rabbit
  • Salamander An amphibian, like a frog. It is not a lizard.
  • Salmon
  • Sea sponge Animal, though a grown sponge has no eyes, stays fixed to one spot and feeds by filtering water.
  • Sea turtle
  • Shark
  • Sheep
  • Silkworm Animal: the caterpillar of a moth. Silk thread is unwound from its cocoon.
  • Snake
  • Sparrow
  • Spider
  • Squirrel
  • Stork
  • Termite
  • Tiger
  • Tortoise
  • Turtle
  • Wasp
  • Whale
  • Wolf
  • Wombat
  • Woolly mammoth Extinct. Agree before the game whether animals that no longer exist are allowed.
  • Zebra

Plants and food 68

  • Apple
  • Artichoke
  • Asparagus
  • Banana
  • Bell pepper
  • Black pepper Vegetable: the dried fruit of a climbing vine.
  • Bonsai tree
  • Bread Vegetable in the old opening: flour is ground wheat, and wheat is a plant.
  • Cabbage
  • Carrot
  • Celery
  • Chocolate Vegetable: made from the seeds of the cacao tree.
  • Christmas tree
  • Cinnamon stick Vegetable: rolled inner bark of a tree.
  • Coffee bean Vegetable: the roasted seed of the coffee plant.
  • Cork Vegetable: the bark of the cork oak.
  • Corn on the cob
  • Cotton Vegetable: the fluffy fiber around the seeds of the cotton plant.
  • Cucumber
  • Flour Vegetable: ground wheat or another grain.
  • French fries Vegetable: cut potato.
  • Ginger
  • Grapes
  • Grass
  • Honey Bees make it from flower nectar, so animal and vegetable are both fair calls. Decide before the first question.
  • Ivy
  • Jack-o'-lantern
  • Lettuce
  • Lime
  • Maple syrup Vegetable: boiled-down sap of a maple tree.
  • Mistletoe
  • Mushroom A fungus, which is neither animal nor plant. Vegetable is the nearest of the three, so say that.
  • Oak tree
  • Oatmeal
  • Olive oil Vegetable: pressed olives.
  • Onion
  • Orange
  • Pancakes
  • Peach
  • Peanut butter Vegetable: ground peanuts, which grow underground on a plant.
  • Peas
  • Pickle Vegetable: a cucumber kept in brine or vinegar.
  • Plum
  • Popcorn Vegetable: a popped kernel of corn.
  • Potato
  • Pumpkin
  • Raisin Vegetable: a dried grape.
  • Raspberry
  • Rice
  • Rose
  • Salt Mineral: salt is mined from the ground or dried out of seawater.
  • Seaweed Seaweeds are algae, which are often not counted as true plants. Vegetable is the nearest call.
  • Soy sauce Vegetable: brewed from soybeans and wheat.
  • Spaghetti
  • Spinach
  • Strawberry
  • Sugar Vegetable: made from sugar cane or sugar beets.
  • Sunflower
  • Tea bag Vegetable: dried leaves in a paper bag.
  • Tofu Vegetable: pressed soybean curd.
  • Tomato
  • Tulip
  • Tumbleweed
  • Vanilla Vegetable: the flavor comes from the seed pod of an orchid.
  • Vinegar Vegetable: made by fermenting fruit juice or grain.
  • Walnut
  • Watermelon
  • Yeast A fungus, like a mushroom. Vegetable is the nearest of the three, so say that.

