Bridge has its own vocabulary. Terms like “declarer,” “dummy,” “vulnerable,” and “going down” mean very specific things at the table, and until you know them, following a lesson or a hand at a club can feel like being talked at in a foreign language. This guide covers the bridge terminology every beginner needs, organised by the phase of the game where you will encounter each word.
Start with five core terms: A contract is the commitment to win tricks; a trick is one round of four cards; the declarer plays both hands; the dummy is their partner’s exposed hand; and high-card points (HCP) measure hand strength. Master these and the rest follows.
Plain-English Summary: Bridge has its own vocabulary that beginners need to learn before they can follow a lesson or a hand at a club. The most important terms cover four areas: the table and players, the bidding, the play of the cards, and the scoring. Every bridge hand involves a declarer (who plays the hand), a dummy (whose cards go face-up on the table), and two defenders (who try to stop the declarer). A “trick” is one round of four cards, and the side that wins enough tricks to fulfil their “contract” earns points. High-card points (HCP) are the standard way to measure the strength of your hand before you bid.
James Harrington has introduced hundreds of new players to bridge over the years, and the moment that most often trips people up is not the rules themselves. It is the language. This guide covers the bridge terminology every beginner needs to know, organised by the phase of the game where you will encounter each word. Rather than a dry list of definitions, each section explains not just what a term means but when it comes up and why it matters. By the time you reach the end, you will have the vocabulary to follow any lesson, read any bridge column, and hold your own at a club without needing to ask what every second word means.
If you are still getting to grips with how the game works from the beginning, the how to play bridge guide gives you the full picture first.
What Are the Bridge Terms for the Table, the Players, and the Seats?
Before the cards are dealt, four players sit down at a square table. Understanding the terms for who is who is the first vocabulary lesson.
Table and player terms
North, South, East, West
The four players are labelled with compass directions. North sits opposite South; East sits opposite West. Players across from each other are partners. Players on either side of you are opponents. Read more in the bridge positions guide.
Partnership
Two players who work together as a team. North–South form one partnership; East–West form the other.
Dealer
The player who deals the cards for that hand. The dealer is also the first to speak in the bidding. The dealer position rotates clockwise after every hand.
LHO / RHO
Left-Hand Opponent and Right-Hand Opponent. These describe your opponents’ positions relative to you. Your LHO sits to your left; your RHO sits to your right. You will hear these abbreviations constantly at a bridge club.
Vulnerable / Not Vulnerable
Each side is either vulnerable or not vulnerable on any given hand. Vulnerable means the bonuses for making ambitious contracts are higher, but the penalties for failing are also steeper. In rubber bridge, you become vulnerable by winning your first game. In duplicate bridge, vulnerability is fixed in advance by the board. The bridge scoring guide explains exactly how vulnerability affects points.
What Do the Bidding Terms in Bridge Mean?
The bidding phase, also called the auction, is where the four players take turns describing their hands and competing to name the final contract.
Bidding terms
Bid
A bid is a proposal to win a certain number of tricks with a named trump suit, or in notrump. Bids are written as a number and a suit: “One Heart,” “Two Spades,” “Three Notrump.” The number tells you how many tricks above six your side is committing to win. A bid of One means seven tricks; a bid of Four means ten; a bid of Seven means all thirteen.
Pass
Declining to bid. Any player may pass on their turn. If all four players pass without a bid being made, the hand is thrown in and redealt.
Double
A call that increases the points at stake if the opponents’ contract is challenged. If you think the opponents cannot make their bid, you may double.
Redouble
A response to a double, increasing the stakes further.
Auction
The complete bidding sequence for one hand, from the first call to the final pass. The auction ends when three players pass in a row after any bid.
Contract
The final bid that wins the auction. It names a trump suit (or notrump) and a number of tricks. “Four Hearts” means the declaring side has committed to winning at least ten tricks with hearts as trumps.
Trump suit
The suit named in the contract. Cards in the trump suit rank above all other suits during play. A low trump beats even an Ace of a non-trump suit.
Notrump
A contract played without a trump suit. The highest card of the suit led wins every trick. Notrump contracts score slightly differently from suit contracts.
Suit ranking
When bids compete, suits rank in a fixed order from lowest to highest: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades, Notrump. A bid of One Heart outranks One Diamond, for example. Clubs and Diamonds are called the minor suits; Hearts and Spades are called the major suits.
