Dixit is a French-originated board game that is widely popular and available in numerous languages. The game promotes creativity for both children and adults through the art of storytelling.
This Dixit rules guide will cover the following:
- What is Dixit?
- Brief history of Dixit
- What you’ll need to play Dixit
- Dixit rules
- How to play Dixit (Video Tutorial)
- FAQs
Read on to learn how to play Dixit!
What is Dixit?
The name Dixit stems from the Latin word meaning “he/she/it said”
Dixit is primarily a card game that includes a scoreboard to track each player’s points earned throughout the game.
Internationally recognized, Dixit is a fun group game enjoyed at parties and has various expansion opportunities for extended gameplay.
Number of Players: 3-6 players
Ages: Recommended for ages 8+
Difficulty: Easy
Length of Play: 30 minutes
Similar to: Balderdash, Pictionary, Guess Who, Telestrations
Main Objective: Be the first to earn 30 points by identifying images from other players’ descriptions.
Why We Love It: Dixit is an entertaining party game that moves quickly and keeps everyone engaged. Guessing games are highly interactive, especially when you get to vote on other players’ cards.
Related: 3 player card games
A Brief History of Dixit
Published by a French gaming company, Libellud, in 2008, Dixit is an artfully designed card game with over 8 expansions available.
The game received numerous international honors and awards, including the Parent’s Choice Approved Award in 2011 and Games Magazine Best New Party Game Award in 2010.
Dixit can be found in a variety of languages, including English, French, Polish, Arabic, and Chinese.
What You’ll Need to Play Dixit
Everything you need to play is included in the box.
The original box contains:
- Built-in Scoring Track
- 84 Image Cards
- 36 Voting tokens (in 6 different colors)
- 6 Wooden Rabbit Meeples
Area of Play
Before playing, lay the board out on the table. All players set their colored markers on the starting position on the board.
Since voting is based on the number of players, each player selects only the number of voting tokens needed.
After shuffling the deck, deal 6 cards face-down to each player. The player who begins the round is the active player.
Dixit Rules
The active player chooses a card to describe to the group, and the description can be any of the following:
- Words
- Poems
- Noises
- Sentences
- Songs
After the active player describes their card, all other players choose a card in their hand matching the description as closely as possible.
Receiving these cards face-down and shuffling the original card into the mix, the active player will randomly reveal each card by placing them alongside the board by the numbers 1-6.
NOTE: If there are only 4 players, the cards will go in spaces 1-4, and so on.
Voting
Everyone except the active player will then use one of their voting tokens to select the original card they think is. Players cannot vote for their own cards.
To clarify, if a player thinks the card positioned in space 3 on the board is the active player’s card, they will place a voting tile numbered “3” on that card.
After voting, the active player will point out which card was theirs.
- Players receive 2 points for guessing the correct card; however, the active player will receive 0 points if everyone guesses correctly.
- If no one votes for the active player’s card, the active player still receives 0 points, but the other players still receive 2 points, plus an additional point for any votes made on their card.
- If at least one person votes the active card correctly, those and the active player will each get 3 points. Everyone still earns one point for each vote received on their cards.
Discard the used cards, deal replacement cards back out to the group, and rotate clockwise to the next player. The new player is now the active player, and everyone starts another round.
3-Player Modifications
In a three-player game, each player will start the game with 7 cards instead of 6.
Aside from the active player, both players will play two cards instead of one and will vote twice, using voting tokens 1-5.
How to Keep Score in Dixit
Players earn points from each vote on their card. When a player earns points, they move their marker further along the board. The first player to reach 30 points is declared the winner.
If the deck of cards runs out before a player reaches 30, the player with the most points wins.
How to Play Dixit – Video Tutorial
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the game called Dixit?
Dixit is a Latin word meaning “he said it himself” or “she said it herself.” It represents the active player’s descriptive language for the card descriptions in the form of an opinion.
Who created the game, Dixit?
French games designer Jean-Louis Roubira is the original creator of Dixit.
Is Dixit Odyssey a stand-alone game?
Dixit Odyssey is a stand-alone game that can also be played as an expansion for the original Dixit game. There are over 8 expansion packs for Dixit as well, including Dixit Daydreams and Dixit Revelations.
How do you say, Dixit?
Pronounce Dixit just as you would phonetically sound it out in American English.
Two syllables, the word is pronounced: /dik suht/
Other Games Similar to Dixit (Our Guides)
After playing Dixit, check out these fun-filled guessing games:
- Apples-to-Apples rules
- Mad Gab rules
- Family Feud Card Game rules
- Whoonu rules
- It’s In The Bag! (guide coming soon)
