Hard Drawing Game Words for Adults and Teens

Words with no shape of their own, and one way to draw each.

Hard Drawing Game Words for Adults and Teens

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Hard Drawing Game Words for Adults and Teens: how it works

These hard drawing game words are for a table that guesses Teapot in four seconds. All 250 have no shape of their own: two-part words like Jet lag, idioms like Spill the beans, feelings, science and grown-up life. The deck suits Pictionary-style games with adults and teens. Press Next card to begin.

Run a hard round from one phone

Hand the phone to the drawer and press Start round. Rounds start at 90 seconds here, not the usual minute, because a hard word needs a scene. Tap 1 min for a strict table. After a correct guess, press Next card and tap +1. Hardest of all deals only the 62 cards with no object in them, such as Irony, Fortnight and Best of both worlds.

How to draw a word with no shape

Difficult drawing game words are only fun when there is somewhere to start, so every word in the printed list has a way in beside it. Split a two-part word and draw each half: for Loophole, a loop of rope, then a hole. Draw a saying literally, such as an elephant on the sofa. For an idea, draw cause and effect in frames: for Inflation, the same loaf with a bigger price tag each time.

Tips

  • Agree on symbols before you start. The standard rule bans letters and numbers, but arrows and plus signs are a house rule.
  • Try a part-answer rule for sayings: when a guesser shouts beans, the drawer nods, and the team only needs the rest of Spill the beans.
  • Save the hardest drawing game words for an all-play round: one drawer from each team sketches the same card, and the first correct guess scores.

Questions and answers

Are these hard drawing game words for adults only?

No. Every card is clean enough to read aloud to a grandparent, so teens can play the whole deck. Only Grown-up life needs some years behind you: its 29 cards include Mortgage, Jury duty, Fine print and Hold music, which mean little to a twelve-year-old.

Is this the Difficult category from Pictionary?

No. The boxed game has a Difficult category, one of five on its board, and those cards belong to its publisher. This is an independent deck of 250 original words, not the official game and not affiliated with its makers. Use it when your group knows the box by heart.

What if nobody can draw the card?

Press Skip, which puts the word back and deals another. If a drawer skips three times, read them the way in from the list below. With No repeats tonight ticked, a played word stays out for the rest of the night, and Start over refills the deck.

More like this

Random tool Browse Acting and Drawing

All 250 hard words

Two-part words 34

  • Backfire A cannon with the blast coming out of the wrong end.
  • Bandwagon A wagon carrying a band while people run to jump on.
  • Blackout A skyline with every window dark and one candle lit.
  • Brain freeze A brain inside an ice cube next to an ice cream cone.
  • Bucket list A bucket with a long checklist unrolling out of it.
  • Cabin fever A snowed-in cabin with a thermometer and a figure pacing inside.
  • Carpool A car, then a swimming pool, or one car with four heads inside.
  • Comfort zone A figure in an armchair inside a circle, with a mountain outside it.
  • Couch potato A potato with a face, flat on a sofa, holding a remote.
  • Deadline A finish line with a clock above it and a runner in a panic.
  • Eavesdrop An ear pressed against a door with speech bubbles on the other side.
  • Firewall A brick wall in flames with a computer safe behind it.
  • Food coma An empty plate, a round belly and a sleeper on the sofa.
  • Footnote A foot, then a music note, then a page with a tiny mark at the bottom.
  • Ghostwriter A ghost holding a pen over a page while an author takes the bow.
  • Housewarming A house with a thermometer, a gift at the door and guests waving.
  • Jet lag A plane, then a traveler wide awake in bed under a full moon.
  • Keynote A key, then a music note, then a speaker at a podium before a crowd.
  • Learning curve A hill shaped like a steep graph line with a student climbing it.
  • Loophole Draw the two halves: a loop of rope, then a hole in the ground.
  • Moonwalk A dancer sliding backward under a crescent moon.
  • Nest egg A nest holding one egg with a coin drawn on the shell.
  • Pen pal Two figures on far sides of a globe, each holding a letter.
  • Pipe dream A pipe, then a sleeper with a thought bubble of a castle on a cloud.
  • Pothole A cooking pot, then a hole in a road with a wheel stuck in it.
  • Power nap A lightning bolt, then a sleeper at a desk beside a short sand timer.
  • Rain check A rain cloud over a picnic, then a ticket held out for another day.
  • Sidekick A caped hero and a half-size hero in the same cape beside them.
  • Small talk Two people with tiny speech bubbles holding a sun and a rain cloud.
  • Tongue twister A tongue tied in a knot.
  • Tunnel vision An eye at one end of a tunnel seeing only a small circle of light.
  • Undercover A figure in a hat and dark glasses peeking out from under a blanket.
  • Wallflower A flower with a face standing against the wall at a dance.
  • Watchdog A dog wearing a wristwatch, standing guard at a gate.

