What Cipher Words is and why groups love it
Looking for a free alternative to Codenames online? Cipher Words is the same kind of team word-association game, built for a browser and a room full of phones. Two teams, red and blue, face a 5×5 grid of 25 words, and only the captains see the secret key showing whose word is whose. Everything hinges on one clue that points at several of your words and away from the trap.
A game takes 20–25 minutes, and the fun is the argument: is “penguin” about winter, or did the captain mean a tuxedo? Great for game night, Friendsgiving or a remote team on a call.
Cipher Words rules in short
- Split into two teams and pick a captain in each. The game randomly picks who starts.
- The captains’ key shows 9 words for the starting team, 8 for the other, 7 neutral words and 1 trap.
- The captain gives a clue: one word plus a number from 0 to 9 or ∞. “Space · 3” means three of our words link to space. Grid words and words containing them are rejected: with “fire” on the grid, “firefly” fails.
- The team talks it over and opens words. The captain stays silent.
- You may open one word more than the number; with 0 or ∞, no limit until you miss. You can stop early after opening at least one word.
- Your own word: keep going. A neutral word: the turn passes. A rival word counts for them, and the turn passes too.
- The first team to open all its words wins, even if the rivals opened the last one for them. Open the trap and you lose on the spot.
How to play Cipher Words online with friends
- Pick Cipher Words and create a room. You are the host.
- Text the link to the group chat or read out the 4-character room code (letters and digits).
- Friends open it on a phone or laptop and type a nickname. No account, no app.
- In the lobby, tap “Join” under a team; “👑 I’ll be captain” claims the key. The host can shuffle teams.
People only, no bots: the discussion is the game. You need 4 to 16 players, at least two per team. The grid uses the host’s site language; the English deck has nearly 500 family-friendly nouns.
Accidental taps can’t sink you: a tap is a vote, voters’ names show on the card, and a word opens once two teammates pick it. A lone guesser taps twice. If a captain drops off for more than a few seconds, the key moves to the next teammate.
For a living-room crowd, use the 📺 Big Screen: the host opens it on a laptop hooked to the TV, or you open playparty.live/tv on the TV and enter the code. It shows the grid, clue, votes and score in large type, never the key. More ideas in TV party games with phones.
Settings, and how our version differs from the box
The one lobby setting is the turn timer: off, 60, 90 or 120 seconds, counted separately for the clue and the guessing. When it runs out, the turn passes. With no timer, the host can tap “⏭ Pass the turn”.
- Always a 5×5 grid with a 9/8/7/1 key. No two-player mode, picture cards or extra traps.
- The game polices clues: one word, no spaces or digits, and nothing that is or contains a grid word. Subtler cousins slip through, so captains play on the honor system.
- Rematch is one tap for the host, and the captain role moves to the next player on each team.
- No rating or leaderboard for Cipher Words. The host can switch the same room to another game, and points add up on the evening scoreboard.
Tips for captains and guessers
- Open with a safe 2, not a risky 4: two sure words beat a miss on the second.
- Check the trap before you send. “Winter · 3” is a disaster if the trap is “snow”.
- The check goes by spelling: with “ice” on the grid, even “rice” and “police” are rejected.
- A clue with 0 means “none of our words relate to this”, a good way to steer your team away from danger. There is no opening limit after it.
Planning a work party? Our virtual holiday party plan is built around Cipher Words. Also try Explain It!, picture-based Associations or Mafia with an AI host.