Guessing a word — whether it’s a place, a color, or a name — is one of the oldest mentalism tricks in the world. Great mentalists, however, keep their acts fresh and relevant, even if the effect in itself has been around for decades.
Have you ever seen a mentalist read someone’s mind and accurately guess the word they were thinking?
Were you mind blown by the performance?
Do you want to know how he did it?
In this article, we’re going to discuss mentalism guess word – the 4 ways to do it. With this, you’ll know exactly how the professionals do it and you will be able to do it with your friends and family, too!
So let’s get started!
Mentalism Guess Word – The Gimmick Board
Using a gimmick board is one of the easiest ways to do a mind-reading trick. The board itself is a handy device that allows you to see what your subject wrote down. It requires the least amount of effort.
Whether you want to do this during pre-show meetings or the actual performance, the process typically runs the same way. You ask your subjects to think of a word — any word under the sun.
Once they have it, hand them the clipboard with a single sheet of paper and a marker. Tell your subject to write the word down, after which he can detach the sheet from the clipboard and hide it.
Get the clipboard back. From a certain angle, you’ll be able to see an impression of what your subject wrote. With a bit of theatrics, you can build the tension before revealing the word.
Mentalism Guess Word – The Shiner Technique
This trick requires a bit more effort but is still one of the simplest ones you can do.
Hand your subject a folded paper napkin and a market. You can change the item — a dollar bill, a magazine page, or even playing cards.
Ask him to think about a word. You can anchor this on something more emotional, such as a recent experience or a dream vacation destination. The more significant the word, the better the reaction will be after the reveal.
Have him write it down on a folded paper napkin. You can make a show of turning away, so there’s no way you can see what they’ve written down.
Have him hand the napkin to you word-side down. Once you have it on your palm, ball it up.
At this point, it is a matter of delivery.
How do you figure out what they wrote on the paper napkin? You sneak a peek.
The Shiner technique requires you to have an inconspicuous reflective surface on the table. You’ll use this to read the word through its reflection.
Pro Tip: It’s best to have this reflective surface present from the beginning of the trick to avoid drawing any attention to it. Don’t refer to it at any point in your act — you have to make sure you’ve already placed it in a strategic spot. This way, you won’t even have to touch it during your performance.
Mentalism Guess Word – The Post and the Post-It
You will need a couple of things to ensure the success of this trick.
Using post-its is non-negotiable — this trick will not work with other types of paper. The other thing to consider is where you do the trick. It’s crucial to have a pillar, a post, or a wall behind you.
As with all word-guessing tricks, begin by asking your subject to think of a word. Hand them a pack of post-its and ask them to write the word on it. As they do this, make a show of turning around, placing your hands behind you.
Have them peel off the post-it and fold it into a smaller square before placing it in your hand. Turn around and tell the subject to put all his efforts into visualizing the word. Tell him to imagine it in bold, capitalized letters so that you can tap into that mental picture.
This part of the act serves two purposes. One, it strengthens the illusion of mind-reading. Two, it buys you time.
Unknown to the audience, you had a second folded post-it in your hand from the beginning. Make sure you keep it hidden, especially when you turn around and place your hands behind you. If you want your subject to place the post-it on your right hand, you typically hide your blank post-it on your left.
It is crucial to remember which post-it is which without having to look at either one. While you’re delivering your patter about reading his mind, you’re also unfolding the post-it he wrote on and sticking it on the wall behind you.
Now, face the wall while saying you’ll attempt to read his mind. At this point, his post-it will already be there, and all you have to do is read it.
Since the blank post-it is in your hand, call attention to it by rubbing it between your fingers. It makes the subject think you’re still holding the post-it he wrote on. Face your subject again and buy yourself a bit more time as you take his note and fold it back.
Hand him back his note and exchange it for the pad of post-its and the marker. Say you’ll write down what you read in their minds.
Once you’ve written it down, ask them to open up their note. Open up yours and show the audience that both post-its contain the same word.
Pro Tip: It’s always better to use a storyline — ask for a word that means something to them. It elicits a better reaction than using a randomly chosen one.
Mentalism Guess Word – The Center Tear Technique
Before handing the paper, make sure that you fold it, creating a lengthwise crease. Ask your subject to write down the word in the marked space — it can be a circle or an X followed by a line.
Once he’s written it down, fold the paper along the crease. Then fold the bottom part upward (it should end up a fourth of its original size).
Tear the right side of the paper — just where the word ends. It doesn’t have to be one smooth tear. You can rip it into pieces.
Take the torn pieces and hold them behind the sheet. Spin the paper so that the creased end is facing up.
Rip off both edges — this keeps the word written on the center of the page intact. Make sure you’re keeping all of the pieces you’ve torn up in your hands. The paper with the word has to be on top.
Spin the paper again, making sure the creased edge is on the right (or if you’re left-handed, it should be on the left).
Slightly bend it with your thumb so that it creates a small opening. Ask your subject to hold out his hand — demonstrate how you want him to do it. This doubles as a cover for your sleight of hand.
While you’re doing this, push the folded paper with your left thumb, giving you a glimpse of what they’ve written.
Tear the main piece of paper and put all the ripped pieces in their hands. By this time, you know exactly what word they’ve written down.
Pro-Tip: Use a piece of paper that’s slightly transparent. Not so flimsy that you can read the word, but light enough for you to figure out where the writing ends. If you have thick, board-like paper, you’d be better off performing a different trick.
Bring Your Performance to the Next Level With These Techniques
Carefully craft your script. There truly is power in words. In Lior Suchard’s performances, you’ll notice he often asks the subjects “Did you ever TELL me the word?”, not “Did I ever ask you to WRITE something down?”. When they say no, they’re not lying — they may have written something down before the show, but they never told him. This reinforces the illusion that there was no way that he could have gained access to the information they shared.
Do a subtle reveal. Make the word a part of the conversation. Lior Suchard is very good at this. When he’s about to reveal the word, he doesn’t make a big announcement. If, for example, if it was a name — let’s say, Anthony — he slips it into the conversation by using lines like, “And I’ve never met Anthony, have I?” Sometimes he does it so smoothly it takes the audience a moment or two to realize that the trick is complete. Their reactions are priceless.
Practice sleight of hand. You’ll notice most tricks require your subject to write something down. To get a glimpse of it —whether it’s sticking or switching post-it notes in your hand or ripping it into tiny pieces, sleight of hand is something you’ll have to develop. It takes a lot of practice to achieve the level of agility required in some tricks.
In Conclusion
Just because mind-reading has been there for ages doesn’t mean you have to use the same old routine.
The tricks above give you a menu of options — you can even use them in a single show. Since these four mentalism guess words require different skill levels, you could even use it as a progression arc.
Remember, the more moves a trick requires, the more practice it requires. To truly hone your craft, you have to invest time and effort.
When you get to the point when you can deliver these perfectly, you’ll realize how much your hard work paid off. So what are you waiting for? There’s no better time to start than now!