How to play The Incredibly Difficult Rhyming Game

A word game for 2 to 6 players. Each line you write ends in a rhyme, but you never say the rhyme. You say a clue that means the same thing instead, and the next player has to work out what you were hiding.

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The idea

Say a phrase that ends in a rhyme, but don't say the rhyme. Say a word or two that means the same thing instead. The next player works out the real rhyme, uses it in their own phrase, and hides a new rhyme the same way.

An example round

Ada: I like to walk in spring. It's when I do my stuff.

Ada's secret word is "thing", which rhymes with "spring". She says "stuff" instead.

Bo: I found a thing, and put it on my shirt sleeve end.

Bo guessed "thing" and used it. His secret word is "cuff", which rhymes with Ada's clue "stuff". He says "shirt sleeve end" instead.

Ada now has to guess "cuff", use it in her line, and hide a word that rhymes with "end": friend, bend, pretend…

On your turn

Guess the hidden word in the last line. It means the same as the highlighted clue, and it rhymes with the last word of the clue before it.
Write your own line that uses that word.
Hide a new secret word that rhymes with the last word of their clue.
End your line with a clue for your secret word, never the word itself.

The opening line is a little different: its secret word rhymes with a word in its own line, like "spring" and "thing".

Scoring

You get 3 guesses. Solve it on guess 1, 2 or 3 for 3, 2 or 1 points.
Guesses that don't rhyme are turned away and don't use up a try.
When someone guesses your hidden word, you score 1 point too, so make clues hard but fair.
Miss all three guesses and you take a strike. The game ends as soon as anyone has three strikes: they lose, and the top scorer among the others wins.
The first player to 15 points wins. Both limits can be changed when you set up a game.

Rules the game checks for you

Each secret word can only be used once per game.
Your clue can't contain or rhyme with your secret word.
Your clue has to end on a real word that something rhymes with, so nobody gets stuck.
Rhymes are perfect rhymes: the sounds from the last stressed vowel onwards must match. The game checks them with the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary.

Ways to play

Pass & play: 2 to 6 players share one phone or tablet. It works offline, and a "pass the device" screen keeps each player's secret word hidden from the others.
Online: Two players on their own devices, taking turns whenever they like. Start a game and send your friend the 6-character code or invite link. When it's over, either of you can tap Rematch.

Sign in with Google, Apple, or email, or just play as a guest. You can keep a guest's progress later by connecting Google or Apple.

Questions

How many people can play?: 2 to 6 in pass & play on one device; online games are for 2 players.
Do I need to install anything?: No. It runs in your web browser on a phone, tablet or computer.
What counts as a rhyme?: Perfect rhymes only: "spring" and "thing" rhyme, "spring" and "sprint" don't. The game tells you straight away if a guess or a clue doesn't rhyme.
Why is it "incredibly difficult"?: Because you're juggling three things at once: decoding someone's clue, fitting their word into your line, and hiding a rhyme of your own that's hard but fair to guess.

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