Telephone Game Phrases

Sentences built to go wrong in a whisper: sound-alikes, tongue twisters, lists, odd names and baby shower lines.

Telephone Game Phrases

Never tickle a sleeping walrus.

Whisper it once to the next player. No repeats.

1 of 150

Next step Write, draw and pass it onTelephone, but acted out

How it works

These telephone game phrases are 150 sentences written to slip in a game of telephone: The ghost at the coast ate most of the toast. Easy is six words or fewer, Hard eleven or more.

Read the full guide

Good telephone game phrases, by what trips them

Sound-alikes tempt one word into another: A knight rides at night. Tongue twisters blur in a whisper. Lists and numbers lose an item: Pack thirteen shirts, thirty skirts and three scarves. Odd names give the ear nothing to hold: Mayor Bumblethorpe of Upper Dingle has lost his llama. Silly sentences make no sense to begin with, so nobody can repair them.

Baby shower telephone game phrases

Baby shower holds 25 clean lines about bottles, booties and sleep, from Burp the baby, then the bear to Mom wanted Madeline, dad wanted Magdalene, and the baby answered to Muffin.

  • Whisper it once. No repeats is a house rule, and it is what lets a phrase change.
  • After the last player says it aloud, walk back up the line to find where it changed.

Questions and answers

What are hard telephone game phrases?

The Hard ones run eleven words or more and pack in near-rhymes: I heard the herd of deer was here, but here I hear no deer, dear.

What are fun phrases for the telephone game?

Short, silly ones a player can picture: My goldfish wears tiny glasses. Never tickle a sleeping walrus. Cows wear pajamas on Sundays. All three are Easy, six words or fewer.

Do single telephone game words work?

A single word gives the line little to lose. A short phrase works better: Blue glue blobs glow is four words, and each one can turn into its neighbor.

How do you play the telephone game?

Players form a line or circle. The first whispers a phrase to the second, who whispers what they heard to the third. The last player says it aloud, and it is compared with the original. The game has no winner.

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All 150 telephone game phrases

Sound-alikes 25

  • A cheap sheep ship keeps sheep asleep.
  • A fleet of fleas fled.
  • A fly in a tie got pie in its eye.
  • A knight rides at night.
  • A snail in the mail left a trail on the nail by the pail.
  • The bare bear wore a pear.
  • Ben's hen sent ten pens to the men in the den.
  • The bored board member bought a boat, a goat and a coat, but no oats.
  • The cook took a look at the crooked book.
  • Eleven elves left seven shelves in the cellar.
  • Fifteen fifty-cent stamps stuck to the fifth step.
  • Forty-four frogs fought for fourteen floating logs in the fog at four.
  • The ghost at the coast ate most of the toast.
  • I heard the herd of deer was here, but here I hear no deer, dear.
  • I see the sea, but can the sea see me?
  • Mice like ice, not rice.
  • The moose chose loose shoes.
  • The nurse's purse was worse after the horse reversed over it, of course.
  • The pale whale sailed with a snail on its tail.
  • The queen has seen the green bean machine clean sixteen tangerines.
  • Sixty sick sheep slept sixteen hours.
  • Their hair is over there.
  • Wet whales wail on Wednesdays.
  • Whether the weather is wetter or better, wear a red sweater and write me a letter.
  • The witch's wristwatch went missing in the wash.

Tongue twisters 25

  • Blue glue blobs glow.
  • Brave Blake baked a batch of black bread, but Brad's bland brown bread burned.
  • Brenda's black bike brakes broke by the brown bridge.
  • Chester chose cheap chips and chewy cherry chutney.
  • Clara's clean clam can clanked on the cliff.
  • Crabs grab crumbs from grumpy grubs.
  • The crisp crust crumbled as Chris crossed the crooked creek with crates of crackers.
  • Drowsy Drew dragged a dripping drum down the dry driveway and dropped it at dawn.
  • Floyd's flock of fluffy flamingos flew from the flooded field to find fresh flowers.
  • Fred's friend Fran fried fresh flat flounder on Friday.
  • Frogs fling flat floppy flip-flops.
  • Greg grows great green grapes.
  • Gretchen's great-grandma grows greener grapes than grumpy Great-uncle Graham ever grew.
  • Plump pandas plant purple plums.
  • Pretty Priya picked a proper pair of purple paper plates for the pepper platter.
  • Quick quiet quails quilt in the queen's quarters.
  • Seven sleepy slugs slurp sweet soup.
  • Shy sharks share short shorts.
  • Slim Sam slid sideways on seven slick sleds.
  • The sloth's sixth cloth slipped off the smooth shelf.
  • Stella's selfish shellfish shop stocks sixty striped shrimp on six short shelves.
  • Thirty thirsty thrushes think.
  • Thirty-three thick thistle sticks stuck through the thin thatch on Thursday.
  • Three free trees threw thirty-three green leaves.
  • Wanda watched which wristwatch went west on Wednesday.