Opening bid
The first bid of the auction. The player who makes the first bid (not counting passes) is called the opener. Their partner, who responds to that bid, is called the responder.
What Are the Hand Evaluation Terms in Bridge?
Before you bid, you need to know how to measure the strength of your hand. Bridge has a simple numerical system for this.
Hand evaluation terms
High-card points (HCP)
The standard method for evaluating a hand. Ace = 4, King = 3, Queen = 2, Jack = 1. A full deck contains 40 HCP. An average hand holds 10. Most opening bids require 12 or more. You will hear HCP mentioned in almost every bidding discussion.
Distribution points
Extra points awarded for unusually long or short suits, which give a hand extra power beyond its high cards. A hand with six cards in one suit, for example, often performs better than its HCP alone suggests.
Balanced hand
A hand with no very long or very short suits. The typical patterns are 4–3–3–3, 4–4–3–2, or 5–3–3–2. Balanced hands are often bid in notrump.
Void
Holding no cards at all in one suit. A void is powerful because it allows you to ruff (see below) from the very first trick in that suit.
Singleton
Holding exactly one card in a suit.
Doubleton
Holding exactly two cards in a suit.
Fit
When a partnership holds eight or more cards combined in the same suit, they have a “fit” in that suit. Finding a fit is one of the main goals of the bidding, because an eight-card fit makes an excellent trump suit.
What Are the Card Play Terms in Bridge?
Once the bidding ends, the hand is played. This is where a second set of vocabulary comes in.
Card play terms
Declarer
The player who, for the winning side, first bid the suit (or notrump) named in the final contract. The declarer plays both their own hand and the dummy’s hand. It is not the player who made the highest bid. It is specifically the player who first named the trump suit for their side.
Dummy
The declarer’s partner. After the opening lead, the dummy places all thirteen of their cards face-up on the table, sorted into four suit columns, and then plays no further part in the hand. The declarer calls every card from the dummy.
Defenders
The two players who are not the declarer or dummy. Their job is to take enough tricks to prevent the declarer from making the contract.
Opening lead
The first card played in the hand, made by the player to the left of the declarer. This happens before the dummy places their cards on the table. It is one of the most important decisions a defender makes.
Trick
One round of play in which each of the four players contributes one card. There are thirteen tricks in every hand. The player who leads a trick plays first; the others follow in clockwise order. The trick is won by the highest trump played, or if no trump was played, by the highest card in the suit that was led.
Book
The first six tricks are called “the book.” They are expected and score nothing. Only tricks above book, tricks seven through thirteen, contribute to the contract score. A bid of “One” means the declaring side commits to winning seven tricks: book plus one.
Follow suit
The obligation to play a card in the same suit as the card led, if you hold one. You may only play a different suit (including a trump) if you have no cards in the suit led.
Ruff
To play a trump card when you have no cards left in the suit led. A ruff wins the trick if no higher trump is played. Also called “trumping.”
Finesse
A card-play technique used to win tricks with lower-ranked cards by leading toward a high card and hoping the missing honour is held by the opponent who must play before you. One of the most common and useful plays in bridge.
Making the contract
When the declarer wins at least the number of tricks committed to in the contract, they have “made it.” The declaring side earns points.
Going down / Going off
When the declarer fails to win enough tricks to fulfil the contract. Each trick short of the target is called an undertrick, and the opponents score penalty points for each one. You may also hear the phrase “going down two” or “three off,” meaning the declarer fell short by that many tricks.
Overtrick
A trick won by the declarer in excess of the contract. Overtricks earn bonus points above the line in rubber bridge.
What Do the Bridge Scoring Terms Mean?
After each hand, points are recorded. The scoring vocabulary tells you what everything on the score sheet means.
Scoring terms
Part score
A contract that, when made, does not by itself reach 100 trick points. Bidding and making One Heart, for example, earns only 30 points. That is a part score. Part scores accumulate toward game.
Game
Reaching 100 trick points in one contract. Making a game earns a substantial bonus. The contracts that reach game in a single bid are: Three Notrump (9 tricks, 40+30+30 = 100), Four Hearts or Four Spades (10 tricks, 30×4 = 120), and Five Clubs or Five Diamonds (11 tricks, 20×5 = 100). You can read the full scoring breakdown in the bridge scoring guide.
Slam
A contract bidding for twelve tricks (small slam) or all thirteen tricks (grand slam). Slams carry large bonus scores on top of the regular trick points.
