Funny words for Alias — a party set

Words that are funny before anyone explains them. Built for loud parties.

Words that get the room laughing before a single clue is given. Funny not for what they mean but for how they sound and for the images you are forced to build to get them across.

Why a set just for laughs

Alias is not won by whoever knows the most words — it is won by whoever is fun to play with. Nobody explains "snoring" or "hiccup" with a straight face, and that is exactly what makes the evening memorable. Save this set for last, when the score has stopped mattering.

Who this set is for

Loud groups of six or more who know each other well enough that nobody minds looking silly. It plays best as the last set of the evening, once the score has stopped mattering. It is a poor choice for a first meeting: half these words need you to act out something you would rather not act out in front of near-strangers.

Snoring

Works: “what the neighbour does through the wall at three in the morning.” One domestic scene and the word lands. Does not work: “a sound made during sleep” — the room will offer breathing, wheezing, whistling, everything. And yes, if you agreed to allow sounds, it is simpler to just snore.

Tickle

Works through the reaction rather than the action: “this makes you laugh even when you do not want to.” Does not work: “touching sensitive places” — too neutral, and it leads anywhere. Name the consequence: almost every word in this set is easier to recognise by the reaction it causes.

Slipper

Works: “you wear it indoors and one of them is always under the bed.” That second half is what makes the word both funny and findable. Does not work: “indoor footwear” — formally correct, but the room will say sock, sandal and bathrobe before it gets there.

Where groups go wrong

The commonest mistake is explaining a funny word seriously. This set runs on recognising a domestic scene, and a dictionary phrasing kills it. The second is not settling the question of sounds and faces beforehand: half these words are either acted out or never guessed. The third is embarrassment. The set works exactly as well as the explainer is willing to look ridiculous; a cautious player loses here even with a large vocabulary.

Allow sounds if you agree on it beforehand — banning noises removes half the fun from this particular set.
Explain through a domestic scene, not a dictionary: "what your neighbour does through the wall at three in the morning".
Do not polish your phrasing. The blunter it is, the faster they guess.

Easy

Familiar words that land on the first clue. For warming up, for kids and for mixed groups.

beard, moustache, belly, nose, ear, heel, elbow, knee, tongue, tooth, baldness, fringe, curls, glasses, slipper, sock, pants, pyjamas, bathrobe, apron, umbrella, broom, mop, bucket, rag, saucepan, pan, kettle, spoon, rollingpin, sausage, hotdog, doughnut, pie, dumpling, pancake, jelly, compote, cider, cream, courgette, pumpkin, beetroot, radish, garlic, onion, cucumber, tomato, plum, melon, hen, duck, goose, turkey, piglet, goat, ram, cat, dog, mouse, frog, snail, worm, mosquito, fly, wasp, spider, hedgehog, mole, gopher, squirrel, bear, hippo, giraffe, penguin, ostrich, parrot, owl, cuckoo, stork, magpie, crow, sparrow, rooster, chick, tail, paw, wing, beak, horn, hoof, nest, burrow, kennel, fence, puddle, mud, snowball, icicle, whisker

Medium

Takes a few sentences and some imagination. The default setting for an ordinary evening.

hiccup, snoring, tickle, itch, sneeze, yawn, grimace, smirk, guffaw, giggle, grumbling, grumbler, slob, loser, sluggard, chatterbox, trickster, sneak, forgetful, sleepyhead, glutton, sweettooth, whiner, crybaby, showoff, moaner, klutz, gawker, tonguetwister, saying, taunt, rhyme, frills, quirk, prank, mischief, riot, racket, fuss, hubbub, chaos, jostling, muddle, nonsense, silliness, comedy, absurdity, oddity, mimicry, shapeshifter, scarecrow, monster, dummy, pestle, ladle, colander, grater, mortar, poker, prong, bowl, jug, mug, keg, barrel, trough, yoke, sponge, string, lace, button, buckle, strap, braces, stockings, mittens, cap, beanie, tophat, wig, hairpiece, sideburns, curliness, baldpatch, freckles, wart, pimple, bruise, bump, scratch, callus, dandelion, tumbleweed, burdock, nettle, thistle, clover, moss, squelch, kerfuffle

Hard

Rare or abstract words. More failed rounds, and more laughing at them.

babbling, clumsiness, oaf, flirt, caper, fibber, gawping, scuffle, loafer, brawl, jackdaw, gadfly, spinningtop, oddball, irritability, swindler, jester, daredevil, suitor, bore, scoffer, mishap, intrigue, rascal, mockery, snubnose, sourpuss, goatherd, rummaging, poser, croaking, ragamuffin, gourmand, prattler, badmouthing, lout, tickler, thrashing, lump, chicanery, mumbling, ranting, tiresomeness, pestering, knowitall, bungler, carelessness, dimwit, gluttony, wickedness, stupor, nagging, mimicking, undertone, arrogance, sycophant, splashing, dopiness, scolding, windbag, chuckler, ruffian, scatterbrain, pandemonium, whimpering, miser, hilarity, shrike, loitering, gibberish, blockhead, oafishness, rattler, puffing, dodging, snorting, braggart, swagger, giggler, sloshing, sniveling, boastfulness, snuffling, rustling, uproar, wandering, whisper, murmur, hobbling, shove, swish, chirping, pinch, buffoonery, telltale, revelry, wailing, cackling, guffawing, tomfoolery