How to play Drawdle

Start a game

1. Open drawdle.in, type your name and pick an avatar.
2. Create a room. You are the host.
3. Share the invite link, or read out the room code for people to type in.
4. Choose your settings while people arrive, then press Start.

Players can join a game that has already started; they are added to the turn order.

A turn

The drawer gets a few words to choose from and picks one in secret. Then the clock starts: the drawer draws, and everyone else sees the drawing appear live, with a blank for each letter of the word.

As the time runs down, letters are revealed one by one. The turn ends when the time is up or everyone has guessed it, and the word is shown to all. Everyone draws once per round.

Guessing

Type your guess in the chat and press Enter. Guess as often as you like. Capitals, accents and punctuation don't matter.

A guess that is nearly right gets a private “is close!” so you know to keep going. Once you have it, your guesses stay hidden from the players still guessing, so you can't give it away.

Scoring

• A right guess scores more the sooner it comes, with a bonus for the first few players to get it.
• The drawer earns points for each player who guesses right.
• After the last round, the highest score wins and lands on the podium.

What the host can change

• Rounds: 1 to 10.
• Draw time: 15 seconds to 4 minutes.
• Players: 2 to 16.
• Word choices: 1 to 5 words for the drawer to pick from.
• Hints: how many letters get revealed, from none to five.
• Word packs and difficulty: thirteen packs, in Easy, Mixed or Hard.
• Custom words: up to 500 of your own, mixed in or on their own (at least 10). You can also let drawers write their own word on their turn.

The host can remove a player. Anyone else can vote to kick, and a majority of the room decides.

Draw better

• Start with the big shape. An outline in the first five seconds beats a perfect detail at the end.
• Draw the scene, not just the thing. Stuck on “umpire”? Draw the stumps and a raised finger.
• Split long words. “Pressure cooker”: draw the pot, then the whistle and the steam.
• Use arrows and circles to point at what matters.
• No letters or numbers. Writing the word spoils the fun, and everyone will tell you so.

Guess better

• Count the blanks. Two short gaps means two short words.
• Guess early and often. Wrong guesses cost nothing, and a near miss tells you you're close.
• Think like the pack. With Desi on, that triangle is probably a samosa.