Idioms and sayings 35

  • All ears Listening closely. Draw a listener whose ears are bigger than the head.
  • All thumbs Clumsy. Draw a hand where every finger is a thumb, dropping a cup.
  • At the drop of a hat Instantly, without hesitating. Draw a falling hat and a runner already gone.
  • Back to the drawing board Starting a failed plan again. Draw a crashed paper plane and a designer at an easel.
  • The ball is in your court The next move is yours. Draw a tennis ball on one side of the net and a finger pointing.
  • Barking up the wrong tree Looking in the wrong place. Draw a dog at one tree and the cat in the next.
  • Beat around the bush To avoid the main point. Draw a figure with a stick circling a bush.
  • Best of both worlds Two benefits that rarely come together. Draw one foot on a beach and the other on a ski slope.
  • Bite off more than you can chew To take on more than you can manage. Draw a small mouth and a giant sandwich.
  • Break a leg A good luck wish to a performer before the show. Draw a stage, a curtain and a thumbs up.
  • Burn the midnight oil To work late into the night. Draw an oil lamp, a moon and a tired writer.
  • By the skin of your teeth Only just, a narrow escape. Draw a figure sliding under a closing gate, teeth bared.
  • Cold feet Backing out through nerves. Draw feet in blocks of ice at the end of a diving board.
  • Crocodile tears Fake crying. Draw a crocodile with big tears and a grin.
  • Cry over spilled milk To be upset about what cannot be changed. Draw a tipped glass and tears.
  • Elephant in the room An obvious problem nobody mentions. Draw an elephant on the sofa being ignored.
  • Eyes in the back of your head Noticing what goes on behind you. Draw a teacher at the board with eyes in their hair.
  • Get your ducks in a row To get well prepared. Draw a figure lining up ducks with a ruler.
  • Heard it through the grapevine Learned it from gossip. Draw an ear against a vine with whispers running along it.
  • Hit the hay To go to bed. Draw a figure in pajamas diving onto a hay bale with a pillow.
  • Hit the nail on the head To get it exactly right. Draw a hammer, a nail and a bullseye.
  • Hold your horses Wait, slow down. Draw a figure leaning back on the reins of two horses.
  • Jump the gun To start too soon. Draw one runner already off while the starter's arm is still down.
  • The last straw The final problem in a long line of them. Draw a camel sagging under one more straw.
  • Let the cat out of the bag To reveal a secret. Draw a cat leaping out of a sack.
  • Once in a blue moon Very rarely. Draw a shaded moon and a calendar with a single tick.
  • Preaching to the choir Arguing with people who already agree. Draw a speaker and a choir all nodding.
  • Raining cats and dogs Raining very hard. Draw cats and dogs falling on an umbrella.
  • Rock the boat To upset people or cause problems. Draw one figure standing up in a tipping rowboat.
  • Spill the beans To reveal a secret. Draw a tipped can of beans and a shocked listener.
  • Steal someone's thunder To grab attention meant for someone else. Draw a thief carrying off a storm cloud.
  • Take it with a grain of salt Do not believe it too readily. Draw a talker, a doubtful face and one grain by a shaker.
  • Through thick and thin In good times and bad. Draw two friends in the sun, then the same two in a storm.
  • Under the weather Feeling sick. Draw a figure in bed beneath a rain cloud.
  • Wild goose chase A long effort that gets nowhere. Draw a runner chasing a goose in circles.

