How to play Guess the Drawing
Guess the Drawing turns the classic drawing guessing game around: instead of drawing, you are the guesser. A doodle appears on the screen line by line, exactly in the order its artist drew it. Type your guess at any time; the sooner you get it, the more points you score. The blanks under the drawing tell you how many letters the word has, and a couple of letters are revealed if you get stuck.
- Press Start guessing.
- Watch the drawing appear and type what you think it is.
- Press Enter to guess; wrong guesses cost nothing, so guess as often as you like.
- Use the letter hints, or press Pass to skip a drawing you can't figure out.
- After 10 rounds, see every drawing and your total score.
Scoring
Each round lasts 25 seconds. A correct guess is worth between 20 and 100 points depending on how much time is left, so guessing the moment you recognise something pays off. Your best score is saved in your browser.
Tips for guessing drawings faster
- Think about what people draw first. Most people start with the outline, so the shape usually gives it away early.
- Count the blanks. A two-word answer like "hot air balloon" narrows things down a lot.
- Guess broad, then specific. Try "bird", then "duck", "owl" or "parrot"; there's no penalty for wrong answers.
- Remember the drawings are quick. Each doodle was made in under 20 seconds, so expect simple, iconic versions.
A guessing game made from real doodles
The drawings come from the Quick, Draw! dataset: millions of doodles made by players around the world and published openly for research and creative projects. Because they were drawn against a timer, they capture how people naturally sketch everyday things, which makes them perfect for a fast, funny game of pictionary against the clock. Want to be on the other side? Try Quick Draw, where an AI guessesyour drawings, or challenge yourself with Speed Draw.
Guess the Drawing FAQ
How do you play Guess the Drawing?
A doodle appears on screen one line at a time. Type what you think it is and press Enter. Guess correctly early to earn more points, up to 100 per round. There are 10 rounds in a game.
Where do the drawings come from?
Every doodle was drawn by a real person playing the original Quick, Draw! experiment and is part of the open Quick, Draw! dataset, released by Google under a Creative Commons licence. That is why some are brilliant and some are wonderfully bad.
Do I need to spell the answer exactly?
Common alternatives are accepted, like "bike" for bicycle, "tv" for television or "glasses" for eyeglasses, and plurals count too. If you are one letter off the game tells you that you are close.
Can I play Guess the Drawing with friends?
This version is single player. A multiplayer draw-and-guess mode where you draw for your friends is coming soon to Drawing Game.
Is Guess the Drawing free?
Yes, it is free to play in your browser with no sign-up or download, on phone, tablet or computer.