Fifty short lyric clues in five rounds of ten, with a tap-to-reveal answer under every clue and the easiest way to run it live with scores that update on their own.
A guess the song game is a quiz format that suits most age groups. Someone usually knows the chorus, and the room fills with noise within a minute. It helps that we are quick at recognising songs: in a 2010 study in Music Perception, Carol Krumhansl found that listeners named both the artist and the title on more than a quarter of clips just 400 milliseconds long. Below are 50 lyric clues, from Ed Sheeran and Adele to Nirvana and Bob Dylan, split into five rounds of ten, each in two sets of five, plus tips for running the game well.
Why music quizzes stick
Songs also attach to memories. In a 2013 paper in Psychological Science, Krumhansl and Justin Zupnick found that young adults reported unusually many personal memories for music from their parents' youth, a pattern they called "cascading reminiscence bumps". That is why a mixed-age room enjoys a music round: each generation has its own decade to shine in.
Guess the song game: questions and answers
Name the artist and the song for each lyric clue. Tap Show answer to check each one when the round ends.
Round 1
Set A
1“The club isn't the best place to find a lover”
Shape of You by Ed Sheeran
2“Sí, sabes que ya llevo un rato mirándote”
Despacito by Luis Fonsi
3“I've been reading books of old”
Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay
4“I let it fall, my heart”
Set Fire To The Rain by Adele
5“This hit, that ice cold”
Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars)
Set B
6“Party rock is in the house tonight”
Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO (ft. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock)
7“Imagine there's no heaven”
Imagine by John Lennon
8“Load up on guns, bring your friends”
Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
9“Once upon a time you dressed so fine”
Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan
10“I need more hours with you”
Girls Like You by Maroon 5 (ft. Cardi B)
Our pick: question 7, "Imagine there's no heaven". Most people know this line, so it makes a gentle opener for a mixed-age room.
Round 2
Set A
11“Slip inside the eye of your mind”
Don't Look Back In Anger by Oasis
12“When you were here before”
Creep by Radiohead
13“I'm hurting, baby, I'm broken down”
Sugar by Maroon 5
14“When your legs don't work like they used to before”
Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran
15“I come home in the morning light”
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
Set B
16“It's been seven hours and fifteen days”
Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinéad O'Connor
17“Summer has come and passed”
Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day
18“I've been alone with you inside my mind”
Hello (1984) by Lionel Richie
19“I found a love for me”
Perfect by Ed Sheeran
20“Hold me close and hold me fast”
La Vie en Rose by Louis Armstrong (Édith Piaf's original also counts)
Our pick: question 12, "When you were here before". The quiet opening wins a hush before the whole room joins in.
Round 3
Set A
21“As I walk through the valley of the shadow”
Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio (ft. L.V.)
22“Have you got color in your cheeks?”
Do I Wanna Know? by Arctic Monkeys
23“City's breaking down on a camel's back”
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz
24“Her eyes make the stars look like they're not shinin'”
Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars
25“Just shoot for the stars if it feels right”
Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5 (ft. Christina Aguilera)
Set B
26“I've never seen a diamond in the flesh”
Royals by Lorde
27“I'm holding on your rope”
Apologize by Timbaland (ft. OneRepublic)
28“She take my money when I'm in need”
Gold Digger by Kanye West (ft. Jamie Foxx)
29“Wake up in the mornin' feelin' like P Diddy”
TiK ToK by Ke$ha
30“You can tell by the way I use my walk”
Stayin' Alive by Bee Gees
Our pick: question 26, "I've never seen a diamond in the flesh". It splits the room: some know it at once, others need the chorus.
Round 4
Set A
31“I'm so three thousand and eight, you so two thousand and late”
Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas
32“If I should stay, I would only be in your way”
I Will Always Love You (written by Dolly Parton) by Whitney Houston
33“I just want you close, where you can stay forever”
No One by Alicia Keys
34“If you can't hear what I'm trying to say”
Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke (ft. T.I. and Pharrell)
35“I threw a wish in the well”
Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen
Set B
36“Shawty had them Apple Bottom Jeans”
Low by Flo Rida (ft. T-Pain)
37“Yellow diamonds in the light”
We Found Love by Rihanna (ft. Calvin Harris)
38“I know your eyes in the morning sun”
How Deep Is Your Love by Bee Gees
39“I was up in the club with my homies”
Yeah! by Usher (ft. Lil Jon and Ludacris)
40“Hey, I was doing just fine before I met you”
Closer by The Chainsmokers (ft. Halsey)
Our pick: question 35, "I threw a wish in the well". It is almost impossible not to sing along, which makes it a good mid-game energy lift.
Round 5
Set A
41“I been tryna call”
Blinding Lights by The Weeknd
42“I want it, I got it, I want it”
7 rings by Ariana Grande
43“Ra-ra-ah-ah-ah, Roma-roma-ma”
Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
44“I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath”
Roar by Katy Perry
45“Oh baby, baby, how was I supposed to know”
…Baby One More Time by Britney Spears
Set B
46“I'm gonna pop some tags”
Thrift Shop by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (ft. Wanz)
47“The snow glows white on the mountain tonight”
Let It Go by Idina Menzel
48“Once I was seven years old my momma told me”
7 Years by Lukas Graham
49“I never really knew that she could dance like this”
Hips Don't Lie by Shakira (ft. Wyclef Jean)
50“I wish I found some better sounds no one's ever heard”
Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots
Our pick: question 47, "The snow glows white on the mountain tonight". Save it for the end: a whole room singing the chorus is the finale.
Ways to host a guess the song game for a group
If you want to run this as a virtual pub quiz, an interactive quiz maker takes care of the admin. With a live quiz on AhaSlides, players join on their phones with a code, points are worked out automatically from how fast they answer, and the leaderboard updates after every question. There is no paper to print and no scores to add up.
The Spinner Wheel above is one way to pick the next question at random: list the songs as entries, spin, and read out the clue that lands. If you would rather have players answer on their phones, use a Pick Answer quiz slide instead. Use a Word Cloud slide to collect the artists people think of for a mystery clue, and an Open Ended slide to let teams type their guess before you reveal the answer.
Browse the Name the song quiz template for more music questions.
Tips for running the game
- Decide the format. Read the lyric aloud, show it on screen, or play a short clip. Lyrics on screen suit a big group; audio clips are harder and more fun.
- Keep clips short. The 400-millisecond study above shows a few notes can be enough, so a clip of a few seconds is plenty for a harder round.
- Time each question. Twenty to thirty seconds is enough. A time limit keeps the pace up and the game fair.
- Mix the decades. Put a few older songs among the recent hits so no age group is left out.
- Award bonus points for the artist and the title. Splitting the two rewards people who know one but not the other.
- Save the loudest song for last. Anything with a big chorus works well as a finale.
Host your guess the song quiz on AhaSlides for free
Enjoying this quiz? Make your own on AhaSlides, free for up to 50 players: they join on their phones, and scores update automatically on the leaderboard.
If you want more music rounds, try the Guess the 90s songs quiz or the K-pop quiz.
Frequently asked questions
What is a guess the song game?
A quiz where players identify a song from a lyric line, a short audio clip or an instrumental snippet.
How many questions should I use?
Fifteen to twenty for a casual round. All 50 makes a full evening when split into five rounds of ten.
Can I play it online?
Yes. Share your screen and let players answer on their phones, so remote and in-room teams compete together.
Is it free to run?
Yes, to start. The AhaSlides free plan supports up to 50 participants, with five quiz questions and three poll questions per presentation. For paid plans, see the pricing page.
