Custom words not working? Check these four rules

Check the separators, number of prompts, per-word length, and custom-only option first. A room connection error is a separate problem.

Illustration, not a game screenshot: a private-room settings panel

Illustration, not a game screenshot: a cat sketch beside three sample players

Research notes

The live homepage input on 13 October 2026 says at least 10 comma-separated words, 1–32 characters each, and 20,000 characters maximum. game.js has an older translation mentioning 10,000. Short lists below 10,000 avoid this disagreement; the server-side upper bound was not tested.

Checks in order

Count the items. Fewer than 10 will not qualify. Then check each item is 32 characters or under. Then make sure the separator is a comma. A newline-only list is not what the tooltip asks for.

If the default words still appear, “Use custom words only” is off. That checkbox is in the same settings panel. Custom words are mixed in until you check it.

Under 10 words
An item longer than 32 characters
Missing commas
Only one player in the room
Custom-only left unchecked

What I will not call a fix

I did not find a client message that says custom words fail because of an ad blocker or a browser extension. If the room itself will not connect, that is a different problem: room not found, already connected, or maintenance. Those strings are on the private-room and status pages.

Questions

The game uses its own words anyway.

Turn on Use custom words only. Without that checkbox the default pool stays in the rotation.

Which character limit should I use?

The live input allows 20,000; the older translation says 10,000. Use a short list below 10,000 including commas. Neither client text proves the server-side upper bound.

Sources

skribbl.io client (game.js) — Client UI and error messages, not server-side guarantees. Its 10,000-character translation conflicts with the 20,000-character homepage input.
skribbl.io Fandom — Unofficial CC BY-SA wiki. API statistics showed 21 articles on 13 October 2026; wiki edits are not game releases.
skribbl.io — Official rules, dated News, room word-language menu, and custom-word input. Checked 13 October 2026; not a gameplay test.

Updated 2026-10-13. Numbers that can change are dated to the day they were read.

Independent, unofficial guide. Not affiliated with skribbl.io, ticedev, or CrazyGames. Play on skribbl.io (official).