Each card in this finish the sentence game is an opener with no ending: The worst thing to say at a wedding is... No opener asks about you, so nobody confesses anything.
Read the full guide
One opener, every player, one vote
The reader says the opener. Going round the circle, each player finishes it aloud; a shy group writes endings on slips for the reader to read out. On three, everyone points at the player whose ending they liked best. Most fingers takes the point, and the reader breaks a tie.
Funny finish the sentence openers by set
The worst thing to say and Excuses get the fastest laughs: I cannot come to the party because my goldfish... Tall tales asks for a longer ending: Last night a raccoon knocked on my door and asked... For kids holds 20 openers a six-year-old can finish, such as Monsters are afraid of...
Rule out repeats: an ending already given on this card cannot be used again.
In a class, pairs agree on one ending in a whisper before anyone speaks.
Questions and answers
How do you play the finish my sentence game with two people?
One reads the opener and both write an ending without looking, then show them together. Score a point when the two endings match, or give the point to whoever made the other laugh.
What are some funny finish the sentence examples?
Openers with a small scene already in them: The bumper sticker on a snail's shell says... You know the cat is annoyed when... The real reason the chicken crossed the road was... Each one leaves room for many endings.
Can kids play the finish the sentence game?
Yes. For kids is about pets, monsters, snowmen and school, and a grown-up reads each card, so nobody needs to read. Younger players can draw their ending and hold it up.
How is this different from fill-in-the-blank icebreakers?
Fill-in-the-blank icebreaker questions are blanks about yourself, for a group getting acquainted. These openers are about made-up scenes, so the contest is who is funniest.
The worst thing a barber can say halfway through a haircut is...
The worst thing a waiter can say while setting down your plate is...
The worst thing to announce at the start of a road trip is...
The worst thing to hear from a magician halfway through a trick is...
The worst thing to hear from the person carrying your cake is...
The worst thing to hear over the loudspeaker at the zoo is...
The worst thing to name a pirate ship is...
The worst thing to say as the roller coaster starts to climb is...
The worst thing to say at a wedding is...
The worst thing to say on the first day of a new job is...
The worst thing to say right after "trust me" is...
The worst thing to say to a neighbor holding a casserole is...
The worst thing to say when someone shows you their new puppy is...
The worst thing to say when you open a gift is...
The worst thing to shout in a library is...
The worst thing to whisper during hide and seek is...
The worst thing to write in a birthday card is...
Show all 122 openers (105 more)
You know it when 17
You know a dog is plotting something when...
You know a recipe has gone wrong when...
You know a toddler has been in the room when...
You know it is Monday when...
You know it is the last day of school when...
You know the cat is annoyed when...
You know the cook is nervous when...
You know the internet is down when...
You know the meeting should have been an email when...
You know the movie is too long when...
You know the party is over when...
You know the substitute teacher is new when...
You know winter has gone on too long when...
You know you have been camping too long when...
You know you packed too much when...
You know your grandparents are winning the card game when...
You know your team is going to lose when...
Excuses 17
The cake looks like that because...
The dog did not eat my homework. What really happened was...
I am not lost; I am just...
I am only late because the bus driver...
I am wearing two different socks today because...
I cannot come to the party because my goldfish...
I cannot help you move this weekend because...
I did not finish the dishes because...
I did not hear the doorbell because...
I had to leave the meeting early because my sandwich...
I meant to water your plants, but...
I only ate the last slice because...
I was going to clean my room, but a...
I would have been on time, but...
The reason there is glitter on the ceiling is...
Sorry I missed your call; I was busy teaching a...
That was not me snoring; that was...
Signs, rules and labels 17
The bumper sticker on a snail's shell says...
The first rule of the tree house is...
The fortune in the cookie said...
The label on the mystery jar in the fridge says...
The message in the bottle said...
The motto of a school for clowns is...
The note on the office fridge reads...
The only rule at Grandma's table is...
The plaque under the statue of a pigeon reads...
Rule number one of pillow fights is...
The sign at the world's smallest zoo says...
The sign on the door of the haunted house says...
The sign on the lifeguard's chair in winter says...
The slogan for a restaurant that serves only soup is...
The small print on a treasure map says...
The warning label on a trampoline should say...
The welcome mat at a grumpy wizard's house says...
Tall tales 17
The astronaut opened the hatch, and the first thing she smelled was...
At midnight, every scarecrow in the field...
Deep in the couch cushions, I found...
The detective knew the butler was innocent because...
Explorers were surprised to learn that penguins...
The far side of the moon is where they keep all the...
The knight would have beaten the dragon, but...
Last night a raccoon knocked on my door and asked...
The lighthouse keeper's only complaint was...
My neighbor's garden gnome moved again, and this time it...
Nobody expected the school lunch to...
The pirate captain looked at the map and groaned, because...
The real reason the chicken crossed the road was...
The robot's first words to its inventor were...
The talking parrot at the pet shop keeps telling customers...
When the elevator doors opened, there stood...
When the lights came back on, the birthday cake was...
Wise words 17
Always carry a spoon, because...
Before you adopt a parrot, remember that...
The best time to start a band is...
The best way to win an argument with a cat is...
Every good hat needs a...
Everything tastes better when...
The fastest way to clear a room is...
If a goose challenges you to a race...
Life is too short to...
Never lend your umbrella to...
Never play hide and seek with a...
Never trust a goat that...
The polite way to leave a boring party is...
The secret handshake of every grandparent is...
The secret to a perfect pancake is...
The trick to carrying six mugs at once is...
You can tell a lot about a person by the way they...
For kids 20
A dinosaur would be a terrible pet because...
A dragon's least favorite chore is...
A kangaroo would be a tricky classmate because...
A school run by kids would start every day with...
An elephant on a skateboard would shout...
At the bottom of the sea, fish go to school to learn...
The best name for a snail that wins races is...
The best thing to find under your bed is...
If cats could talk, the first thing they would say is...
If it rained anything but water, it should rain...
If teachers were superheroes, their power would be...
The loudest animal at the sleepover was the...
Monsters are afraid of...
On the bus to the moon, the driver says...
Robots do not eat breakfast; instead they...
The secret ingredient in the witch's soup is...
The silliest thing to pack in a lunch box is...
The snowman's favorite thing to do in summer is...
The teddy bear waited until everyone was asleep, and then...
The tooth fairy is late tonight because...
How this list was compiled: Our own list, written for this page in October 2026; nothing was copied from another list. Every card is the start of a sentence about an invented scene, left open for players to finish aloud, in seven sets: the worst thing to say, you know it when, excuses, signs and rules, tall tales, wise words, and a set for kids. No opener asks a player about themselves, and none states a fact. Voting for the best ending and the two-player matching round are this page's own ways to play. Every line was read against the site's rules for a deck: nothing sexual or romantic, no alcohol, no betting or money, no politics or religion, nothing about anyone's body, no real people, and no card that singles out a player by name. On 2026-10-08 every card was compared with every other list on this site, and cards that repeated one elsewhere were rewritten. That comparison included the fill-in-the-blank icebreaker list and the finish-the-sentence cards of the rapid fire deck. Licence: own work