Squint

About this board game

Squint is a shape-building word game for 3–8 players that takes about 30 minutes to play. On each turn, one player becomes the builder, using cards with various shapes to convey a word shown on a Squint card.

The game includes 72 cards featuring shapes such as crosses, circles in different sizes, wavy lines, and more. Builders can use any combination of these cards to create a visual clue for one of the available words.

Words have different difficulty levels, worth from one to three points. While the builder works, any of the other players can try to identify the intended word. The challenge is to communicate the answer clearly using only the available shapes.

• Choose a word from a Squint card.
• Use any combination of shape cards to convey it.
• Let the other players guess before the timer runs out.
• A correct guess awards points to both the builder and the guesser.

Because both successful players score, Squint rewards effective construction and sharp guessing. Easier one-point words and more difficult three-point words give the turns varying levels of challenge.

With its combination of visual clues, open guessing, and a running timer, Squint offers a focused tabletop activity for groups of three to eight. Released in 2002, Squint centers every turn on the same question: can a collection of simple shapes communicate the right word in time?