Game rules

Just One rules: how to play and how to win

Reviewed on 10 October 2026. How we check

Just One plays 3 to 7 players, all together: everyone writes a one-word clue to help guess a mystery word, but identical clues cancel out. Here are the essential rules, setup and the team score, based on the official rulebook.

Players: 3 to 7, cooperative
Play time: About 20 minutes
Winner: The whole team, scoring 0 to 13 cards

Just One quick rules

The goal: Everyone plays together. Each round, one player has to guess a mystery word, and the others help by each writing a one-word clue. But identical clues cancel out. The game lasts 13 cards: at the end, count the cards you won and try to beat your record.
The mystery word: The guesser places the first card of the pile on their easel, without looking, facing the others. Each card has five words numbered 1 to 5: the guesser says a number, and that’s the word to guess. If someone doesn’t know the word, they can ask for another number.
The clues: Everyone else secretly writes a one-word clue on their easel. A proper name, a number, an acronym or a sound effect counts as a word. Not allowed: the mystery word in another language, a word from the same family, an invented word or a word that sounds the same. With 3 or 4 players, everyone writes two clues, on two easels.
The comparison: The guesser closes their eyes, and the others compare their clues. Identical clues are cancelled, and so are invalid ones: identical means the same word, but also two words from the same family, a singular and a plural, or the same word misspelled. Lay a cancelled clue’s easel down. If all clues are cancelled, the card is lost.
The answer: The guesser reads the remaining clues and gets only one answer. If they’re right, the card is won. If they pass, the card is lost. If they’re wrong, the card goes back in the box along with the top card of the pile. Then the next player, clockwise, becomes the guesser.
The end and the score: The game ends when the pile of 13 cards is empty. Your score is the number of cards won, from 0 to 13. If a wrong answer happens when the pile is already empty, remove one card you’ve already won. 13 is the perfect score.
Beginner traps: Giving the most obvious clue: the others will have had the same idea, and your clues will cancel out. Writing two words, or a word from the same family as the mystery word. Answering at random: when in doubt, pass, since a mistake costs two cards.

How to win Just One

Cards guessed: The whole table’s score: the cards won once the 13 cards are played, from 0 to 13.
Lost card: If all clues are cancelled, or if the guesser passes, the card goes back in the box.
Wrong answer: The card is lost, and so is the next card of the pile. If the pile is already empty, remove a card you’ve already won.
Level: The rulebook scale: Ouch… (0 to 3), Not bad (4 to 6), Average (7 to 8), Good (9 to 10), Very good! (11), Impressive! (12), Incredible! The perfect score (13).

Example ending

Out of 13 cards, the table wins 9. Alex passes once (1 card lost), Jake guesses wrong once (2 cards lost) and one card has all its clues cancelled (1 card lost): 9 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 13 cards played. Score: 9, level “Good.”

Common mistakes

Forgetting the top card of the pile after a wrong answer: a mistake costs two cards.
Replaying a passed card: it’s lost and goes back in the box.
Ignoring a wrong answer on the last card: you then remove a card you’ve already won.
Looking for a winner among the players: the score belongs to the whole table.

How to set up Just One

Setup is quick. With 3 and 4 players, everyone writes two clues per round, so each player needs two easels.

Each player

With 5 players or more, give everyone an easel, the dry-erase marker of the same color and a cloth.
With 3 or 4 players, give everyone two easels, a dry-erase marker and a cloth.The guesser uses just one easel, to hold the card: with 4 players, the 7 easels in the box are just enough.

The cards

Shuffle the 110 cards.
Take 13 cards at random and place them in a facedown pile in the center of the table.These 13 cards are the whole game. Put the others back in the box.

Let’s go

Pick at random the player who will guess the first word.After that, the role passes to the next player, clockwise.
The guesser places the first card of the pile on their easel, without looking, facing the others.The curved side of the easel holds the card.

Frequently asked questions

How many cards are in a game of Just One?

13 cards, drawn at random from the 110 in the box. The perfect score is 13.

How many clues do you write with 3 players in Just One?

Two clues each, one per easel. Same rule with 4 players; from 5 players up, everyone writes a single clue.

What happens if you guess wrong in Just One?

The card goes back in the box, along with the top card of the pile: a mistake costs two cards. When in doubt, pass, which only costs one.

Ludingo’s Just One sheet was last reviewed on 10 October 2026, based on: regles-du-jeu.net, BoardGameGeek.