Who goes first in Taboo?
Hasbro English rules for 4+ adult players
The rules leave it open which team goes first: players divide into Team A and Team B, and Team A chooses a player to be their first Clue-giver. The document never states how a group decides which team is "Team A."
Source & edition
- Taboo — Rules for 4+ Adult PlayersHasbro · "Setting Up Your Game" step 4, and "Taking Turns" step 1 · Checked 2026-09-27
Image: © Hasbro Games / Hersch and Company · Hasbro Games · Editorial fair use (Reduced-size publisher product-box photograph identifies the Taboo edition discussed in this independent rules article. It is contextual to the game, links to the publisher product page, and does not substitute for the game or full artwork. This is an editorial fair-use assessment, not a licence or permission.)
Rule details
It doesn't matter if one team has one more player than the other.
Team B controls the buzzer and can try to catch the Clue-giver breaking a Taboo word.
If there’s a tie
The rulebook doesn’t say.
Game night gear
More starting rules
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