Fun games to play in class: online games for students 13 and up

What to know before you use Letternerd in class

Letternerd is a free place to play and make social games with words. It was not built as a classroom platform, and it is worth being clear about what that means before you plan a lesson around it.

• It is for ages 13 and up. It suits secondary and high school classes, sixth form and university, not younger children.
• There are no teacher reports. You see the scores in the room as the game is played, but there is no gradebook, no assignments and no connection to a learning platform.
• Students need a device each. Every player sees the game on their own screen. Check your school’s rules on phones first.
• Nobody needs an account. Students join as guests with a room code, link or QR code, so you do not collect emails.
• It is in English only.

If you need reports and assignments, a dedicated classroom tool is the better choice; our Kahoot alternative, Blooket alternative and Wayground alternative pages compare them fairly. Letternerd fits the moments in between: a warm-up, a revision game before a test, the last ten minutes on a Friday.

Classroom games online at a glance

Quiz games for the whole class

Team showdown is the easiest way to run a whole-class quiz. When the game starts it splits the room into two teams, and every right answer over ten questions scores for your side. The top team wins together, which takes the pressure off any one student.

Ballpark works for up to 20 players. Each round is a question with a number for an answer, every guess stays private until the reveal, and the closest guess takes the round. Because estimating is a skill rather than something you either know or do not, students who rarely win quizzes can win this one.

For a bit of fun, Could you pass a primary school exam? has ten questions every 10-year-old answers, and Gotcha! The trick question quiz rewards students who read every word of the question.

Games for history, science and geography

Which Came First? shows four things that happened, with no dates, and asks players to put them in order. Order Up asks for a list in the right order, with points for exact spots and for the closest full answer. Rank it covers things like the deadliest animal and the hottest planet, and the number one is rarely what students expect.

For geography, Only 3% name every flag and Africa rank-it are quick, and Spot the fake fact is a good way to open a lesson on checking sources: three facts that all sound made up, two of which are true.

• Which Came First?1–12 players · 5 minFour things that happened, no dates. Put them in order. The fax machine is older than you think.
• Order Up2–12 players · 9 minPut the list in the right order. Exact spots and the closest full answer score.
• Rank it: you’ll get #1 wrong1–12 players · 5 minThe deadliest animal, the hottest planet, the most-spoken language. Put them in order. #1 is never what you think.
• Spot the fake fact1–12 players · 5 minThree facts that all sound made up. Two are true. Find the one that’s fake.

Word games for English and language lessons

Four Links gives sixteen words with four hidden groups of four, and players find them all before their four mistakes run out. Category Clash gives one letter, six categories and ninety seconds, and only answers nobody else thought of score, which pushes students past the obvious word. Word Hive gives seven letters with one in the middle and two minutes to make as many words as possible.

Real word or totally fake? asks students to sort real dictionary words from made-up ones, and Mind the Gap fills in old sayings from a word bank full of almost-right decoys.

• Four Links1–12 players · 8 minSixteen words, four hidden groups of four. Find them all before your four mistakes run out.
• Category Clash2–10 players · 10 minOne letter, six categories, ninety seconds. Only the answers nobody else thought of score.
• Word Hive1–12 players · 6 minSeven letters, one in the middle, two minutes. Make more words than anyone else, and find the one that uses them all.
• Real word or totally fake?1–12 players · 5 minSnollygoster. Flumtrosity. One’s in the dictionary. Sort the real words from the made-up ones.

Games for discussion and debate

Defend it has players pick a side of an impossible choice and argue for it, and the room votes for the best case. Agree to Disagree offers one bold opinion each round to agree or disagree with, then argue out. Both make a good warm-up for persuasive writing, because students have to give a reason, not just a vote.

Say It Plainly asks students to explain an everyday thing in one sentence without the obvious words, and the table checks each other’s answers anonymously. It is a quick test of whether someone understands an idea or has only memorised the word for it. For more prompts, see our list of debate topics and hot takes.

Turn your own lesson into a quiz

The built-in games are general knowledge. To quiz a class on your own topic, you can make a game in a few ways:

• Describe it in a sentence, and Letternerd builds a game you can then edit.
• Turn your notes, a document or a link into a quiz from Make a game.
• Start from a template, which sets how the game plays, and write the questions yourself.
• Students can make a revision set from their own notes and host it as a live quiz; see Letternerd for students and the ready-made packs on Study.

Your first game built from a description needs no account. After that, building with AI uses AI credits that come with a free account and top up each month, and editing by hand is always free. A quiz made from notes is only as good as the notes and the model reading them, so read every question before you play it with a class.

Tips for running a game in class

1. Play the game yourself once before the lesson so you know how long it takes.
2. Show the room code or QR code on the board. Students join in their browser without installing anything.
3. Ask students to use their first name or an agreed nickname as their display name.
4. Keep it to one or two games. Ten minutes of play is often enough to change the mood of a lesson.
5. Talk about the answers afterwards. The reveal is where most of the learning happens.

For students who want something to play with friends outside lessons, the games for high school students page collects games that suit teens.

Play the games from this post

Free in your browser. Share the room code and everyone joins from their own phone, no signup.

• Team showdown4–16 players · 10 minTwo teams, ten questions. Every right answer scores for your side.
• Ballpark2–20 players · 9 minWild numbers, smart estimates. Get closest—or land it exactly.
• Which Came First?1–12 players · 5 minFour things that happened, no dates. Put them in order. The fax machine is older than you think.
• Order Up2–12 players · 9 minPut the list in the right order. Exact spots and the closest full answer score.
• Four Links1–12 players · 8 minSixteen words, four hidden groups of four. Find them all before your four mistakes run out.
• Category Clash2–10 players · 10 minOne letter, six categories, ninety seconds. Only the answers nobody else thought of score.
• Say It Plainly3–12 players · 8 minExplain everyday things in one sentence without the obvious words. The table checks each other’s, anonymously.
• Defend it3–12 players · 12 minPick a side of an impossible choice and argue for it. The room votes for the best case.

More games like these

• Games for high school students
• Online quizzes
• Trivia games
• Word games