Quick answer
Split into two teams, fill The Board with Letter Tiles, and give each team one Guesser. On your turn, give a two-word clue to get your Guesser to say the word on your Word Card, then place a Letter Tile from the board on the matching letter. The first team to clear the board wins. It plays best with four or more people who enjoy fast, slightly chaotic word games.
What you need before you start
You need the game box, a flat table, and at least four players. The game works with two teams, so split evenly; with an odd number, one team will have an extra player. Each team picks one Guesser, and the rest are clue-givers. Keep a timer or phone handy if you want to add pressure, though the base rules don't require one. The Letter Tiles and The Board are the only components you'll handle every turn, so sort them before you begin.
How a turn works in practice
One team draws a Word Card and shows it only to the clue-givers. They have to get their Guesser to say that word using a two-word clue. The Guesser shouts guesses; when they say the target word, the team takes the matching Letter Tile from The Board and places it on their side. Then the other team takes a turn. The back-and-forth keeps everyone involved, and the two-word limit is what makes it funny—you'll hear clues that make no sense until they suddenly do.
Scoring and winning
Scoring is simple: each correct guess earns your team one Letter Tile from The Board. The first team to collect the required number of tiles—or to clear the board, depending on how you set it up—wins. Because the board shrinks as tiles are taken, later turns get tighter and more competitive. If you want a shorter game, remove a few tiles before you start; for a longer one, play best of three rounds.
Step-by-step: how to play What Were You Thinking?
- Split into two teams and pick Guessers: Divide players into two even teams. Each team chooses one person to be the Guesser for the first round; everyone else gives clues. If you have an odd number, one team gets an extra clue-giver. Checkpoint: make sure each team has at least one clue-giver and one Guesser before you start.
- Shuffle the Letter Tiles and fill The Board: Shuffle all Letter Tiles and place them face up on The Board until it's full. This is the pool both teams will draw from when they guess correctly. Common mistake: leaving tiles in the box. A full board keeps the game balanced and gives both teams the same opportunities.
- Draw a Word Card for your team: On your team's turn, draw a Word Card and show it only to the clue-givers on your team. The Guesser must not see the word. Checkpoint: if the Guesser accidentally sees the card, set it aside and draw a new one.
- Give a two-word clue: Clue-givers can say only two words to get their Guesser to say the target word. No gestures, no spelling, no extra hints. The challenge is making those two words count. Common mistake: blurting out a third word. Agree before you start that any extra word voids the clue and the turn passes.
- Guess the word and take a Letter Tile: The Guesser shouts guesses. When they say the correct word, your team takes the matching Letter Tile from The Board and places it on your side. Then play passes to the other team. Checkpoint: only take the tile that matches the letter in the word you guessed. If it's already gone, you still score the point but don't take a tile.
- Repeat until one team wins: Keep taking turns. The first team to collect the required number of Letter Tiles—or to clear the board, if you're playing that way—wins the game. Next step: for a shorter game, remove a few tiles before you start; for a longer one, play best of three.
About the game
- What Were You Thinking?: What Were You Thinking? is a guessing game for horrible mind readers, and it's as fun to watch as it is to play. Break into two teams. Shuffle the Letter Tiles and place them on The Board until it's full. Pick one person from each team to be the Guesser. It's your team's job to get your Guesser to say the word from the Word Card by giving them a two-word clue. This confirms the two-team, two-word clue format and the Guesser role, so you can set up and start playing without guessing at the rules.