Ideas with no shape 26

  • Chaos A kitchen with the pots, the cat and the pancakes all in the air at once.
  • Coincidence Two strangers meeting in the same hat, coat and shoes, both pointing.
  • Common sense A figure about to sit on a bench, spotting the wet paintbrush, and standing back up.
  • Compromise Two people tugging one blanket, then each asleep under half of it.
  • Conscience A tiny angel on one shoulder and a tiny imp on the other.
  • Deja vu The same scene drawn twice, with a puzzled face in the second one.
  • Democracy A box with a slot and a line of people each dropping in a slip.
  • Illusion A magician's hat with a rabbit fading into dotted lines.
  • Infinity A road running off past the horizon, then a loop that crosses itself like a sideways eight.
  • Irony A fire station on fire, with the fire truck parked outside.
  • Karma A figure throwing a boomerang that curves round toward the back of their head.
  • Majority Ten stick figures in a row, seven of them with a hand up.
  • Momentum A snowball rolling downhill, bigger in every frame.
  • Nothing An empty picture frame with a figure shrugging beside it.
  • Opportunity A door standing ajar with light pouring out and a figure about to step in.
  • Paradox A staircase that climbs in a square and ends back where it started.
  • Peer pressure A ring of figures pointing at a pool and one in the middle sweating.
  • Potential An acorn with a thought bubble of a full-grown oak.
  • Privacy A window with the blind pulled down and a closed padlock on the door.
  • Progress A row of telephones, from a wall box with a crank to a thin slab.
  • Sarcasm A figure slow clapping with a flat face at someone's spilled tray.
  • Symmetry A butterfly with a dotted fold line down the middle.
  • Temptation A hand creeping toward a cookie jar while the eyes look the other way.
  • Tension A rope pulled tight between two teams with one strand about to snap.
  • Tradition A grandparent, a parent and a child passing the same pie dish down the line.
  • Trust One figure falling backward, eyes shut, into another's arms.

Feelings and moods 22

  • Awkward Two people going in for a handshake and a hug at the same time.
  • Bittersweet One face split down the middle, half smiling and half tearful, holding candy.
  • Confidence A small cat looking in a mirror and seeing a lion.
  • Curiosity A cat lifting the lid of a box to peek inside.
  • Disappointment A kid opening a huge gift box and lifting out a pair of socks.
  • Embarrassment A figure with red cheeks and a trail of paper stuck to one shoe.
  • Forgiveness Two figures shaking hands over a broken vase.
  • Guilt A dog beside a chewed shoe, looking anywhere but at the owner.
  • Hangry An angry face, an empty plate and a stomach with a growl coming out.
  • Homesick A figure at a window with a thought bubble of a little house and a heart.
  • Motivation A donkey trotting after a carrot on a stick.
  • Nostalgia An adult smiling at a thought bubble of a childhood bicycle.
  • Optimism A glass filled to the middle with a smiling face beside it.
  • Overwhelmed A small figure under a wave made of papers, clocks and laundry.
  • Pet peeve A figure walking a small storm cloud on a leash.
  • Regret A figure at a fork in the road, looking back at the path not taken.
  • Relief A figure wiping the brow as a storm cloud drifts away.
  • Second thoughts A diver at the end of the board looking back at the ladder.
  • Stage fright A figure on stage with knocking knees, facing a crowd that is all eyes.
  • Suspense A hand on a door handle, a drop of sweat and a drumroll.
  • Wanderlust A figure at a desk with a thought bubble of a suitcase and a globe.
  • Writer's block A writer facing a blank page with a brick wall in the thought bubble.

Actions you cannot see 23

  • Backtracking A trail of footprints going out, turning round and coming back the same way.
  • Binge-watching A sofa, a screen, a pile of snack bowls and a sunrise in the window.
  • Bluffing A card player with a calm face and a terrible hand turned toward us.
  • Borrowing A neighbor at the door holding out an empty measuring cup.
  • Hesitating A foot hovering over the first stepping stone, going down and coming back up.
  • Improvising A cook draining pasta through a tennis racket.
  • Interrupting One speech bubble slicing straight through another.
  • Jaywalking A walker crossing between moving cars, far from the striped crossing.
  • Memorizing A reader with eyes shut and an arrow carrying the page into the head.
  • Outsmarting A mouse lifting the cheese after setting the trap off with a stick.
  • Overpacking A bursting suitcase with its owner sitting on the lid.
  • Oversleeping An alarm clock ringing itself off the table beside a sleeper, with the sun high.
  • Parallel parking A car, a curved arrow and a tight gap between two parked cars.
  • Photobombing A couple posing for a photo with a grinning face popping up behind them.
  • Predicting A figure with a crystal ball full of rain, carrying an umbrella in the sunshine.
  • Procrastinating A figure on the sofa, a long to-do list on the wall and a clock racing.
  • Proofreading A page under a magnifying glass with a pen circling small marks.
  • Recharging A tired figure plugged into a wall socket with a battery slowly filling.
  • Regifting One present with the same bow passing along a chain of three people.
  • Rehearsing An actor talking to a mirror with a script in one hand.
  • Translating Two speakers under different flags and a figure between them with two speech bubbles.
  • Trespassing A figure climbing a fence past a sign with a crossed-out walker.
  • Volunteering One raised hand in a row of folded arms.

