Easy Pictionary words that draw themselves

Why these words draw themselves

An easy word is one where a rough drawing gets a right answer in seconds. The words on this page have three things in common.

• One thing, one shape. A sun is a circle with lines, a fish is an oval with a tail, a house is a square with a triangle on top.
• A giveaway detail. The giraffe's neck, the elephant's trunk, the zebra's stripes. Draw that first and the guesses come before you've finished.
• Everyone pictures the same thing. A child in Chennai and a grandparent in Chandigarh draw the same kite.

Stick figures count. Run, jump and sleep are Easy too, because the pose says it all.

Corporate slang is left out, even its easy words: “circle back” draws itself, but only an office laughs at it. You'll find those with the office words.

Play a 30-second speed round

Easy words are made for speed. With 30 seconds a drawing nobody has time to make it pretty, and that's the fun.

1. Set a 30-second clock. Around a table, use the timer in the word generator. Online, press Play these online above, then set Draw time to 30 seconds in your room.
2. Draw the first picture in your head. Skip the shading and the eraser. If the outline isn't landing, add the giveaway detail.
3. Guess out loud, or type, as fast as you can. Wrong guesses cost nothing, and in Drawdle the quickest right answers score the most.
4. Keep the turns moving. When the clock runs out, the word is shown and the next person draws.

Family games for every age

Easy words even out the game, so a seven-year-old can beat their grandfather. A few house rules help.

• Pair the youngest with a grown-up. The child draws while the adult whispers ideas, or the adult draws and the child shouts the guesses.
• Handicap the family artist. They draw with their other hand.
• Give first-timers more time. Start at 60 seconds a drawing and speed up once everyone has had a go.
• Far apart? Everyone opens the same Drawdle link on their own phone, tablet or laptop and keeps talking on the video call. Little ones can share a tablet with a parent.

Playing with young children? Use the words for kids, sorted by age and checked for children. This list wasn't: it has a few words, like knife and prison, that the kids list leaves out.