Contrario

About this board game

Contrario is a word and knowledge game for 2–12 players, with each session taking about 30 minutes. Released in 2001, it challenges players to recognize familiar expressions after they have been transformed through synonyms, antonyms, and logically related words.

The game features 1,320 terms drawn from a wide range of subjects, including music, cinema, literature, geography, history, and many others. Each original expression is reshaped into a new phrase known as a Contrario, creating a puzzle that is strange at first but satisfying once the answer becomes clear.

Players use lateral thinking and general knowledge to work out what lies behind each twisted expression. The source expressions are virtually all familiar, so the challenge comes from seeing the connection between the altered wording and the original phrase.

• 1,320 expressions from diverse domains
• Wordplay based on synonyms, antonyms, and logical relationships
• Two clues for every Contrario to point players in the right direction
• Suitable for 2–12 players
• Approximately 30 minutes of play time

Every puzzle includes two clues to nudge players toward the solution without giving it away immediately. That support makes the discoveries feel approachable while preserving the delight of the final realization: it is obvious once you have got it.

Whether the subject is a film, a piece of music, a literary work, a place, or a historical reference, Contrario invites players to look at ordinary language from an unexpected angle. Can your mind handle the twist?