Play Sketch & Guess Online
Draw a secret word on a shared canvas and race to guess everyone else's. Three to ten players, live in the browser.
Sketch & Guess needs at least three players and has no bots – bring a group, or warm up in a game with a bot.
Can you play a drawing and guessing game online with friends?
Yes, with three to ten people in the browser. Each round one player draws a secret prompt on a shared canvas and everyone else types guesses against the clock. Quick guesses score more, and a guest name is all the account you need.
What is Sketch & Guess?
Sketch & Guess is a party game for three to ten people. Each round one player draws a secret word on a shared canvas while the others type guesses.
Correct guesses score, the first one in scores most, and the drawer scores for every player who gets it. After the last reveal, the highest total wins.
How to play
- 1Create or join a lobbyOpen a room and share the code. Three players is the minimum.
- 2Draw your promptPick one of three words within 15 seconds. Then draw it in up to 80 seconds.
- 3Guess before the clock runs outThe others can guess up to 40 times while you draw, in English, Norwegian, Russian or Ukrainian. Faster right answers score more.
- 4Reveal and pass the penThe word is revealed; points landed with each guess. The next player draws, or once everyone has drawn the game ends.
Sketch & Guess rules
- 1Drawers go in joining order, one round each: the first player to join draws round one, the second round two, and so on until everyone has drawn.
- 2An undecided drawer gets one of the three words at random after 15 seconds. A word that has been drawn is never offered again that game.
- 3Capitals, apostrophes and most accents (é, å, ё) are ignored; ø, æ and й are letters of their own. Plurals and synonyms often count too.
- 4Guessers see blanks in their own language; words of three letters or more get a letter uncovered at half time.
- 5Until the reveal, the drawer and anyone who has guessed the word cannot post in chat.
Sketch & Guess scoring
Guessing
- Right guess50
Any correct answer in time.
- Speed bonusup to +50
Shrinks as the clock runs.
- First in+20
Only the round's first correct guesser.
Drawing
No total drops below zero.
- Per correct guesser+40
Late answers pay as much as early ones.
- Own ruling0
A drawing host's own accept pays them nothing.
- Blank canvas−20
Nothing drawn by the round's end.
Modes and settings
- One round per player
Everyone draws once, so four players play four rounds; there is no round setting.
- Fixed phase clocks
15 seconds to choose, 80 to draw, 8 to reveal. The lobby timer does not apply.
- Three to ten seats
Rooms made on the create form start with six seats; Quick Play rooms open with all ten.
Sketch & Guess strategy
- 1.Pick the drawable word
Take the one with the clearest outline.
- 2.Shape first
An early outline gives guessers a shot at the speed bonus.
- 3.Let colour talk
A blue wave or red flame narrows it fast.
- 4.Draw the scene
A fin in waves beats a lone fish.
- 5.Guess early
A miss costs nothing, and waiting trims the bonus.
- 6.Read the misses
Misses stay in the feed (near misses show only as “close”); rule them out.
- 7.Count the blanks
They show the length and where the words break.
- 8.Trust “So close!”
You are one letter off an accepted answer: usually a typo, sometimes a neighbouring word.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the canvas empty
It costs the drawer 20 points.
- Clearing for one bad line
Undo takes back just the last stroke.
- Waiting to be sure
By then the first-in bonus has often gone.
Playing together online
- Friends anywhere
Share the code or link; one canvas fills in live.
- People, not bots
A bot cannot read a sketch; bring three people.
- One bar per phase
Every player sees one countdown; at zero, play moves on.
- Guest in a browser
Any browser, no install; a guest name is enough.
Why play Sketch & Guess on Boardly?
- A shared canvas that updates live.
- Three to ten players in one room.
- A new drawer every round, and the rest guess.
- Free to play as a guest.
Who it suits
Groups of three to ten: families, classes, video calls and mixed-language tables.
Where Sketch & Guess comes from
Sketch guessing is an old parlour game that Pictionary boxed in 1985. Boardly adds a four-language word bank.
Questions about Sketch & Guess on Boardly
- Is Sketch & Guess on Boardly free?
- Yes. Every round, word and room size is free; Premium only adds extras such as spectators.
- Can I play alone or against a bot?
- No. It needs three people, because a bot cannot read a drawing. Send friends the invite link.
- Which languages can I guess in?
- English, Norwegian, Russian and Ukrainian. A guess in any of them counts, whatever your screen shows.
- Does everyone get to draw?
- Yes, exactly once. A game has one round per player, three to ten, and drawers go in the order they joined the room.
- What happens when time runs out?
- An undecided drawer gets a random word, and when the drawing clock ends the word is revealed.
- Can the host overrule a wrong guess?
- Yes. Until the round moves on, the host can accept another player's miss as a right answer.
- What if a player leaves mid-game?
- Play goes on while three remain; an absent drawer's turn just runs out. Below three, the game ends.