How to make bingo cards and a call list
Choose a card size, check the word count and make a set for your group. Print the matching call list to keep track of the round.
Start with a theme or your own list of different words. Each bingo card uses as many words as its grid needs, with no repeated word on the same card. Cards in a set can share words, but their arrangements are different.
How many words do you need?
| Card size | Free center | Different words needed |
|---|---|---|
| 3 × 3 | On | 8 |
| 3 × 3 | Off | 9 |
| 4 × 4 | Unavailable | 16 |
| 5 × 5 | On | 24 |
| 5 × 5 | Off | 25 |
A 4 × 4 card has no single center square, so it cannot have a free center. A list of 24 different words can fill a 5 × 5 card with a free center; turn the free center off and you need 25. Fix duplicate or invalid entries before checking the count.
Make a set for your group
Choose the words
Open Birthday Party or another theme and read the list. Choose Edit words if you want to change it.
Choose the card size
Pick 3 × 3, 4 × 4 or 5 × 5. For a 3 × 3 or 5 × 5 card, decide whether to include a free center.
Set the number of cards
Make enough for everyone playing, up to 50 cards in one set.
Check the preview
Check the number of cards made and look through their IDs. Read any warning if the tool could not make as many different cards as you requested.
Print the call list too
Include the call list with the cards. Keep it for the host when you hand out the player pages.
Make Birthday Party bingo cards
Try three Birthday Party cards
Words used
birthday · invitation · guest · party · balloon · streamer · banner · confetti · cake · candle · wish · gift · card · wrapping · ribbon · bow · game · music · dance · snack · juice · cup · plate · napkin
Call listconfetti · music · balloon · wish · card · gift · juice · cup · napkin · plate · banner · ribbon · snack · streamer · candle · dance
Each sample card has eight words and a free center. The call list includes each word used in this set once. It may leave out words from the full theme list that did not appear on any card. Use this call list for the round so every word you call is on at least one card.
What makes the cards different?
The ID helps you tell one card from another. Within a set, each card has a different arrangement. Players can still share words and complete a winning line on the same call, so agree on how to handle a tie before you begin.
Printing a set twice gives you two copies of each card. For a group of up to 50, make all the cards together and print the set once. Cards made in separate sets may overlap; keep each set with its own call list.
Print the cards and run the game
Each bingo card prints on its own page. Long words may wrap onto a second line inside a square. If the words will not fit at your chosen text size, try a smaller grid or smaller text. A long call list continues onto another page.
Tell the group which pattern wins before you start. Mark each word on the call list as you read it out, then use those marks to check a claimed win.