How does the random word generator work?

It picks words at random from the Linguaholic dictionary of about 58,000 real English words, each tagged with its part of speech, how common it is, its syllables, and its topic. Choose a preset or set filters, press Generate, and press again for new words. It avoids repeating words you just saw, and everything runs in your browser.

Can I get random words with definitions?

Yes. Turn on Show definitions and every word comes with a short definition, from WordNet (Princeton University) and friendly everyday definitions. It is a quick way to learn new words — use the Vocabulary builder preset for advanced ones.

Can I generate only nouns, verbs, or adjectives?

Yes. Set the part of speech to nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. Words are sorted by how they are mostly used, so rabbit is a noun and bite is a verb. For nouns you can also pick a topic such as animals, food, objects, places, or feelings.

Is there a Pictionary word generator?

Yes. The Pictionary preset uses hand-picked words that can be drawn, in easy, medium, and hard levels — from apple and bicycle to nostalgia and jet lag. Generate one word per turn or 20 at once to make cards.

Can I use it for charades?

Yes. The Charades preset gives actions, animals, jobs, and situations to act out, from easy prompts for kids like brushing teeth to hard ones like parallel parking or stage fright.

How do I get a random 5-letter word?

Use the 5-letter words preset, or set Letters to any length from 3 to 12+. You can combine it with starts with, ends with, or contains to narrow it down.

Why does it say 58,000 words — isn't English bigger than that?

Our full word list has about 179,000 entries, but most are other forms of the same word, such as plurals (cats), -ing and -ed endings (running, jumped), and past tenses (flew). Those would only give you repeats, so they aren't counted. The 58,000 words are real dictionary words, each with a part of speech and a definition, so every word you get is one you can look up and use.

What do the difficulty levels mean?

Easy covers about 6,000 everyday words, Medium about 17,000 common words, Hard covers advanced words educated readers know but rarely use, and Very rare covers unusual and specialist words. Levels are based on the word-frequency levels of the SCOWL word lists.

Are the words safe for kids and classrooms?

Yes. Profanity, slurs, and crude words are filtered out, and the game presets use hand-picked lists, so it is suitable for classrooms and family game nights.

Is it free and private?

Yes — free with no sign-up. Words are chosen in your browser with its built-in random number generator, and nothing you do is uploaded or stored.

Writing tools

Random Word Generator

Generate random English words from a 58,000-word dictionary — with definitions, difficulty levels, topics, letter and syllable filters, and ready-made modes for Pictionary, charades, writing prompts, songs, and vocabulary.

Updated October 2, 2026 · Free, no sign-up

lantern

noun · 2 syllables

Light in a transparent protective case

Show definitions

How many

Difficulty

Part of speech

Topic (nouns)

Letters

Syllables

Starts with

Ends with

Output

Contains

Words from the Linguaholic dictionary (SCOWL, ENABLE, WordNet 3.1) plus hand-picked game lists. Definitions: WordNet 3.1 (Princeton University) and Wordset (CC BY-SA 4.0) — licenses.

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What is a random word generator?

A random word generator picks English words at random — one at a time or in batches. This one draws from the Linguaholic dictionary of about 58,000 real English words, each tagged with its part of speech, how common it is, its syllables, and its topic. That means you can ask for exactly what you need: an easy noun to draw, a verb to act out, a five-letter word, or an advanced adjective with its definition.

Why 58,000 words?

Our full word list is much bigger — about 179,000 entries — but most of those are just other forms of the same word: plurals like “cats”, endings like “running” or “happiest”, and past tenses like “flew”. They would only give you repeats, so they don’t count. What’s left are real dictionary words, each with a part of speech and a definition. A few very obscure or technical terms without a definition are left out too, so every word you get is one you can look up and use.

Every word can show a short definition, so the generator doubles as a vocabulary builder. Offensive words and slurs are filtered out, which keeps it safe for classrooms and family game nights.

How to use the random word generator

Pick a preset — Any word, Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Pictionary, Charades, Writing prompt, Song lyrics, Funny words, Vocabulary builder, or 5-letter words.
Fine-tune the filters: difficulty, part of speech, topic (animals, food, feelings…), number of letters, syllables, and letters the word starts with, ends with, or contains.
Choose the output: single words, adjective + noun pairs (“silver lantern”), or two- and three-word combinations for prompts and brainstorming.
Press Generate. Press again for new words — the generator avoids repeating words you just saw. Copy puts the list on your clipboard, one word per line.

Random word games

Chart of seven games to play with a random word: draw it, act it out, a three-word story, sing a line, word of the day, five-letter words and funny words, each with example words — Seven games to play with a random word, with words to start.

Random Pictionary words

The Pictionary preset uses hand-picked words that can actually be drawn, in three difficulty levels. Easy words are objects and animals anyone can sketch; hard words are ideas and scenes that take real creativity (try drawing “nostalgia” or “jet lag”). Generate one word per turn, or 20 at once to print your own cards.

