Matching Pairs Games
Matching Pairs is a quick vocabulary game. Every pair is two cards: a word and its opposite, a picture and its name, a question and its answer, even a short YouTube clip and the phrase that describes it. Students drag each card to its match, or play Memory and find the pairs by turning the cards over. Build your own game, browse the ones other teachers have shared, or open a random one for a warm-up.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How does a Matching Pairs game work?
Every pair is two cards, for example a picture of a cat and the word cat. The cards on the left stay in place, and students drag each card from the right onto its match. A right match locks in with a tick, a wrong one bounces back and counts as a mistake. On phones and interactive whiteboards students can also tap a card and then tap its place.
What can I put on the cards?
Text, a picture or a YouTube video, in any combination: a word and its translation, a picture and a word, a question and its answer, or a short clip and the phrase that describes it. Videos are not uploaded to the site – you paste a YouTube link, can choose where the clip starts and ends, and it plays in a pop-up window.
Can students play Memory with the same cards?
Yes. Unless the author switched Memory off, a Match / Memory switch appears above the game. In Memory all the cards lie face down, students turn over two at a time and keep the pairs they find. The timer and the number of tries are shown at the top, and the best time is remembered in the browser.
Can I print a Matching Pairs game?
Yes, in two ways. Print worksheet gives a draw-a-line sheet: numbered cards on the left, lettered cards on the right, and an answer key on a separate page if you tick Answer key; Another order mixes the right column differently for a second group. Print cards gives cards to cut out along the dashed lines, three or four in a row, for Memory or matching on the desk.
Can the whole class play in teams?
Yes. Open the game on the classroom board and choose 2, 3 or 4 teams next to the Match / Memory switch; click a team name to rename it. In Match each team places one card per turn and scores a point if it is right. In Memory a team that finds a pair scores and goes again, a miss passes the turn. Pairs are outlined in the colour of the team that found them, and the winner is announced at the end.