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Say What Now?!®

How to play the word-party game where pronunciation beats spelling

3-6 players
30-45 mins
Ages 12+
How to play House rules
Say What Now?! Box Art

How to play

Scroll through the guide below.

There's no paper rulebook in the box. This page is the rulebook, and we've left room for you to bend the rules and make the game your own. Got a house rule you love? Share it with us.

Read the rules as text
  1. Each player starts with 5 consonant cards (purple) in their hand.
  2. Flip 3 vowel cards (green) face up for everyone to use.
  3. Flip 1 round card face up. It sets the goal for your word (Category, Question or Construction).
  4. Use your consonant cards (purple) and the vowels on the table to think of a word that matches the round card's goal. It's how the word sounds, not how it's spelled.
  5. Place your chosen consonant cards face down. Leave the vowels where they are.
  6. When everyone has put down their cards, announce your predicted score. Add up the points in the corner of each card you're using, vowels included (Yellow 1, Blue 2, Red 3, Green 4). This locks in your choice.
  7. Reveal from lowest to highest predicted score. Say your word out loud. Creative pronunciation is encouraged.
  8. If you doubt someone's word, shout "Say What Now?!" They must defend it. No phones, no looking things up. If the group deems it valid, the points stand. If not, they're out of this round. If something has been allowed, that house ruling stands for the rest of the game.
  9. The highest valid score that matches the round card wins the round and takes the round card. If players tie, the player who used the most cards wins the round. If that's the same too, the group decides the winner. A dance-off? A rap battle? You decide!
  10. Discard the consonant cards that were used and the three vowel cards. Each player draws back up to five consonant cards, then a new round starts.

Winning: the game ends when one player reaches 4 round cards (3-4 players) or 3 round cards (5-6 players).

Pro tip: if the group allows a pronunciation, it's valid. Sound beats spelling, so get creative!

How to play, steps 1 and 2. Each round starts with three flipped vowel cards and one round card, which is your goal for the round. Each player starts with five consonant cards in their hand. Use your consonant cards and the vowels on the table to think of a word that matches the round goal. It is how the word sounds over spelling, so get creative.
How to play, step 3. Place your chosen consonant cards face down and leave the vowels where they are. When everyone is ready, announce your predicted score to lock in your word. Important: you add the points from the consonants and the vowels you are using. They are found in the corner of the cards.
How to play, steps 4 and 5, with an example. Players reveal from lowest to highest predicted score and say their word out loud. If you doubt someone's word, shout Say What Now and they must defend it. If other players deem it valid the points stand, if not you are out of this round. No phones, no looking things up. If something has been allowed, that house ruling stands for the rest of the game. In the example, the round card is Pet Name, Player 1 reveals D, AIR and TCH, and the group agrees D-AIR-TCH is not a word, so Player 1 scores 0. Player 2 scores 4. Player 3 says KAYF as Keith in an Australian accent, the group allows it, and Player 3 scores 7 and wins the round card.
How to play, step 6 and how to win. The highest value score that matches the objective wins the round and claims the round card. Discard all used consonant cards and the three vowel cards. Each player draws back up to five consonant cards and starts a new round. Tie-breaker: if players are tied for the round victory, the player who has used the most cards wins, or the group decides with a dance battle. The game ends when one player reaches the winning number of round cards: 4 round cards with 3 to 4 players, or 3 round cards with 5 to 6 players.

Want a one-page cheat sheet? Open the quick reference (PDF)

Chaos cards

Optional cards to add extra mayhem. Not into chaos? The game works perfectly without them.

Chaos cards, optional gameplay. Not everyone loves chaos, but we do. Rules: 2 hidden Chaos cards per player, one-time use, only 1 per round for each player, and it activates immediately. Have fun whilst ruining lives! Three example cards are shown: Who invited this guy? (if you have the lowest amount of round cards and someone is about to win the entire game, play this and you take that round card), Oops, did I do that? (play this to stop someone winning the round) and Hold that thought (freeze a player, who can't play this round).
Read the Chaos rules as text
  1. Deal 2 Chaos cards to each player at the start. Keep them hidden from opponents.
  2. Each player can only play one per round.
  3. Chaos cards take effect immediately unless stated otherwise. If several are played, resolve them in the order they were played.
  4. Once played or discarded, a Chaos card is removed from the game and never replaced.

Chaos cards let you mess with other players, steal points, change rules mid-round and generally cause delightful mayhem. Perfect for groups who love a bit of strategic backstabbing!

House rules

We're Casa Tea Games because we home-brew our games. Every group ends up with its own way of playing, so tell us yours and other players can give it a go.

Rules from players

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What's in the box?

Vowel Card

Vowel Cards 38

Green cards with vowels - these are shared by all players each round

Consonant Card

Consonant Cards 64

Purple cards with consonants - your hand of 5 cards to build words

Round Card

Round Cards 42

Rainbow cards with categories, questions, and challenges

Chaos Card

Chaos Cards 24

Optional cards to add extra mayhem (for those who love chaos!)

Optional Gameplay

Questions About Say What Now?!

Absolutely not! That's the whole point. This game is about pronunciation, not spelling. If you can say it confidently, you're golden.

No. Chaos cards are optional, and the game works perfectly without them. Add them if your group loves a bit of strategic backstabbing.

Please do! Home-brewing is what we're all about. Send yours in through the house rules section and we might share it with other players.

It depends on your kids! The game requires creative thinking about phonetics and pronunciation. Players need to be comfortable 'breaking spelling rules' (like using KS to make an X sound) and defending their choices with confidence. Younger players who are still learning standard spelling might find this confusing rather than fun. That said, if you have a particularly clever 8 year old who loves wordplay, they might enjoy it!

Usually 30-45 minutes, but it depends on how much you argue over pronunciations (which is half the fun).

Not really! Most word games test vocabulary or spelling. Say What Now?! is all about confidence, bluffing, and pronunciation. Think party game meets word game.