Easy Pictionary words

banana
bell
bone
butterfly
carrot
circle
cow
door
eye
frog
hammer
house
ladder
lollipop
nose
pizza
robot
sheep
snowman
sun
train
whale
bus stop
donut
hamburger
orange
sailboat
swing
wave
envelope

Medium Pictionary words

backpack
binoculars
campfire
clown
cupcake
dragonfly
flamingo
gorilla
helicopter
juggler
lawnmower
map
mosquito
ostrich
piano
porcupine
sandcastle
skyscraper
squirrel
submarine
sword
thermometer
trumpet
waffle
windmill
cactus
fire truck
kayak
penguin
sloth

Hard Pictionary words

balance
brainstorm
camouflage
century
cobweb
deadline
drought
electricity
exhaust
friendship
haircut
hibernation
hypnotize
jet lag
landslide
marathon
mirage
orbit
oxygen
pilgrim
reflection
rush hour
sleepwalking
spring cleaning
sunburn
time machine
tsunami
wanderlust
wind chime
zodiac

Pictionary® is a registered trademark of Mattel, Inc. The Random Word Generator is made by Linguaholic and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the trademark owner.

Charades ideas

The Charades preset gives you actions, animals, jobs, and situations to act out without words. Easy prompts suit kids (“brushing teeth”, “penguin”), while hard ones are great for adults (“parallel parking”, “stage fright”). Tip: agree on gestures first — hold up fingers for the number of words and tug your ear for “sounds like”.

swimming
driving a car
laughing
flying a kite
brushing hair
skiing
waving
eating an apple
chicken
fish
airplane
zombie
juggling
ironing a shirt
putting on makeup
knitting
golfing
walking a tightrope
blowing out candles
conducting an orchestra
chef
waiter
octopus
jellyfish
surprise party
assembling furniture
hiding from a bee
job interview
hiccups
hypnotizing someone
lion tamer
sculptor
zombie apocalypse
sinking ship
melting ice cream
carousel

Random nouns, verbs, and adjectives

Choose a part of speech to get only random nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. Words are sorted by how they are mostly used, so “rabbit” counts as a noun and “bite” as a verb. Add a topic for themed nouns, such as random animals, foods, objects, places, or feelings.

Random nouns

abolition
analog
attendant
bent
bullet
champion
collapse
consent
cow
degree
discrimination
electricity
expedition
flaw
gasoline
hack
hydrogen
innovation
kernel
limb
meal
mood
object
parallel
pink
presence
python
relationship
rubbish
sermon
sod
stranger
taker
toilet
tyre
warehouse

Random verbs

absorb
allocate
assume
boil
charge
complain
consult
curry
destroy
distribute
employ
exist
flip
grant
impress
introduce
lift
misdirect
obstruct
patronise
present
qualify
refuse
resolve
scratch
slash
steady
swallow
touch
violate

Random adjectives

academic
angry
beneficial
cheap
conscious
curious
dirty
eccentric
excellent
fierce
future
harmless
ideological
indefinite
international
linear
meaningful
naughty
ongoing
persistent
prime
redundant
satisfactory
skeptical
static
sure
transparent
unfair
untidy
vulnerable

Random words for writing prompts

The Writing prompt preset gives you three random words at a time. Use them as a creative exercise:

Write a story of exactly 100 words that uses all three.
Write one sentence per word, then link the sentences into a scene.
Make one word the setting, one the character, and one the problem.
Use Adjective + noun output for instant titles, band names, or character names.

Random words for songs and lyrics

The Song lyrics preset draws image-rich words from nature, feelings, time, and plants — the kind of words that make lyrics vivid. It is also perfect for the popular random word song game: generate a word and sing a line of any song that contains it, or freestyle a rap verse that uses every word on the screen. Here are a few to start with:

adolescence
anguish
aversion
blueberry
caprice
cloudburst
crystallisation
demise
eagerness
era
flower
gaiety
hate
hour
ivy
lightness
maturity
moonbeam
oak
passion
pistachio
propensity
relish
sadism
shrub
spruce
surrender
tonight
undertow
whiff

Funny words

Some English words are simply fun to say. The Funny words preset picks from a hand-picked list of gems like these:

Word	Meaning
bamboozleverb	Conceal one's true motives from especially by elaborately feigning good intentions so as to gain an end
curmudgeonnoun	A crusty irascible cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas
flabbergastverb	Overcome with amazement
hornswoggleverb	Deprive of by deceit
mollycoddlenoun	A pampered darling
rambunctiousadjective	Noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
taradiddlenoun	A trivial lie
bodaciousadjective	Incorrigible
gizmonoun	A handy little gadget or device
hubbubnoun	A noisy buzz of many voices at once
nitwitnoun	A foolish, clueless person
pumpernickelnoun	Bread made of coarse rye flour
schmoozenoun	An informal conversation
squabblenoun	A quarrel about petty points
wonkyadjective	Turned or twisted toward one side
gobsmackedadjective	Utterly astounded

Vocabulary builder: advanced words with definitions

Set the difficulty to Hard (or use the Vocabulary builder preset) for advanced verbs and adjectives — the kind that show up on the SAT, GRE, and in good novels. Turn on definitions, then try to use each word in a sentence of your own.

