How to Play Yes and No

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Yes and No is a spoken guessing game in which one player holds a secret subject in mind and must answer every question put to them without uttering the words 'yes' or 'no'. The challenge cuts both ways: questioners probe for slip-ups and clues at the same time, while the answerer must stay alert under rapid-fire questioning.

Its appeal is its near-zero setup time and the genuine tension it creates in any room. No equipment is needed whatsoever, which makes it a reliable choice at family gatherings, long car journeys, and after-dinner evenings alike. The game plays best with lively questioners and an answerer who thinks before they speak.

A little history

The origins of Yes and No are unclear, though games built around forbidden words or answers have appeared in documented British parlour-game collections since at least the nineteenth century. The format gained wide popular recognition through Charles Dickens, who described a version of the game being played at a Christmas party in 'A Christmas Carol' (1843), where the subject turns out to be Scrooge himself. Beyond that literary reference, the precise lineage of the rules as played today is not firmly recorded.

Setting up

1. Gather at least three players in a space where everyone can hear one another easily.
2. Agree before play begins whether the secret subject must be a real person, a fictional character, an object, a place, or any of the above, so all players share the same expectations.
3. Decide how long each round lasts, either by a fixed number of questions (commonly 20) or a set time limit (commonly two minutes).
4. Choose the first answerer by any convenient method. That player thinks of their subject and keeps it strictly to themselves.

How to play

1. The answerer announces only the broad category of their subject if the group has agreed to use categories, for example 'it is a real person' or 'it is an object'. No further information is given at the start.
2. Questioners take turns, or call out questions freely depending on the agreed format, asking anything they like about the subject.
3. The answerer must respond to every question with a genuine, intelligible answer, but the words 'yes' and 'no' are completely forbidden in any response.
4. Permitted answers include words and phrases such as 'certainly', 'absolutely', 'never', 'not at all', 'sometimes', 'that is correct', 'incorrect', 'possibly', 'never in a million years', and so on.
5. If the answerer says 'yes' or 'no', even as part of a longer phrase such as 'no, that is wrong', they are immediately caught. The round ends and that questioner wins the round.
6. If a questioner correctly names the secret subject at any point during the round, they win the round regardless of whether the answerer has slipped up.
7. If the round ends, either by a set number of questions or the time limit, without the subject being guessed and without the answerer slipping up, the answerer wins the round.
8. The player who wins the round becomes the next answerer, or the role passes to the left if the answerer won, depending on what the group has agreed.
9. Play continues for as many rounds as the group wishes. A simple point can be awarded each round: one point to the catching questioner or the correct guesser, or one point to the answerer for surviving.

Winning and scoring

There is no single universally fixed scoring system, so agree on one before play begins. The most common approach awards one point to any questioner who either catches the answerer saying 'yes' or 'no', or who correctly names the secret subject. The answerer scores one point for surviving the full round untouched. Play a set number of rounds and the player with the most points wins. Where there is a tie, a sudden-death final round between tied players settles it. In informal family play, players often skip scoring entirely and simply enjoy the rounds for their own sake.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns words that contain 'yes' or 'no' but are not themselves the forbidden words. Standard ruling: only the standalone words 'yes' and 'no' are forbidden. 'Yesterday', 'honest', 'know', 'noted', and similar words are perfectly legal. Similarly, nodding or shaking the head is not a spoken word and cannot be penalised under the standard rules, though some groups add a no-gesture house rule, which should be agreed before play begins.

A second frequent dispute arises when the answerer gives an evasive or uninformative non-answer, such as responding to a direct question with 'what an interesting thing to ask'. The standard ruling is that the answerer must make a genuine attempt to answer each question and cannot simply dodge indefinitely. If the group agrees a response is deliberately uninformative, the questioner may demand a proper answer. The answerer is then obliged to try again, and if they still evade, the questioner wins that round. Finally, if the answerer mishears a question and says 'no, wait, say that again', the 'no' counts. There is no grace period once the words leave their mouth.

How to win more often

• As the answerer, build a mental stock of substitute phrases before your turn starts. Knowing instantly that you will say 'absolutely not' rather than 'no' removes the hesitation that trips most players.
• As a questioner, ask short, closed questions that naturally invite a 'yes' or 'no' reflex, then speed up your questioning once the answerer starts to relax. Pace is your main weapon.
• Questioners should mix identification questions with slip-up attempts rather than pursuing only one goal. An answerer who senses you are only trying to catch them will slow down and become careful.
• As the answerer, stay consistent in the detail you give. Questioners who spot you being vague on one point will concentrate fire there and increase the chance of a slip.
• Listen for the answerer's natural speech habits. Some people say 'no' as a filler at the start of sentences when they actually mean to agree. Build your questions to invite that reflex.

Variations

Twenty Questions

In this closely related version the questioners are limited to exactly twenty questions and the answerer is only required to answer truthfully with 'yes' or 'no', the opposite constraint to standard Yes and No. The group tries to identify the subject within the allowance. If they succeed within twenty questions they win collectively; if not, the answerer wins. This variant is widely documented and often treated as a separate game, but it shares a common ancestry with Yes and No and plays well as an alternative in the same session.

Timed Pressure Round

A timekeeper sets a countdown of sixty or ninety seconds. Questioners fire questions as fast as they like, with no turn order, and the answerer must respond to each one immediately. Any pause longer than three seconds before answering counts as a forfeit in the same way as saying a forbidden word. This variation greatly increases the pace and suits older children and adults who find the standard format too relaxed.

Expanded Forbidden Words

Agree before play on a longer list of forbidden words, commonly adding 'never', 'always', 'maybe', and 'perhaps' alongside 'yes' and 'no'. This significantly narrows the answerer's vocabulary and raises the difficulty substantially. Recommended only once players are comfortable with the standard rules, as the expanded list can frustrate younger or less experienced players.

Team Yes and No

Players split into two roughly equal teams. One team nominates an answerer who holds a subject agreed secretly among all their teammates. The opposing team questions for a fixed period. Points are awarded to the questioning team for catching a slip or guessing the subject, and to the answering team for surviving the round. Teams alternate roles each round. This works particularly well with larger groups of six or more where free-for-all questioning becomes chaotic.

Yes and No: frequently asked questions