People and roles 22

  • Auctioneer A figure with a gavel, a vase on a stand and a room of raised paddles.
  • Beginner A wobbling adult on skis while small kids glide past.
  • Chaperone An adult with folded arms at the edge of a school dance.
  • Houseguest A figure with a suitcase asleep on a sofa bed in someone's living room.
  • Hypnotist A swinging pocket watch and a volunteer with spiral eyes.
  • In-laws A wedding couple with an arrow from one of them to the parents behind the other.
  • Landlord A figure with a big ring of keys outside an apartment block, palm out.
  • Matchmaker A figure nudging two shy people toward the same park bench.
  • Mediator A figure standing between two arguing people with both palms out.
  • Middle child Three kids in height order with an arrow over the one in between.
  • Night owl An owl at a laptop under a moon while the houses around are dark.
  • Perfectionist A figure hanging a picture with a ruler, a level and a magnifying glass.
  • Role model A kid copying the exact pose of a taller figure they are looking up at.
  • Runner-up A winners' podium with an arrow over the figure on the second-highest step.
  • Sore loser A figure flipping the game board while the winner holds a trophy.
  • Stunt double Two figures dressed alike, one in a folding chair and one leaping off a roof.
  • Substitute teacher A stranger at the chalkboard and paper planes in the air.
  • Third wheel A couple sharing a milkshake and one more person at the end of the bench.
  • Trendsetter One figure in a strange hat, then a whole crowd wearing the same hat.
  • Underdog A small dog facing a huge one, with the whole crowd cheering for the small one.
  • Ventriloquist A performer with a puppet on one knee and the speech bubble over the puppet.
  • Whistleblower A figure blowing a whistle and pointing at an office tower.

Grown-up life 29

  • Assembly instructions A flat box, a tiny wrench, a wordless diagram and one screw left over.
  • Budget A pie cut into slices with a house, a fork and a beach ball on them.
  • Burnout A match burned down to a stub, wearing a necktie.
  • Commute A house, a long line of cars, an office and a clock at each end.
  • Conference call Heads in boxes on a screen, one with a crossed-out microphone, still talking.
  • Delegating A boss handing a tall pile of folders down a line of desks.
  • Downsizing A big house, an arrow, a small house and a moving van between them.
  • Fine print A contract with a magnifying glass over its tiny bottom lines.
  • Forgotten password A screen with a row of dots in a box, a padlock and a figure scratching their head.
  • Freelancer A laptop on a kitchen table, slippers underfoot and arrows out to three office towers.
  • Hold music A phone receiver leaking music notes beside a caller asleep next to a clock.
  • Inflation The same loaf of bread in three frames with a bigger price tag each time.
  • Insurance An umbrella held over a house and a car while it pours.
  • Job interview Two chairs, a desk and a sweating figure in a suit holding a folder.
  • Jury duty An envelope at a mailbox, then rows of chairs in a box beside a judge's bench.
  • Midlife crisis A gray-haired figure trading a minivan for a tiny sports car.
  • Mortgage A house chained to a bank, with coins moving along the chain one at a time.
  • Networking A room of people swapping cards, joined by lines like a spider web.
  • Out of office An empty desk chair and a palm tree on the computer screen.
  • Paper trail A trail of receipts leading like footprints to a filing cabinet.
  • Promotion A figure stepping up a staircase of desks toward a bigger chair.
  • Red tape A figure wrapped in tape beside a towering stack of forms.
  • Retirement An office desk under a cobweb, then a hammock and a fishing rod.
  • Side hustle One figure at an office desk under a sun and at a market stall under a moon.
  • Spring cleaning Flowers at the window, a figure with a mop and a pile of boxes by the door.
  • Subscription The same box landing on a doorstep again and again as calendar pages fly.
  • Tax return A form going into a mailbox and one small coin coming back out.
  • Warranty A broken toaster, a receipt and an arrow to a new toaster.
  • Work-life balance A scale with a briefcase in one pan and a house in the other.