Word	Meaning
abrogateverb	Revoke formally
bipedaladjective	Having two feet
crotchetyadjective	Having a difficult and contrary disposition
energizeverb	Cause to be alert and energetic
gushyadjective	Extravagantly demonstrative
isotopicadjective	Of or relating to or having the relation of an isotope
neoclassicaladjective	Characteristic of a revival of an earlier classical style
picaresqueadjective	Involving clever rogues or adventurers especially as in a type of fiction
regularizeverb	Bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage
snappishadjective	Apt to speak irritably
tubercularadjective	Characterized by the presence of tuberculosis lesions or tubercles
unquestioningadjective	Not inclined to ask questions

Random 5-letter words

Need a random five-letter word — for a Wordle-style puzzle, a password phrase, or a word game? Use the 5-letter preset, or set any length from 3 to 12+ letters. Combine it with “starts with” or “contains” to narrow it down.

about
align
apple
basic
block
broke
chase
click
crash
daily
dogma
eagle
exact
fight
forty
giant
grind
heavy
infer
laugh
lover
metal
music
opera
petty
pride
quite
reset
sauce
sheet
slang
sorry
spray
stiff
swear
there
trace
twist
video
whole

How difficulty levels work

Each word is ranked by how common it is in everyday English, using the word-frequency levels of the SCOWL word lists:

Easy — about 6,000 everyday words most people know (house, happy, run).
Medium — about 17,000 common words, including the easy ones (lantern, ephemeral, cajole).
Hard — advanced words that educated readers know but rarely use (laconic, obfuscate, truculent).
Very rare — unusual and specialist words, great for word nerds and tough games.

Is it really random? Where do the words come from?

Words are chosen with your browser’s cryptographic random number generator, so every matching word has an equal chance. The word list combines the public-domain ENABLE list, the SCOWL word lists, and Princeton’s WordNet (for parts of speech and definitions), plus hand-picked lists for games. Proper nouns, abbreviations, profanity, and slurs are left out. Everything runs in your browser — nothing you do is uploaded or stored.

Want to count syllables or find words with a set number of syllables? Try the Syllable Counter. For word games, see the Word Search Maker and Fill-in-the-Blank Stories, and for more vocabulary ideas, the Linguaholic vocabulary guides.

For teachers, bloggers & clubs

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Frequently asked questions

How does the random word generator work?: It picks words at random from the Linguaholic dictionary of about 58,000 real English words, each tagged with its part of speech, how common it is, its syllables, and its topic. Choose a preset or set filters, press Generate, and press again for new words. It avoids repeating words you just saw, and everything runs in your browser.
Can I get random words with definitions?: Yes. Turn on Show definitions and every word comes with a short definition, from WordNet (Princeton University) and friendly everyday definitions. It is a quick way to learn new words — use the Vocabulary builder preset for advanced ones.
Can I generate only nouns, verbs, or adjectives?: Yes. Set the part of speech to nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. Words are sorted by how they are mostly used, so rabbit is a noun and bite is a verb. For nouns you can also pick a topic such as animals, food, objects, places, or feelings.
Is there a Pictionary word generator?: Yes. The Pictionary preset uses hand-picked words that can be drawn, in easy, medium, and hard levels — from apple and bicycle to nostalgia and jet lag. Generate one word per turn or 20 at once to make cards.
Can I use it for charades?: Yes. The Charades preset gives actions, animals, jobs, and situations to act out, from easy prompts for kids like brushing teeth to hard ones like parallel parking or stage fright.
How do I get a random 5-letter word?: Use the 5-letter words preset, or set Letters to any length from 3 to 12+. You can combine it with starts with, ends with, or contains to narrow it down.
Why does it say 58,000 words — isn't English bigger than that?: Our full word list has about 179,000 entries, but most are other forms of the same word, such as plurals (cats), -ing and -ed endings (running, jumped), and past tenses (flew). Those would only give you repeats, so they aren't counted. The 58,000 words are real dictionary words, each with a part of speech and a definition, so every word you get is one you can look up and use.
What do the difficulty levels mean?: Easy covers about 6,000 everyday words, Medium about 17,000 common words, Hard covers advanced words educated readers know but rarely use, and Very rare covers unusual and specialist words. Levels are based on the word-frequency levels of the SCOWL word lists.
Are the words safe for kids and classrooms?: Yes. Profanity, slurs, and crude words are filtered out, and the game presets use hand-picked lists, so it is suitable for classrooms and family game nights.
Is it free and private?: Yes — free with no sign-up. Words are chosen in your browser with its built-in random number generator, and nothing you do is uploaded or stored.

About this page

The Random Word Generator is a free tool from Linguaholic, made by Marcel Iseli. It runs in your browser, with no sign-up. Last updated October 2, 2026.

Word data: Linguaholic’s English dictionary, built from the open ENABLE and SCOWL word lists, the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (pronunciation and syllables) and Princeton WordNet (meanings). Licenses and notices.

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