The game in one minute.
One person knows a secret answer. They build clues using a limited set of word tiles while everyone else types guesses. Even a wrong guess can become part of the next clue. The first correct guess ends the question; when time runs out, the answer is revealed anyway. Then the next player describes.
Your friend guesses “gelato.” You quote it: “It’s kind of like gelato.” Suddenly, someone sees it: ice cream.
Get your people together.
Bring 2–6 players, including the host. Everyone plays in a browser on their own phone, tablet, or computer, together in the same room or remotely. The answers and word tiles are in English. No download or account is required.
Create a room.
Choose a nickname, a question pack, and 1–5 rounds. Two rounds is the default. The host chooses the settings and the lineup; everyone takes turns describing, including the host.
Send the invite link.
Friends open your link, enter a nickname, and join the room. A room code is also available as a backup.
Get ready, then start.
The host confirms the lineup. With at least two players in it, everyone in the lineup must be ready before the host can start. Round settings stay fixed until the game ends.
Question, round, game. What’s the difference?
One secret answer, one describer, and up to 90 seconds of guessing.
One describing turn for each player, in order.
The full set of rounds, followed by the results and highlights.
Four players × two rounds = eight questions. Every player describes twice. A two-player, one-round game has two questions; six players with five rounds have thirty.
Make the words work.
1. Everyone prepares in private.
At the start of each round, everyone gets three candidate answers only they can see. Pick a familiar answer and build an opening clue from its word tiles. Tap a tile to place it in the sentence frame; tap a placed word to remove it. Mark the clue ready. It stays secret until your turn.
You have 30 seconds to prepare. The host can add 15 seconds once. If preparation runs out, an answer and opening clue are chosen for any unfinished player so the game can keep moving. After a short countdown, the first prepared clue appears.
2. Describe with the words you’ve got.
When your turn starts, your opening clue is published automatically. Add more clues using the available sentence frames and tiles. Your draft is private until you publish it. Changing a frame clears the draft, but leaves published clues untouched.
3. Everyone else guesses.
Type what you think the answer could be. The room sees each submitted guess. Wrong guesses cost no points, so try another angle. The describer cannot submit guesses for their own question.
4. Turn a wrong guess into a new clue.
Pick a guess from the room, choose “kind of like” or “different from,” and publish the reference. Picking a guess only prepares the reference; it becomes public when you publish. A useful near miss can steer everyone closer than a perfect sentence would.
5. Reveal, react, and keep going.
The first correct answer ends the question. Spelling and recognised answer variants are checked, with limited tolerance for unambiguous typos. A different valid answer is not accepted as a typo. If time runs out, the question ends without a correct guess.
The answer and earned points appear for five seconds. Tap “That was funny” to mark a moment for later. The next already-prepared describer follows automatically. Everyone chooses again at the start of the next round.
What counts as a good game?
With 3–6 players, each person earns points. The highest score at the end wins that game. Equal top scores share the win.
The speed bonus is the fraction of the 90-second timer remaining × 50, rounded to the nearest whole point.
The describer earns this when someone solves their question.
Once per player per question, awarded when the describer publishes the reference.
Keep guessing. Your near miss might help the whole room.
The last round doubles the stakes.
In games with two or more rounds, points added in the final round are doubled — including speed and reference points. Earlier scores stay the same. A one-round game does not double.
A quick example.
Maya describes “ice cream.” Leo solves it with 72 seconds left, earning 100 + 40 = 140 points. Maya gets 100. Zara’s earlier “gelato” guess was published in a reference, so she gets 20. In the final round of a multi-round game, those additions become 280, 200, and 40.
What happens when nobody gets it?
No guess or successful-description points are awarded. Published reference points already earned stay in place. You still see the answer before the next question.
Two minds.
One wavelength.
With two players, you work together. Take turns describing and guessing, with one shared score. Each solved question adds 100 plus the speed bonus, once. There is no extra describer or reference bonus. A timeout adds zero.
Final-round doubling works the same way: it applies in games with at least two rounds. Your result shows your shared points and how many questions you solved together.
Keep the good bits.
After the game, revisit the real clues, guesses, references, and reveals. Mark a favourite moment, make a clip, or turn a finished question into a challenge link your friends can guess at their own pace.
Save a crew to make the next gathering easier. Each invited person chooses whether to join. You can also play again in the same room with names and settings retained, fresh questions, and scores reset. The host confirms the new lineup; people still reviewing or exporting are not pulled into a new game.
If someone disconnects
If the describer disconnects, the room pauses for up to 30 seconds. In a two-player game, it pauses when either partner disconnects. An ordinary guesser disconnecting in an individual-scoring game does not stop the clock. If the missing player does not return during the pause, the current question is void: its answer stays hidden and its points are rolled back. A game with a changed lineup keeps the real scores and highlights but does not award a final champion.
In a two-player game, the shared score waits for the original partner. A different partner starts a new game. Coming back restores the current valid room state, which may have moved on from the question you last saw.
Little tips that help
Describers: start with something recognisable, then change the angle. A near miss is material. A quote can do the steering your tiles cannot.
Guessers: guess early, watch the references, and keep trying. A wrong answer can become the clue that gets everyone there.
A few good questions.
Is Blather the official Jackbox game?
Blather is this site’s browser game, with its own rounds, scoring, two-player mode, and highlights. Blather ’Round is a separate game in The Jackbox Party Pack 7. This page explains the game you can play here.
Can the host describe the whole time?
Everyone takes turns. Hosting means creating the room and choosing its settings; it does not give one person every secret answer.
How long does a game take?
It depends on your players and rounds, and how quickly you solve each question. The lobby shows the planned question count before you start. Choose one round for a shorter game or up to five for a longer gathering.
Can I try it before inviting friends?
Yes. See how it plays with one preset question. It shows how clues and references work, then you can create a room for your friends.