How to Do the Whisper Challenge

Reviewed by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

The Whisper Challenge, also known as the Headphone Challenge, is a game that has increased in its popularity through the internet, where players listen to loud music through their headphones while another player whispers a phrase to them. Similar to a game of Telephone, the phrase gets passed around the players, and when the final "translation" is said out loud, it often results in laughter! This article will walk you through the rules of the game and provide suggestions for thinking of phrases to say.

1

Get at least one other person to do the challenge with.

Download Article

You can play the Whisper Challenge with just one friend. However, if you want the chance of having more absurd sentences, gather together more friends; if you want the sentences to go by quickly, aim for one or two friends.
- You can have as many people as you want, but you may want to stick with a small group of people, since the more people you have, the longer it takes to pass around the sentence.

2

Decide if you want to record it.

Download Article

You could post it online to get views, or you could just keep it as a keepsake to look back at and laugh at, for example. Just keep in mind that if you're recording your Whisper Challenge, you should record it with something that has full battery life, so that you don't realize that the recording stopped halfway through because the camera died!

3

Find or think of phrases.

Download Article

Anyone else partaking in the Challenge should do the same (but make sure nobody tells anyone what phrases they're coming up with!). There are many phrases you can use in the Whisper Challenge, so take some time and see what you can come up with.
- Idioms and figures of speech are fairly common and can become quite funny.
- Nonsensical sentences can spurn some great lines.
- You can also look at messages that YouTubers have received. Many popular YouTubers who have done the Whisper Challenge have used social media (such as Twitter) to ask their followers for phrases for the Challenge. Or, if you have a substantial social media following, ask your followers on your own!

4

Start recording.

Download Article

You can use something simple like a phone, but keep in mind that most video cameras record in better quality than a phone.

5

Get everyone to put on headphones.

Download Article

This is a key element of the game. The main part of the Whisper Challenge that differentiates it from Telephone is that instead of whispering the phrase into someone's ear, the players put on headphones and turn up their music. Get everyone to put on their headphones and turn on the music - and turn it up loud enough so that it's hard to hear what other people are saying.
- The person who is saying the phrase can take off their headphones while they're saying the phrase, but everyone else should have their headphones on.
- Noise-canceling headphones are best for this challenge, but they're not a necessity. You'll have to turn the music up louder if you don't have them, though.

6

Have one person say a phrase.

Download Article

First, get everyone to play their music playing. Then, one person who was previously picked out will whisper a phrase to the person next to them, and they have to lip-read. It then gets passed along the line if there are any other people playing the game. Have one person turn to the person next to them and whisper a phrase to them.
- You may want to set a limit on how many times a person can ask you to repeat the phrase, to make sure that you don't get stuck on the same people for too long.

7

Pass the sentence along.

Download Article

Continue doing this until you've gotten to the last person in the group.

8

Say the sentence out loud.

Download Article

Once you've reached the last person in the group, have everyone take off their headphones. Then, ask the last person say what they heard out loud. Chances are, it'll be funny and nonsensical, especially if the sentence went through a long line of people.
- The person who originally said the sentence can also repeat what the original sentence was, to display how garbled the sentence became.

9

Switch it up.

Download Article

Continue to play the game like this, and you've got the Whisper Challenge down!

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

Can there be too many people playing this challenge?

Community Answer

No. You will just have to come up with more phrases and get a few extra pairs of headphones.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 4 Helpful 18
Question

How do I play twister challenge?

Community Answer

Get the game kit first and then follow the instructions on the box.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 17 Helpful 19
Question

Should I switch up the phrase while I'm saying it?

Community Answer

Do not switch up the phrase, as that is cheating and goes against the point of the game.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 9 Helpful 15

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Tips

Using headphones is a better choice than using earphones, as earphones don't cover your ears as much, and therefore don't block out as much sound.

Thanks
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2