Science and nature 22

  • Allergy A flower, a cloud of pollen and a figure in the middle of a sneeze.
  • Atmosphere A globe with a thin shell of cloud and air wrapped around it.
  • Carbon footprint A footprint made of exhaust smoke behind a car.
  • Chain reaction A row of dominoes falling toward a mousetrap that rings a bell.
  • Condensation A cold glass with drops forming on the outside.
  • Drought Cracked ground, an empty watering can and a blazing sun.
  • Eclipse A sun with a dark disc sliding across it and a crowd in paper glasses.
  • Evaporation A puddle in the sun with wavy arrows rising toward a cloud.
  • Evolution A line of creatures from a fish to a walker, left to right.
  • Extinction A dodo fading into a dotted outline.
  • Friction Two hands rubbing together with heat lines coming off them.
  • Germination A seed splitting open, a root poking out first and a small shoot pushing up through the soil.
  • Instinct A newly hatched sea turtle heading straight down the beach to the waves.
  • Light year It is a distance, not a time. Draw a beam leaving a star, a calendar and a long ruler.
  • Magnetism A horseshoe magnet pulling a chain of paper clips off a desk.
  • Metamorphosis An egg, a caterpillar, a chrysalis and a butterfly joined by arrows.
  • Optical illusion The vase whose two sides are also a pair of faces.
  • Photosynthesis A leaf with sunlight and water arrows going in and oxygen bubbles coming out.
  • Pollination A bee carrying dots of pollen from one flower to the next.
  • Reflex A small hammer tapping a knee and the foot kicking up.
  • Sound wave A speaker with curved lines spreading out toward an ear.
  • Static electricity A balloon rubbed on a head with the hair standing straight up.

Time and amounts 18

  • Anniversary A couple, a cake and two calendar pages with the same day circled.
  • Average Three uneven stacks of coins, then an arrow to three equal stacks.
  • Century A cake crowded with candles, a very long beard and a tree stump full of rings.
  • Countdown A rocket on the pad and a hand folding its fingers down one by one.
  • Daylight saving time A hand pushing a clock's hour hand forward while the sun stays up late.
  • Decade Ten birthday cakes in a row, each with one more candle than the last.
  • Eternity An hourglass whose top never empties, next to a road with no end.
  • Fortnight Two weeks. Draw two calendar rows of seven days joined by one big bracket.
  • Generation gap A grandparent with a record player and a kid with earbuds, a canyon between them.
  • Halfway A road with a flag at each end and a runner at the middle marker.
  • Last minute A clock one tick from the top and a figure sprinting with a suitcase.
  • Leap year A frog leaping over a calendar page that has one extra day pinned on.
  • Midnight A clock with both hands straight up, a moon and a sleeping house.
  • Overdue A library book under cobwebs beside a calendar of crossed-off days.
  • Probability Two dice, a coin in mid-flip and a thinking face.
  • Snooze button A hand slapping an alarm clock, then again with the sun a little higher.
  • Time capsule A box with a photo and a toy going into a hole while calendar pages fly.
  • Tomorrow Today's calendar page peeling back to show a sunrise on the next one.

Places and events 19

  • Baggage claim A looping belt of suitcases and tired travelers watching it go round.
  • Block party A street closed off with cones, grills and lawn chairs in the road.
  • Book club A ring of chairs with the same book on every lap and a plate of snacks.
  • Border Two different flags, a dotted line between them and a gate with a guard.
  • Customs An airport desk, an open suitcase and an officer with a stamp.
  • Family reunion Picnic tables, matching shirts and four generations squeezed into one photo.
  • Flash mob A train station crowd all striking the same dance pose at once.
  • Food court A ring of different counters around shared tables and trays.
  • Garage sale A driveway of folding tables, price stickers and a lamp nobody wants.
  • Grand opening Giant scissors cutting a ribbon across a shop door.
  • Intermission A closed stage curtain, a clock and a line at the snack counter.
  • Open house A house with a sign on the lawn and strangers peering into every room.
  • Potluck A long table where each guest sets down a different covered dish.
  • Rest stop A highway, a parked car, a picnic table and a vending machine.
  • Roundabout A circle of road with arrows going one way round and four exits.
  • Science fair Folding tables, a foam volcano and a prize ribbon.
  • Standing ovation A theater audience all on their feet, clapping.
  • Surprise party A dark room, heads behind the sofa, a door opening and a cake.
  • Talent show A stage, a juggler and three judges' chairs.

How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors for this page on 2026-09-18: 250 words and phrases that are hard to draw, each with one suggested way in. The way-in lines are drawing suggestions in our own words, not rules, and the Hardest of all group is the editors' judgment. The meanings given for the idioms were checked against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-language_idioms on 2026-09-18. The facts behind seven hints (photosynthesis, light year, fortnight, leap year, the dodo, sea turtle hatchlings, germination) were checked against the matching English Wikipedia articles on 2026-09-18. The game rules named on the page (no letters or numbers, a one-minute timer, all-play rounds, the boxed game's Difficult category) follow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictionary, checked 2026-09-18. Every card was screened for a mixed table: nothing sexual, no alcohol or drugs, no real people, and no brand, film or character names. Licence: own work