Around the house 67

  • Aluminum foil Mineral: metal rolled very thin.
  • Backpack
  • Ball
  • Ball of yarn Wool yarn is animal and cotton yarn is vegetable. Decide which before the first question.
  • Balloon
  • Bar of soap
  • Battery
  • Bed
  • Blanket
  • Book Vegetable in the old opening, because paper is made from wood pulp.
  • Bottle cap
  • Calendar
  • Candle Beeswax makes it animal, paraffin makes it mineral. Decide before the first question.
  • Cardboard box Vegetable: cardboard is thick paper, and paper is made from wood pulp.
  • Chair
  • China plate Mineral: clay baked hard.
  • Chopsticks
  • Clock
  • Coin Mineral: stamped metal.
  • Crumb
  • Cup
  • Cutting board
  • Door
  • Drinking straw
  • Dust House dust is a mix of fibers, soil and skin flakes, so "a bit of all three" is the honest answer.
  • Feather pillow Animal for the feathers. A cotton cover is vegetable.
  • Fork
  • Glass jar Mineral: glass is made mostly from melted sand.
  • Hat
  • Hourglass
  • Ice cube Mineral: frozen water.
  • Key
  • Kitchen sponge Most are plant fiber or plastic. A natural sea sponge is the skeleton of an animal.
  • Ladle
  • Lamp
  • Leather belt Animal for the leather strap, mineral for the metal buckle.
  • Light switch
  • Magnet
  • Microwave
  • Mirror
  • Nail Mineral: metal.
  • Napkin
  • Paper towel Vegetable, because paper is made from wood pulp.
  • Pencil Vegetable and mineral: a wooden case around a core of graphite and clay.
  • Pillow
  • Postage stamp
  • Refrigerator
  • Rubber band Natural rubber starts as latex tapped from a rubber tree, so vegetable is a fair call.
  • Safety pin
  • Scissors
  • Sewing needle
  • Shoe
  • Shoelace
  • Silk scarf Animal: silk thread comes from the cocoon of the silkworm.
  • Smoke detector
  • Spoon
  • String
  • Table A wooden one is vegetable, a glass or metal one mineral. Say which you have in mind.
  • Television
  • Thimble
  • Tin can
  • Toothbrush
  • Umbrella
  • Window
  • Windowsill
  • Wooden spoon Vegetable: carved from wood.
  • Wool sweater Animal: wool is sheep fleece.

Out in the world 62

  • Airplane
  • Amber Vegetable: fossilized tree resin. Most guessers will expect mineral.
  • Antler Animal: bone that a deer grows and sheds.
  • Bicycle
  • Bike rack
  • Billboard
  • Bird nest
  • Boat
  • Bridge
  • Bus
  • Campfire The wood is vegetable. The flame itself fits none of the three.
  • Car
  • Cloud
  • Coral reef Animal: a reef is built by colonies of tiny animals called coral polyps.
  • Crosswalk
  • Diamond Mineral: carbon pressed hard deep underground.
  • Drinking fountain
  • Ferris wheel
  • Fire hydrant
  • Fire truck
  • Flagpole
  • Fountain
  • Frost Mineral: frozen water.
  • Hailstone Mineral: a ball of ice.
  • Honeycomb Animal: wax made by bees.
  • Kite
  • Lava Mineral: melted rock.
  • Lump of coal Dug up like a mineral, but coal began as ancient plants. Either call is fair.
  • Mailbox
  • Manhole cover
  • Meteorite Mineral: a rock from space that reached the ground.
  • Moon
  • Mountain
  • Ocean wave
  • Park bench
  • Parking meter
  • Pearl Made by an animal (an oyster or a mussel) out of mineral layers. Either call is fair.
  • Pebble
  • Picnic table
  • Pier
  • Pothole
  • Rainbow
  • River
  • Rocket
  • Sandcastle
  • Scarecrow Mostly vegetable: straw and old cotton clothes.
  • Slide
  • Snowman Mineral: packed snow, which is frozen water.
  • Spiderweb Animal: spun by a spider from silk it makes in its own body.
  • Star
  • Stop sign
  • Subway train
  • Sun
  • Sundial
  • Swing
  • Telephone pole
  • Tent
  • Tractor
  • Traffic light
  • Train
  • Tram
  • Weather vane

