How to play Guess Who

Setup

Both players have the same board of faces, all standing up. Each player secretly picks one person from the board. Don’t show it.

A turn

1. Ask one question the other player can answer with yes or no: “Does your person have a beard?”
2. They answer truthfully about their secret person.
3. Flip down everyone the answer rules out. If the answer was no, flip down everyone with a beard.
4. Your turn ends. The other player asks you a question.

One question per turn. You can’t ask “Is it Sam or Nia?” — that’s two guesses in one.

Guessing

Instead of asking a question, you can name the person you think it is. Right, you win the round. Wrong, you lose it — so only guess when you’re sure or when you’re about to lose anyway.

Playing on this site

Online

Create a room and send the link. Type your question; your friend taps Yes, No or Not sure. You flip your own cards, then end your turn. Each player only sees their own board.

Same device

Ask questions out loud. Before each turn the screen is covered so you can pass the phone without showing your board or your secret person.

Against the computer

Pick questions from the list; the computer answers from its secret person. After each answer, tap Flip them for me or flip by hand. Then the computer asks you one — it answers for you from the person you picked, so it can’t cheat and neither can you.

House rules

• Best of five: play until someone wins three rounds. The loser of each round asks first next time.
• Two guesses: for younger kids, a wrong guess costs a turn instead of the round.
• No trait questions: on a photo board of friends, ban hair and glasses and ask only about personality — “Would they rather go to the beach?”

Stuck for questions? See the best Guess Who questions.