Playing Catch Phrase: Gameplay Tips & Strategies

Liven up your next game night with this classic guessing game

Co-authored by Jennifer Mueller, JD

Last Updated: January 15, 2023 References

Setup

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Gameplay

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Strategy

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Tips

If you're ready to break out Catch Phrase at your next game night but you've forgotten how to play, you've come to the right place. This fast-paced party game requires you to give clues that will get your team to guess the word or phrase displayed on the electronic game unit. With a correct guess, you can pass the game unit to the other team, but be careful—if the buzzer goes off while it's in your hand, the other team scores! Read on for more details on setup and gameplay, as well as strategies you can use to make sure your team comes out on top.

Things You Should Know

Sit in a circle of alternating team members so you can quickly and easily pass the game unit.
Give your team members verbal clues or physical gestures until they guess the word displayed on the game unit.
Pass the game unit quickly after a correct guess so the round can continue.
When the buzzer goes off, award one point to the team not holding the game unit. Continue until one team has 7 points.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Setup

1
Organize your players into 2 teams. It's usually going to work best if you have an even number of people playing, so you can have 2 teams with the same number of players. Otherwise, the larger team will naturally be holding the game unit more often and have more chances to lose the round.^{[1]
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- While it's not required, it's a lot easier to pass the game unit quickly if you all sit in a circle alternating team members. No need to reach across the table or get the game unit to someone on the other side of the room this way.^{[2]
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- You'll see "Team 1" and "Team 2" buttons on the game unit.^{[3]
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  Research source} You definitely want to decide who's "Team 1" and who's "Team 2" before you start to avoid confusion later.
2
Check the batteries and wake the game. The electronic game unit requires 3 AAA batteries. If you've played before, it probably already has batteries in it, but you want to make sure they're still good. Then, press the "Start/Stop" button once to wake up the unit.^{[4]
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- If you have an older version of the game, use the "Advance" button to wake it up.^{[5]
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- If you've played a game with this game unit before, press the "Team 1" and "Team 2" buttons at the same time and hold them down until the old score is erased.^{[6]
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Choose a specific category of catch phrases to guess if you want. You can play with "Everything," which includes all of the words programmed into the game unit, or you can limit words to a specific category, such as "Entertainment" or "Food." Tap the "Category" button to scroll through your options. You can't change categories once you start the game, so choose wisely!^{[7]
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- If you have the first version of the game, use the "Advance" button to choose the category. Once you start the timer, this button advances to the next catch phrase rather than showing categories.^{[8]
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4
Set house rules for forbidden types of clues. The official rules only list 3 forbidden clues: saying the catch phrase rhymes with the clue, giving the first letter of the word, or saying a part of the word (for example, if your catch phrase is "baseball bat," you couldn't use the word "ball" in your clue).^{[9]
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Research source} Your group might want to ban other types of clues as well—totally your call.
- For example, if some members of your group speak a language other than English, you might want to ban all foreign language clues (or at least words that are direct translations of the catch phrase, such as "agua" when the catch phrase is "water").^{[10]
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- House rules might also require the clue-giver to include a specific word in their clue if you want to make the game more challenging.
- If a clue-giver accidentally uses a type of clue that's forbidden, the other team gets a point. This can be huge, so keep that in mind when you're coming up with house rules.