Places 64

  • Airport
  • Amazon rainforest
  • Antarctica
  • Back seat of a car
  • Balcony
  • Bathroom
  • Beach
  • Bottom of the ocean
  • Castle
  • Center of the Earth A real place that nobody has ever visited.
  • Checkout lane
  • Colosseum
  • Dead Sea
  • Desert
  • Dog park
  • Eiffel Tower
  • End of the line
  • Equator An imaginary line around the middle of the Earth: a place you can visit, not a thing you can touch.
  • Farm
  • Finish line
  • Fitting room
  • Forest
  • Front porch
  • Front row
  • Golden Gate Bridge
  • Grand Canyon
  • Great Barrier Reef
  • Great Wall of China
  • Grocery store
  • Hallway
  • Hawaii
  • Hospital
  • Ice rink
  • International Date Line A line on the map through the Pacific Ocean where the calendar date changes. A place you can cross, not a thing you can touch.
  • Island
  • Jungle
  • Kitchen
  • Laundry room
  • Leaning Tower of Pisa
  • Library
  • Locker room
  • Mount Everest
  • Mount Fuji
  • Mount Rushmore
  • Movie theater
  • Museum
  • Niagara Falls
  • Orchard
  • Outer space
  • Park
  • Parking garage
  • Playground
  • Pyramids of Giza
  • Restaurant
  • Riverbank
  • Sahara Desert
  • School
  • Statue of Liberty
  • Stonehenge
  • Swimming pool
  • Taj Mahal
  • Top bunk
  • Under the bed
  • Zoo

Jobs 55

  • Archaeologist
  • Astronaut
  • Auctioneer
  • Author
  • Baker
  • Beekeeper
  • Builder
  • Bus driver
  • Carpenter
  • Cashier
  • Chef
  • Clown
  • Coach
  • Crossing guard
  • Dentist
  • Doctor
  • Dog walker
  • Electrician
  • Farmer
  • Firefighter
  • Flight attendant
  • Florist
  • Gardener
  • Hairdresser
  • Janitor
  • Librarian
  • Lifeguard
  • Lighthouse keeper
  • Locksmith
  • Magician
  • Mail carrier
  • Mechanic
  • Nurse
  • Painter
  • Park ranger
  • Photographer
  • Piano tuner
  • Pilot
  • Plumber
  • Police officer
  • Referee
  • Reporter
  • Scientist
  • Sign language interpreter
  • Singer
  • Stunt performer
  • Tailor
  • Teacher
  • Tour guide
  • Translator
  • Truck driver
  • Vet
  • Waiter
  • Weather forecaster
  • Zookeeper

Tricky things 35

  • The alphabet
  • Birthday
  • Bubble
  • Coin toss
  • The color blue A color, not an object. "Can you hold it?" gets a no.
  • Echo A sound that comes back to you. Fits none of the three kingdoms.
  • Footprint A shape left behind, not a thing you can carry.
  • Goosebumps
  • Gravity A force, not an object. Expect the guessers to need all twenty.
  • Halftime
  • Hiccup
  • Hole It is made of nothing, and it gets bigger the more you take away.
  • Homework
  • Horizon The line where land or sea seems to meet the sky. You can walk toward it and never arrive.
  • Hug
  • Itch
  • Joke
  • Knot
  • Last place
  • Leap year A year with one extra day, February 29. A time, not a thing.
  • Midnight
  • Monday A day of the week. Say "none of the three" at the start.
  • Nap
  • The number seven An idea rather than an object. Open with "none of the three".
  • Password
  • Recess
  • Shadow You can see it and point at it, but never pick it up.
  • Summer vacation
  • Tie game
  • Tomorrow A time, not a thing. "Is it something you can touch?" is the question that cracks it.
  • Whisper
  • Wind
  • Wink
  • Yawn
  • Your turn

How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors on 2026-09-18 from general knowledge; no list was copied from anywhere. Every card is a common noun, a material, a kind of place, a job or a landmark that has stood for generations, so nothing here changes from year to year. Cards were picked for how well they stand up to yes-or-no questions, not for how easy they are to draw or act out, so ingredients, raw materials and things made by animals sit beside the everyday objects. No real people, no film, show, book or game characters and no brand names are included. Levels are ours: easy cards are things most six-year-olds know and can answer questions about, medium cards need narrower questions, and hard cards are unusual, easy to confuse with a neighbor or, in the Tricky things group, not objects at all. The notes beside 88 cards say how to answer the traditional opening question (animal, vegetable or mineral) when the call is not obvious. The facts in the less obvious notes, such as what cork, vanilla, amber, pearls, sponges and house dust are, were checked against the matching Wikipedia articles on 2026-09-19. Rules of the game were checked on 2026-09-18 against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_questions, which describes the answerer and the questioners, yes-or-no answers, no lying, the winner becoming the next answerer, the animal, vegetable or mineral variant and variants that allow 'maybe'. Whether a wrong guess uses up a question is a house rule, and the page says so. Licence: own work