When Lip-Reading Goes Hilariously Wrong
Have you ever been absolutely convinced you know what somebody is saying, only to find you've got it completely wrong? Now imagine trying to work out a ridiculous phrase while wearing headphones blasting music into your ears. That's exactly what SORRY WHAT?! is all about!
I played SORRY WHAT?! over Christmas with my partner and his family, and it didn't take long before we were all laughing at the absolutely hilarious guesses being shouted across the room. What should have been a straightforward game of lip-reading quickly turned into a hilarious guessing game, with some answers that weren't even remotely close to what was actually being said!
Designed for players aged 17 and over, SORRY WHAT?! is a party game that thrives on misunderstandings, questionable guesses and plenty of laughter. But is it just a quick novelty, or is there enough entertainment to make you want to bring it out again?
What's in the Box?
SORRY WHAT?!, created by Lucky Egg, comes with 100 cards, a pair of rechargeable headphones and a USB charging cable. The instructions are printed inside the box lid, which is quite handy as there's no separate rulebook to keep track of.
The cards are split into Deck 1 and Deck 2, with different words and phrases printed at either end. By combining a word or phrase from each deck, you can create some rather unusual combinations. For example, you might end up with something like “Vintage Panties”, “Defiled Didgeridoo” or “The Incredibly Bouncy Bush”. With so many possible combinations, you never quite know what ridiculous phrase you'll end up trying to get someone to guess!
The headphones are the main feature of the game. I was pleasantly surprised by their quality, as I'd expected them to feel quite cheap. They play music to prevent the person wearing them from hearing what's being said, leaving them to rely entirely on watching the other player's lips. They also have built-in controls for the music and volume, so there's no need to play music through your phone.
The game is designed for two or more players, with a recommended age of 17+ and an estimated playing time of 20 minutes or more.
How Do You Play SORRY WHAT?!
The aim of SORRY WHAT?! is simple: work out what your teammate is saying by reading their lips while music plays through your headphones. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it? Trust me, it's not!
To get started, divide yourselves into two teams and shuffle the two decks of cards separately. One player becomes the Lip Reader and puts on the headphones, while their teammate takes on the role of Card Reader.
Once the music starts, the Card Reader turns over a card from each deck to create a phrase. They then have to mouth the words to their teammate, who tries to work out what's being said. The Lip Reader can shout out as many guesses as they like, while the Card Reader can nod or shake their head to let them know if they're on the right track.
There's one important rule: no acting or miming allowed! The Card Reader can repeat the phrase as often as necessary, but they can't use gestures to help their teammate guess.
If a phrase is proving particularly difficult, the Card Reader can choose to pass and move on to another combination. The round continues until the music stops, with a ten-second warning letting the person wearing the headphones know they're running out of time.
How Does the Scoring Work?
Each correctly guessed word earns points depending on which deck it came from:
- Deck 1 (yellow): 1 point.
- Deck 2 (red): 2 points.
- Both words guessed correctly: 3 points altogether.
At the end of the round, the correctly guessed cards are counted to work out the team's score.
The headphones then pass to the opposing team, giving someone else the chance to experience the chaos. Once everyone has had their turns, the team with the most points wins.
If there are only two or three of you playing, you can take turns being the Lip Reader and Card Reader instead of splitting into teams.
There's a catch, though! You must correctly guess the yellow word before the red one can count towards your score. For example, if the phrase is “Vintage Panties” and you guess “Silly Panties”, you won't earn the two points for “Panties” until you've correctly guessed “Vintage” first.
Our Christmas Games Night
There were four of us playing that Christmas, and it quickly became one of the funniest games of the evening. We all wanted a turn wearing the headphones, and it wasn't long before we were laughing at some of the completely unexpected guesses.
What makes this game so entertaining isn't necessarily the phrases printed on the cards. It's what the person wearing the headphones thinks you're saying. You might be mouthing something fairly straightforward, but the guesses coming back can be absolutely ridiculous, sometimes bearing no resemblance to the original words whatsoever!
One of my favourite moments was when I was wearing the headphones and trying to guess a phrase containing the name “DeVito”, as in Danny DeVito. I started guessing “Vimto” and then “Dorito” instead of “DeVito”. They sounded close enough to me at the time! It's moments like these that make SORRY WHAT?! so hilarious.
