140 Hard Pictionary Words for a Drawing Challenge

Why it’s hard to draw: Gravity is a force you cannot see. The picture has to show its effect.

1. Start with: Draw a tree with an apple falling from a branch.
2. Then add: Add an arrow toward the ground and a second falling object.

Watch out for: If you draw only an apple, your team might guess the fruit instead of gravity.

Why it’s hard to draw: The feeling of experiencing the same moment twice has no obvious shape.

1. Start with: Draw two nearly identical little scenes side by side.
2. Then add: Repeat the same person and action, then add a surprised expression.

Watch out for: Without the repeated action, players might just guess twins or copying.

Why it’s hard to draw: Players need to guess moving through time, not just a clock.

1. Start with: Draw a person next to a large clock or time machine.
2. Then add: Show a dinosaur on one side and a futuristic rocket on the other, joined by arrows.

Watch out for: A clock alone usually suggests time, not time travel.

Why it’s hard to draw: The answer describes a chain reaction, not one object.

1. Start with: Draw a row of upright dominoes with the first one tipping.
2. Then add: Show each domino knocking the next down, with small motion lines.

Watch out for: One fallen domino can be guessed as a board game.

Why it’s hard to draw: It links a tiny action to a much larger later consequence.

1. Start with: Draw a small butterfly flapping its wings.
2. Then add: Use arrows leading to a distant storm or tornado.

Watch out for: A butterfly beside a storm may look like two unrelated pictures; show the connection.

Why it’s hard to draw: It is an idiom. Your team has to guess the exact phrase, not just an animal.

1. Start with: Draw an elephant taking up most of a small room.
2. Then add: Put several people around it, looking away or pretending it is not there.

Watch out for: Without a room, people may only guess elephant.

Why it’s hard to draw: The phrase combines an ordinary animal with something impossible.

1. Start with: Draw a pig with big wings in the air.
2. Then add: Add clouds and a person staring in surprise.

Watch out for: Make the pig recognizable; otherwise it may look like a flying dog.

Why it’s hard to draw: The word fork has two meanings, which makes the clue playful.

1. Start with: Draw a road dividing into two clear paths.
2. Then add: Add a large dinner fork nearby if your group enjoys a visual pun.

Watch out for: Without another clue, your team might guess crossroads.

Why it’s hard to draw: Players may guess skating or frozen lake unless the danger is visible.

1. Start with: Draw a person tiptoeing across a frozen pond.
2. Then add: Add thin cracks under their feet and worried eyes.

Watch out for: Skates or a hockey stick would point to a different answer.

Why it’s hard to draw: You need to show thinking and the idea of going beyond a boundary.

1. Start with: Draw a person inside a square with a thought bubble.
2. Then add: Make the thought bubble stretch clearly outside the square.

Watch out for: A box on its own might only suggest packing or a gift.

Why it’s hard to draw: The two objects must be clearly nested, not just drawn next to each other.

1. Start with: Outline a big glass bottle lying on its side.
2. Then add: Draw a tiny sailboat inside, visible through the glass.

Watch out for: A boat beside a bottle could sound like two separate clues.

Why it’s hard to draw: This is a complex, named chain-reaction contraption.

1. Start with: Draw a ball rolling down a ramp toward a line of dominoes.
2. Then add: Connect the dominoes to a lever that rings a bell.

Watch out for: Even a clear sketch may be too obscure if your group does not know the name. Offer a skip.

Why it’s hard to draw: The sketch should deliberately allow two different ways to see the same image.

1. Start with: Draw a vase silhouette in the middle of the page.
2. Then add: Shape its outer edges so they also look like two faces in profile.

Watch out for: A random spiral may be guessed as a pattern rather than an illusion.

Why it’s hard to draw: The buildings and the underwater setting must both be recognizable.

1. Start with: Draw several skyscrapers, windows, and a road.
2. Then add: Surround them with fish, bubbles, seaweed, and waves above.

Watch out for: A city beside an ocean is not the same as a city beneath it.

Why it’s hard to draw: It combines a familiar place with an impossible location.

1. Start with: Draw bookshelves, books, and a reading desk.
2. Then add: Put the scene inside a moon crater with an astronaut and stars outside.

Watch out for: A bookshelf alone will only suggest library.

Why it’s hard to draw: Players must recognize dancing and floating at the same time.

1. Start with: Draw a person in a dance pose with musical notes.
2. Then add: Float their feet above the floor and add small objects suspended in the air.

Watch out for: Without floating objects, it may simply look like someone jumping.

Why it’s hard to draw: A strange combination takes more than one recognizable drawing.

1. Start with: Draw a large pizza slice with cheese and pepperoni.
2. Then add: Place it on a unicycle with a single wheel and pedals.

Watch out for: Make the single wheel and pedals clear so it does not look like a pizza cutter.

Why it’s hard to draw: The joke relies on the size difference between two objects.

1. Start with: Draw a very small teacup with a handle and saucer.
2. Then add: Add a whale rising out of the cup, with a tail and a water spout.

Watch out for: If the cup is too big, it can look like a whale swimming in a bowl.

Why it’s hard to draw: An ordinary pouring action has an unexpected result.

1. Start with: Draw a teapot tilted over a cup, with a clear spout.
2. Then add: Replace the tea with a curved rainbow flowing from the spout.

Watch out for: Show the rainbow emerging from the teapot, not floating behind it.

Why it’s hard to draw: Your teammates must see that the shadow belongs to the person chasing it.

1. Start with: Draw a person running along the ground.
2. Then add: Add a dark silhouette with the same outline just ahead, and a reaching arm.

Watch out for: Two ordinary people running could look like a race; shade the silhouette dark.