Lists and numbers 25

  • Aunt Flora's list says flour, flowers, a floor mop, four flutes and flea powder.
  • Bring a broom, a spoon, a balloon and a prune.
  • Bring sixteen spoons, sixty balloons, six raccoons and one bassoon to the lagoon by noon.
  • Buy bread, thread and red sleds.
  • Call at four, not before.
  • The code is nine, five, nine, nine, five.
  • Feed the cat, pat the mat, bat the gnat.
  • First the fork, then the cork, then the stork, and last of all the chalk.
  • Go up two floors, through four doors, past the oars, and ignore the snores.
  • Hens, pens, dens and tens.
  • I packed a pear, a spare chair, a teddy bear and a pair of everything else.
  • Meet me at twenty to two by the blue canoe.
  • Nine limes, five dimes, one mime.
  • One goose, two geese, three moose, no mice.
  • Pack thirteen shirts, thirty skirts and three scarves.
  • The password is purple penguin, forty-two, pickle, and it changes on Tuesday.
  • Peas, cheese, keys and bees.
  • Room fifteen, row fifty, seat five.
  • Send eighteen eggs to the eighth house, eighty to the eighteenth, and eight to me.
  • Seventeen beans and seventy greens.
  • Tell Mom the plumber, the drummer and the summer camp runner all called at one.
  • Tuesday at two, Thursday at three, Saturday at sea.
  • Turn left at the third bird, then right twice.
  • Two socks, three clocks, four rocks.
  • We need milk, silk, a quilt and a kilt.

Odd names 25

  • Aunt Philomena's pink flamingo flew to Fiddleton on Friday.
  • Baron von Biscuit bakes brioche in Bobbington.
  • Captain Horatio Huckleberry sailed the Saucy Sardine to Snorkel Sound on Sunday.
  • Captain Wobbleton lost his hat.
  • Chef Chiffonade chopped chives in Chippington all Tuesday.
  • Cousin Mirabel from Mumbleton married a marvelous mime.
  • Dame Griselda Grumblethwaite gave Great-uncle Gilbert a giggling green gargoyle as a gift.
  • The Duchess of Dribbleton dined with the Duke of Dabbleton and Doctor Dobbleton's dog.
  • Farmer Fenwick's ferret is called Frederick the Third.
  • Grandpa Gus guards the gravy.
  • Granny Gladiola grows gooseberries in Gigglesby Green.
  • Lady Plumtart paints parrots.
  • Lady Wilhelmina Wigglesworth of West Wobbleton wishes you a wonderful Wednesday.
  • Mayor Bumblethorpe of Upper Dingle has lost his llama.
  • Miss Fizzlewick whistles at midnight.
  • Mister Ignatius Ticklefeather sold his feather tickler to Missus Tabitha Fickleweather.
  • Old Ezekiel Zipperfield's zucchini won the prize at the Zenobia County fair.
  • Professor Quibblesnatch teaches zebra zoology at the college on Zigzag Street.
  • Professor Snickerdoodle forgot the formula.
  • Queen Quilla quit quilting.
  • Send the parcel to Twelve Thimble Lane, Thistledown.
  • Sir Rupert Rumbleshanks rode a rhubarb-red rocking horse.
  • Tell Bartholomew Butterworth that Bernadette Birtwhistle borrowed his best blue bicycle.
  • Uncle Zebediah zips zippers.
  • Welcome to Lower Wigglesworth.

Baby shower 25

  • A teething tiger toy travels in the diaper bag.
  • Babies burp, bottles bubble, blankets bundle, and somebody always loses a bootie.
  • The baby giggled, grabbed grandpa's glasses and gave them to the dog.
  • Baby's bib is bubble blue.
  • The baby's blue booties bounced out of the buggy.
  • Bottles, booties, bibs and blankets.
  • Burp the baby, then the bear.
  • Daddy packed ten pacifiers and forgot the diapers.
  • Diapers before dawn, daddy.
  • Grandma's lullaby put the whole room to sleep first.
  • Hush now, baby, the bunny is yawning too.
  • Mama's midnight snack is pickles on pancakes.
  • Mom wanted Madeline, dad wanted Magdalene, and the baby answered to Muffin.
  • Nap when the baby naps.
  • Nobody told the new parents that the nursery night-light plays nine nursery rhymes.
  • Pack the pink pacifier, the purple blanket and the polka-dot pajamas by Friday.
  • Rock the cradle, not the table.
  • Sixteen stuffed giraffes guard the crib at night.
  • Sleepy storks carry soft socks.
  • The stork left a note: back in nine months, please leave the bassinet by the door.
  • The stroller rolled past the rattles and the ruffles.
  • Tiny toes tickle the teddy.
  • Twinkle the teddy tumbled off the changing table and into the toy basket.
  • Warm the bottle, not the kettle, mama.
  • Whoever wakes the sleeping baby washes every single bottle until the birthday.

Silly sentences 25

  • A dozen ducks danced in dad's dusty denim jacket.
  • A marching band of mice kept the cat awake until it joined in on the drums.
  • A sleepy dragon burned the toast again this morning.
  • Bananas wear sunglasses because they peel in the sun.
  • Cows wear pajamas on Sundays.
  • The dentist's parrot only speaks in knock-knock jokes.
  • Every Thursday the mail carrier's cat delivers one letter to the wrong dog on purpose.
  • Grandma taught the alligator to knit.
  • If a kangaroo borrows your pogo stick, do not expect it back before bedtime.
  • The moon smells like cheese.
  • My goldfish wears tiny glasses.
  • My grandmother's goat ate the garden gnome and now it only walks in circles.
  • My left shoe is jealous of my right sock.
  • My sandwich is plotting something.
  • Never tickle a sleeping walrus.
  • The octopus applied for eight jobs and showed up to all of them at once.
  • Penguins prefer pineapple pizza.
  • The purple elephant sneezed spaghetti on the principal's shoes.
  • The school bus stopped for a parade of ducks.
  • Seven hungry hippos hid my homework in a haystack.
  • Somebody taught the school hamster to whistle, and now it will not stop at night.
  • The spaghetti escaped from the pot and was last seen heading for the back door.
  • Turtles love loud trumpet music.
  • When the cow jumped over the moon, the astronauts asked it for directions.
  • Yesterday a squirrel borrowed my bike and never said thanks.