We also discovered just how important the headphone volume is. At one point, someone seemed to be guessing everything suspiciously well, despite supposedly being unable to hear what was being said. After turning up the volume, the guesses suddenly became a lot less accurate! It certainly gave us another reason to laugh, although it's worth making sure the volume is comfortable for whoever is wearing them (we don't want to burst anyone's eardrums!).
The best part was that everyone got involved. Whether we were desperately trying to read someone's lips or watching another player confidently shout out a completely wrong answer, there was plenty of laughter around the table.
It's definitely the sort of game where the unexpected moments are far more memorable than the actual answers.
Where the Fun Really Happens
One thing I noticed while playing SORRY WHAT?! was that how much fun you have depends on which role you're playing.
Personally, I found wearing the headphones much more entertaining. You're concentrating so hard on trying to work out what your teammate is saying that you don't always realise just how ridiculous your guesses sound. Meanwhile, everyone else can hear exactly what's being said, which makes watching the confusion unfold even funnier.
Being the Card Reader, however, isn't quite as exciting. Your job is essentially to keep repeating the same phrase until your teammate guesses it correctly or you decide to pass. At first, it's amusing watching them struggle, but after saying the same words over and over again, it can become a little repetitive. After all, there's only so many times you can mouth “REDACTED” before you start wondering whether your teammate is ever going to get it - or whether you're going to lose your sanity repeating it!
That's not to say being the Card Reader isn't enjoyable, but I definitely felt that the person wearing the headphones was having the most fun.
Fortunately, the roles change throughout the game, so everyone gets the opportunity to experience both sides. With four of us playing, we all wanted a turn wearing the headphones, and I think that's where SORRY WHAT?! really shines.
A Few Things That Could Be Better
As much as I enjoyed playing SORRY WHAT?!, there are a couple of things I think could have made the experience even better.
The first is the lack of a visible timer. The countdown is built into the headphones, with the music stopping when the round finishes. While the person wearing them receives a ten-second warning, nobody else knows exactly how much time is left.
I think including a small sand timer or a visible countdown would have been a great addition. Not only would everyone know when the round was coming to an end, but it would also remove the need to rely on the headphone wearer to tell you when their time is up. After all, what's stopping someone from squeezing in a few extra guesses when nobody else knows the music has stopped?
Another thing I would have liked to see included is a scorepad. With yellow cards worth one point and red cards worth two, keeping track of the scores isn't quite as straightforward as it could be. The instructions tell you to collect the correctly guessed cards and count up the points afterwards, which works perfectly well, but I think having a little pad to record each team's score would make things easier.
Neither of these issues ruined our enjoyment of the game, and they're certainly not reasons to avoid playing it. They're just small improvements that I think would make SORRY WHAT?! even more enjoyable, particularly when playing with a larger group.
Final Thoughts – Is SORRY WHAT?! Worth Playing?
If you're looking for a party game that will have everyone laughing at the most ridiculous things, SORRY WHAT?! is definitely worth considering.
What I enjoyed most was how unpredictable it was. You could be watching someone confidently shouting out an answer that made absolutely no sense, while the rest of the room was in fits of laughter. And when it was your turn to wear the headphones, you quickly realised just how difficult lip-reading could be!
I particularly liked that the rules were easy to understand and that you didn't need to spend ages setting everything up before you could start playing. It's the sort of game you can bring out at a Christmas gathering, family games night or party without having to explain a complicated set of instructions.
Although I found some parts more entertaining than others, we were having so much fun that it didn't really matter. Everyone in our group wanted a turn wearing the headphones, and that's probably the biggest compliment I can give it.
With its cheeky humour and unpredictable guesses, SORRY WHAT?! is definitely better suited to adults who don't mind a bit of silliness or the occasional inappropriate phrase. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if your group enjoys games where things can quickly turn into complete nonsense, you're bound to have a laugh.
Would I play it again? Absolutely! Despite a couple of things I would have liked to see improved, we had a brilliant time playing it, and I'd happily bring it out again at another gathering.
Sometimes the best games aren't necessarily the most complicated ones. They're the ones that leave you laughing long after you've packed everything away, and for me, SORRY WHAT?! certainly did that.
