Clue Words

• Clue Words is a verbal word game for two or more players.

• The first player thinks of a word of seven (or more) letters and gives the other players a clue to it, consisting of a three-letter word made of three of target word’s letters. The other players in turn each have one guess at the word. Anyone guessing it after the first clue word gets three points, and chooses the next word for guessing.

• If nobody guesses it correctly, the first player gives another clue: a four-letter word made of some of the target word's letters. If anyone guesses correctly, they get two points. If nobody guesses correctly, the first player gives a five-letter word. The player who now guesses the target word correctly gets one point and chooses the next mystery word. If nobody guesses the word, the first player wins one point and the second player chooses the next mystery word.

• To make the game easier or harder, a word of more or fewer letters can be chosen.

• Example (4-player game, 7-letter target word)

ANNA: The three-letter clue is roe.

TONY: Is it deplore?

KATE: Torture?

CHAS: Toaster?

ANNA: No, none of those. The four-letter clue is mole.

TONY: Volumes?

ANNA: It can't be. It's got to have an R in it.

KATE: How about remould?

CHAS: Polymer?

ANNA: No, you are all wrong. The five-letter clue is lover.

TONY: So the word must contain L, 0, V, E, R, and M. But I can't guess what it is. I know! It's removal! (And he is right.)

Source: The Oxford A to Z of Word Games