Codenames: Duet FAQ
24 questions players ask · Updated Nov 10, 2026 · Full rulebook
Setup
How to Play
- How many timer tokens does each turn use, and do you spend one after every clue?
- Can the guesser think out loud about possible words during a turn?
- Can you deliberately guess your own green cards to give your partner hints?
- Can the clue-giver tell the guesser how many words are left, or say that a guess was correct?
- Can you spell out a clue, or define it for your partner?
- Can players comment on the game or discuss the clues during play?
- Is there a limit on how many guesses a guesser can make in one turn?
- Can you give a clue that refers to only one word?
- Can you ask your partner to remind you of an earlier clue, or lift green agent tiles to check earlier guesses?
- Which way should you face the agent tiles on the table?
Valid Clues
- Can you use a word that is visible on the table as a clue for other cards?
- Can you use a foreign-language translation of a word on the table as a clue?
- Can you use a letter as a clue, such as D for QUARTER?
- Can a clue link to a word only through a chain of association, like GREEN for COW via GRASS?
- Is a compound-word clue like BUTTERFLY valid if only part of it, like butter, relates to a board word?
- Can a clue share letters with a visible word without being a form of it, like a clue that starts with BAT while BAT is on the table?
- Can a word that has bystander tokens on it be used as a clue?
- Can you give a clue with a fractional number, such as animal 2.5?