charader

Charader is a rarely used English noun referring to a person who participates in or creates a charade, a party game in which players act out a word or phrase without speaking. In contemporary usage, the term is uncommon; speakers typically say “charades player” or “charade performer.” The word is more often found in historical texts or dialectal contexts.

Etymology and usage: Charader appears to be a back-formation from charade by adding the agent suffix -er. Earliest attestations are found in 19th- and early 20th-century British English. The spelling “charader” is occasionally encountered as an alternative to “charade” or as a misspelling, and the term is generally regarded as obsolete or dialectal in modern use.

Role in gameplay: In a game of charades, a charader would be the person who performs the acted-out clue while teammates guess the word or phrase. The term emphasizes the performative aspect of the activity, though it is not common in contemporary parlance.

See also: Charades; Parlour games; Word games.