Games & Puzzles
Mad Libs Generator - Fill-in-the-Blank Story Builder
Choose a story template, fill in nouns, verbs, adjectives, and names, then reveal the hilarious result. Multiple story templates included.
What are Mad Libs?
Mad Libs is a phrasal template word game invented by Leonard Stern and Roger Price in 1958. One player prompts others for words (a noun, a verb, an adjective...) without revealing the story context. The words are inserted into a template, often producing absurd and funny results.
How to play
Classic social mode: one person holds the story template and asks other players for words by category ("Give me a noun... now a past-tense verb...") without revealing any context. When all blanks are filled, read the completed story aloud for maximum comedic effect.
Solo mode: fill in all the blanks yourself, then reveal the full story. Works well as a creative writing warm-up or for practicing parts of speech.
Parts of speech quick reference
| Part of speech | Definition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Person, place, or thing | cat, Chicago, happiness |
| Plural noun | More than one noun | cats, cities, ideas |
| Proper noun | Specific name | Albert Einstein, Mars, Google |
| Verb (base) | Action or state | run, explode, contemplate |
| Verb (past tense) | Action that already happened | ran, exploded, contemplated |
| Verb (gerund) | Verb used as a noun (-ing) | running, exploding, contemplating |
| Adjective | Describes a noun | enormous, slimy, purple |
| Adverb | Modifies a verb or adjective | quickly, awkwardly, very |
| Exclamation | Interjection or shout | Wow!, Yikes!, Oh no! |
| Number | A numerical value | 42, 1,000, 3.14 |
| Color | A color name | crimson, teal, neon green |
Educational value
Mad Libs are commonly used in elementary education to teach parts of speech in an engaging way.
Writing your own Mad Libs
- Choose a recognizable structure: news reports, fairy tales, recipes, and movie plots work well because the formula is familiar - the unexpected words create the humor.
- Place blanks at surprising locations: replacing a key noun or an important adjective is funnier than replacing a filler word. Aim for blanks near the emotional or dramatic peaks of the story.
- Aim for at least 10 blanks: fewer than 8–10 blanks produces a story that barely changes; more than 20 starts to feel like work. A well-paced story has about 12–15 blanks spread evenly through the text.
- Mix categories: using only nouns gets monotonous. A mix of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and at least one exclamation creates more dynamic results.