Rubber
In rubber bridge, the first side to win two games wins the rubber and scores a rubber bonus. The word “rubber” describes the complete match.
Matchpoints
The scoring unit used in duplicate bridge. On each board, your result is compared to all other pairs who played the same cards. Every pair you beat scores you matchpoints.
IMPs
International Match Points. Used in team events. The difference between your score and your opponents’ score on the same board is converted into IMPs using a scale.
What Does It Mean to “Make” or “Go Down” in Bridge? A Worked Example
Let us follow one complete hand from deal to score, using all of the terms above in context.
The deal. Four players sit at the table. South is the dealer this hand.
The bidding.
The auction: South deals
Player
Call
What it means
South
One Heart
Opening bid: 13+ HCP, at least five hearts (in many systems)
West
Pass
Not enough strength or shape to bid
North
Four Hearts
Partner has enough to jump straight to game
East
Pass
Declines to compete
South
Pass
Happy with the contract
West
Pass
Auction ends
The final contract is Four Hearts. South named hearts first in the bidding, so South is the declarer. North is the dummy. West and East are the defenders.
The opening lead. West, sitting to the left of South (South’s LHO), must lead the first card. West chooses the King of Spades, hoping to take a quick trick before dummy goes face-up.
The dummy goes down. After West’s lead, North places all thirteen cards face-up on the table in four columns, with the heart suit (trumps) on North’s right. South can now see 26 cards. West and East can each see only their own thirteen.
South counts the hand. She can see eight tricks almost immediately: five trumps in her own hand, two Aces, and one established card in clubs. She needs ten tricks to make the contract. Two more must come from somewhere.
South draws the trumps in two rounds, pulling the hearts from West and East’s hands so they cannot ruff her side-suit winners later. She then leads clubs, setting up a long suit for the extra tricks she needs.
The result. South makes ten tricks. The contract is made. North–South score 120 trick points (30 × 4) plus the game bonus. If South had only won nine tricks, she would have gone down one, and East–West would have scored a 50-point undertrick penalty (not vulnerable).
What Are the Bridge Terms You Will Hear at a Club for the First Time?
A few words and phrases that come up often in club settings.
Club terms
Board
In duplicate bridge, a “board” is the physical tray that holds the pre-dealt cards for each hand, showing the dealer and vulnerability for that deal. “Playing board seven” means playing hand number seven from the set.
Convention
An agreement between partners to use a particular bid with a meaning other than its face value. The Stayman convention, for example, uses a bid of Two Clubs after a One Notrump opening to ask about major suits rather than to show clubs. You can read about common conventions in the bridge conventions hub.
System
The complete set of bidding agreements a partnership uses. Common systems include Standard American and Acol (popular in the UK and Europe).
Overcall
A bid made after the opponents have already opened the bidding. An overcall says “we want to compete for this contract.”
Takeout double
A double that asks your partner to bid their best suit rather than committing you to defending. A fundamental tool for competing in the auction.
Slam try
A bid that suggests your side may have enough combined strength for a slam, inviting partner to show whether they have enough extras.
Pre-empt
A high, weak opening bid designed to use up bidding space and make it difficult for the opponents to find their best contract.
The terminology of bridge conventions and advanced bidding is a world in itself. Our bridge bidding hub is a good place to explore further when you are ready.
What Comes Next After Learning Bridge Terminology?
Knowing the language is the foundation. From here, the natural next step is understanding how all the pieces fit together in a full hand.
The Learn Bridge hub is the best starting point for working through each topic in sequence. If you want to focus on the bidding, the bridge bidding hub covers everything from your first opening bid to the conventions experienced club players use. For how the cards are actually played, start with how to play bridge.
If you want to look at the bidding in depth, opening bids explains what the first call in the auction is trying to communicate. For the play of the hand, declarer play tips shows you how a declarer plans and executes their contracts. And if you want to understand the language defenders use between themselves, defensive signals explains how two players with hidden hands communicate through the cards they choose to play.
You will also find that understanding the bridge rules is much easier now that you know what the terms mean. If you found yourself looking up every term in the scoring section, the bridge scoring guide walks through all the numbers in full detail with a worked example.
And if you are wondering how hard bridge actually is to pick up from scratch, the article is bridge hard to learn? gives you an honest answer.
Bridge rewards people who enjoy learning. The terminology is just the beginning.
Key Takeaways
Bridge has its own vocabulary that beginners need before they can follow a lesson. Learning the terms by phase of the game makes them much easier to absorb.