Method 2

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Gameplay

1
Press the "Timer" button to start the first round. When you're ready to start, give the game unit to whoever is going to be the first person giving clues. As soon as they press the "Timer" button, the game starts.^{[11]
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- The second version of the game has a "Start/Stop" button rather than a "Timer" button, which functions the same way.^{[12]
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- If you're playing with some people who've never played before, you might want to start with a practice round to loosen everybody up and get familiar with the flow of the game.^{[13]
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2
Give your teammates clues to help them guess the displayed phrase. You can use words or physical gestures to get your teammates to guess the catch phrase. Get creative! Try to think of clues that would specifically appeal to the way your teammates think.^{[14]
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- Use anything you know about your teammates' backgrounds to your advantage when you're trying to come up with clues. For example, if one of your teammates has a pet snake and the catch phrase includes the word "snake," you might say, "It's your pet!"
3
Pass the game unit to the other team after a correct guess. As soon as one of your teammates guesses the catch phrase, hand the game unit to the person on your left. Now, it's the other team's chance to try to guess the catch phrase.^{[15]
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- Etiquette and good sportsmanship say don't click the "Advance" (old version) or "Next" (new version) button to display the next clue until you've handed the game unit off. That way, the other team can confirm your team guessed correctly.
4
Continue playing until the buzzer goes off to end the round. Keep going around the circle, guessing catch phrases as quickly as you can. There's no countdown on the timer, so you won't know when the buzzer might go off. Just move as quickly as possible to make sure you're not left holding it.^{[16]
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- If you're in the middle of handing off the game unit when the buzzer goes off, the game unit is still in your possession. It doesn't leave your possession until the next player has taken complete control of the game unit and advanced to the next catch phrase.
5
Award 1 point to the team that isn't holding the game unit. This aspect of the game is a bit like "hot potato," in that you don't want to be caught holding the game unit when the buzzer goes off. The team not in possession of the game unit not only gets 1 point automatically but also the chance to guess on the current catch phrase displayed to win an extra bonus point.^{[17]
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- The winning team doesn't get any extra clues beyond what the clue-giver originally gave, so pay attention even when it's not your turn to guess!
- The winning team can confer with each other to decide what they want to guess. They only get one chance for the extra bonus point.
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Enter the points earned in the game unit. Whoever was left holding the game unit enters the points for the winning team. Tap the "Team 1" or "Team 2" button once to enter 1 point (or twice if they earned 2 points).^{[18]
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Play more rounds until one team has 7 points. The losing team also starts the next round when everyone's ready. Since one team has to get 7 points to win the game, you'll play at least 7 rounds—but with more competitive games, you could play more.^{[19]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Strategy

1
Think outside the box to come up with clues. Remember, you're not necessarily trying to get your team to guess the catch phrase for its specific meaning—you're just trying to get them to say those words. Many words have different uses and definitions that you can play off of to get your teammates to say that word.^{[20]
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- For example, if your catch phrase is "Black Friday," you might say, "the opposite of white" to get a team member to say "black." Then you could say, "end of the work week" to get them to say "Friday." Now all they have to do is put the words together!
- Notice that with "Friday," you can't use the word "day," since that's part of the clue. For that reason, listing days of the week is also out.
- You could even break up "Friday" and say "not baked but—" and then if they say "fried," say, "not night but—". Then get them to put those parts together. Just keep it moving.
2
Keep talking until your team guesses the displayed phrase. Give your team a steady stream of clues so they always have something to go on. When someone gets close or seems to be on the right track, you can point to them to let them know they're getting close. Then, try to give a clue that will take them to the answer.^{[21]
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- To return to the "Black Friday" example, you could get your team to put the words together by saying, "after Thanksgiving" or "Christmas shopping."
- If you're guessing, on the other hand, you don't have to keep shouting out random things until you land on the correct guess. Try to listen and really think (quickly!) about the clues you're being given.
- Communication between teammates isn't against the rules, so don't be afraid to talk it out. If a clue isn't working for you, just say "that's not working for me," or "give me something else."^{[22]
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3
Avoid repeating the same clue over and over. If your team doesn't get it the first time you say it, move on to something else. When you keep repeating the same clue, you're not giving them any new information to work with—which means you're likely not getting them any closer to guessing correctly. This game rewards flexible thinking, so you don't want to get stuck in a rut.^{[23]
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- Likewise, if you're guessing, try to move on quickly from an incorrect guess.
4
Pass the game unit as quickly and cleanly as you can. The team that doesn't have possession of the game unit when the buzzer sounds is the one that gets the point. But at the same time, your team still has it until a member of the other team has it in their hands. A smooth handoff ensures that will happen quickly.^{[24]
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- This is also why alternating team members is the easiest way to sit, so you're not having to pass the game unit across a table.
5
Separate spouses, siblings, and close friends. Bonding with someone means you can read each others' facial expressions better than anyone. Since Catch Phrase is a guessing game, separating people in close relationships as much as possible gets rid of this secret advantage. While this isn't technically a strategy to increase your chances of winning (in fact, it might make the game more difficult for you), it definitely levels the playing field.^{[25]
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- In the same spirit, you might want to separate people who are close in age as well if you have a wide range of ages playing. People in the same generation seem to get each other better than people in other generations.