--- title: "Ali: the Hebrew party word game" slug: "ali" canonical: "https://www.itsbaba.com/ali" question: "Is there a Hebrew word-explaining party game, like Alias or Taboo, that Israelis and English speakers can play together?" answer: "Ali, a free game inside the baba app for iPhone and Android, is a Hebrew word-explaining party game in the style of Alias and Taboo. Teams of two to six (four players minimum) each play on their own phone, one explainer per turn has sixty seconds to get the team to say the Hebrew word, and every card shows the word with nikud, a transliteration and the English, so explaining can be in Hebrew, English or both. The other teams referee from their phones, and the first team to move its pin thirty spaces up a map of Israel from Eilat to Jerusalem wins." description: "Ali is a free Hebrew word-explaining party game in the baba app: one phone per team, sixty-second turns, cards with nikud, transliteration and English, and a race up the map from Eilat to Jerusalem." cluster: "learning" html_status: "live" updated: "2026-09-22" numbers_used: "[\"1,300 cards\", \"108 slang cards\", \"30 spaces\", \"60 seconds\", \"4 players minimum\"]" competitors_named: "[]" --- # Ali: the Hebrew party word game Ali is a Hebrew word-explaining party game inside the free baba app (https://www.itsbaba.com/ali), built so that Israelis and English speakers can play at one table. If you have played Alias or Taboo, you know the idea: one player explains a word to their team against a timer without saying it. Ali is its own game with its own cards and board; it is not made by or connected to the makers of Alias. ## How it works 1. Split into two to six teams of two to six people, so four players is the minimum. Every team plays on its own phone with the free baba app. 2. One phone hosts and gets a four-letter code. The other teams join by typing the code, scanning the QR from inside the app, or opening a link shared on WhatsApp. 3. One explainer per turn, sixty seconds on a real hourglass, one card at a time. The team must say the Hebrew word. Got It moves the team's pin one space forward; Skip moves it one space back. 4. The board is a thirty-space road up a map of Israel from Eilat to Jerusalem, shown on every phone with every team's pin. The first team to Jerusalem wins. ## Built for a table that speaks both Every card shows the Hebrew word with nikud, a transliteration and the English, so a guest who reads no Hebrew can still explain and guess. Explaining is allowed in Hebrew, English or both, and the host can lock a game to one language. Whatever language the explainer uses, the guess that counts is the Hebrew word. The other teams are the referees. Because every team has its own phone, the teams not explaining see the explainer's card. If the explainer says the word, part of it, a rhyme, or spells it, they call a foul: the card is lost and the pin moves one space back. When the sand runs out, a beep sounds and the last word on the card is open to every team. The first team to say it takes the space. ## Special spaces - Hebrew Only: the next turn is explained in Hebrew alone. - Slang: the next turn is all Israeli slang. There are 108 slang cards in the pool. - Everyone Plays: every team guesses at once, and each word goes to whoever says it first. ## Cards There are no decks or categories. Every card is drawn at random from the whole pool of about 1,300 words, and a word never repeats inside one game. The pool is growing towards 3,000. Game sounds and light background music run under the game and can be switched off. ## What you need - Four or more people, in two to six teams. - One phone per team, iPhone or Android, mixed is fine. - The free baba app. Ali is free for everyone, with no subscription needed to play a full game. In-app rules and an illustrated intro are in English and Hebrew. ## Frequently asked questions **Is there an Alias in Hebrew?** If you are looking for the Alias or Taboo kind of game in Hebrew, Ali is that kind of game: one explainer, an hourglass, a word your team has to say, and other teams calling fouls. Ali is its own game inside the baba app and is not connected to the makers of Alias. **Do I need to know Hebrew to play?** No. Every card shows the Hebrew with nikud, a transliteration and the English, and you can explain in English, Hebrew or a mix. The only rule is that the team says the Hebrew word. **Is Ali free?** Yes, for everyone in the baba app, on iPhone and Android, with no subscription needed. **How many words are there?** About 1,300 cards today, including 108 Israeli slang cards, growing towards 3,000. No decks or categories; every card is random from the whole pool. **Can we play on one phone?** No. Every team needs its own phone so the other teams can see the card and referee. **How many people do we need?** Four at least, two teams of two. Up to six teams of six. ## Related - How to play a Hebrew word-explaining party game, with full rules and a paper version: https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-alias-style-word-game - 300 Hebrew words for a word party, a sample of the pool: https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-word-game-words - The same page in Hebrew: https://www.itsbaba.com/he/ali Alias is a trademark of Tactic Games Oy. baba is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tactic Games.