The four compass-direction seats define partnerships and opponents. North–South play together against East–West.
In the bidding, players propose a “contract”: a commitment to win a certain number of tricks with a named trump suit or notrump.
High-card points (HCP) are the standard way to value a hand. Ace = 4, King = 3, Queen = 2, Jack = 1. There are 40 HCP in a full deck.
The declarer is the player who first bid the winning trump suit. The declarer plays both their own hand and the dummy’s.
A trick is one round of four cards. The first six tricks are “book” and expected. Only tricks above book count toward the contract.
Making the contract earns points. Failing (going down) gives the opponents penalty points for each trick short.
Bridge scoring centres on reaching game (100 trick points) and beyond that, slam bonuses for bidding twelve or thirteen tricks.
Bridge Terms Every Player Should Know: Quick Reference Tables
Term
Definition
Used in
HCP (High-Card Points)
Ace=4, King=3, Queen=2, Jack=1; totals determine hand strength
All bidding decisions
Finesse
Playing toward a missing honor hoping it is in a specific position
Declarer play
Tenace
Two non-adjacent honors in a suit (A-Q, K-J); powerful over the right opponent
Declarer and defense
Void
No cards in a suit
Bidding and play
Singleton
Exactly one card in a suit
Bidding, splinters, ruffing
Doubleton
Exactly two cards in a suit
Opening lead, distribution
Fit
Combined 8+ card holding in a suit between partners
Suit contract bidding
Misfit
Neither partner's long suit is supported by the other
Bidding judgment
Yarborough
Hand with no card higher than a 9 (no honors at all)
Hand evaluation
Overtrick
Each trick taken above the contract level
Scoring (especially duplicate)
Bidding Terms Quick Reference
Term
Meaning
Game force
A bid that obligates both partners to continue bidding until game is reached
Invitational
A bid that asks partner to bid game with maximum values; partner may decline
Sign-off
A bid intended to end the auction; partner should pass
Cuebid
Bidding a suit where you hold first-round control (ace or void), showing slam interest
Preempt
Bidding at a higher level than needed to disrupt opponents' auction
Reverse
Opener's rebid in a higher-ranking suit at the two level; shows 16+ HCP
Jump shift
Bidding a new suit one level higher than necessary; shows 16+ HCP, game force
Transfer
Bidding a suit to request partner to bid the next higher suit (Jacoby Transfer)
For the complete guide to bridge bidding vocabulary in context, see our bridge bidding rules guide. For the conventions that use these terms, see our Stayman and Blackwood guides.
Start with five core terms: contract (the commitment to win a number of tricks), trick (one round of four cards), declarer (the player who plays both hands), dummy (the declarer’s partner, whose cards go face-up on the table), and high-card points (the numerical value of your hand used to decide whether to bid). Those five words appear in almost every lesson and hand, and understanding them makes everything else much clearer.
Dummy is the declarer’s partner. After the player to declarer’s left makes the opening lead, the dummy places all thirteen of their cards face-up on the table, sorted by suit. Dummy then plays no further part in the hand. The declarer calls every card from the dummy, playing both hands until the trick-taking is done.
Going down means the declarer failed to win enough tricks to make their contract. Each trick short of the target is called an undertrick, and the opponents score penalty points for each one. If you bid Four Hearts (needing ten tricks) and only win eight, you went down two. Going down is also called “going off.”
High-card points (HCP) are a simple scoring system for the honour cards in your hand. An Ace is worth 4 points, a King 3, a Queen 2, and a Jack 1. Count up all four suits. A full deck contains exactly 40 HCP, so an average hand holds 10. Most players need 12 or more to make an opening bid, and a combined partnership holding of 25 to 26 HCP is often enough to make a game contract.
A part score is any contract that, when made, scores fewer than 100 trick points in one go. A game means making a single contract that scores at least 100 trick points, which earns a substantial bonus. The contracts that reach game directly are Three Notrump (9 tricks), Four Hearts or Four Spades (10 tricks), and Five Clubs or Five Diamonds (11 tricks). Part scores accumulate toward game in rubber bridge, but in duplicate bridge each board is scored independently.
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The Language of Bridge
Every game has its jargon, and bridge’s vocabulary is really just shorthand for ideas you already understand once you have played a few hands. The words stop being intimidating the moment you see what they describe.
Keep this glossary handy as you work through the Learn Bridge Hub, and reach for it whenever a term in the Bridge Bidding Hub is new to you.