Bridge Glossary: 50 Essential Contract Bridge Terms Explained
This bridge glossary defines the 50 terms every new player of the bridge card game actually needs, in plain English. Each entry answers “what is this in bridge” in two or three sentences, so you can look up a word mid-lesson and get back to the cards.
By Tracey Bauer
Contract bridge has a vocabulary all its own, and nothing slows a new player down like nodding along to a word they don't know. Bookmark this page. If you're brand new to the game, start with our complete beginner's guide to bridge and keep this glossary open beside it. Every term links back to the lessons where we teach it, and the list grows as the 50 Conventions in 50 Days series does.
Auction
The auction in bridge is the bidding phase of each deal, where the four players take turns making calls until one side wins the right to name the contract. It begins with the dealer and ends when a bid is followed by three consecutive passes. The auction is a conversation in code, and learning to speak it clearly with your partner is half the game.
Balanced hand
A balanced hand in bridge is a hand with no void, no singleton, and at most one doubleton, meaning the shapes 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, and 5-3-3-2. Balanced hands are the natural territory for no trump bidding, such as opening 1NT with 15 to 17 HCP. Recognizing whether your hand is balanced or unbalanced is one of the first sorting decisions in every auction.
Bid
A bid in bridge is a call that names a number of tricks and a trump suit (or no trump), such as 2♥, which offers to win 8 of the 13 tricks with hearts as trump. Each bid must outrank the one before it, either by level or by suit rank, with ♣ lowest, then ♦, ♥, ♠, and no trump highest. Every bid tells partner something, which is why good bidding is less about the cards you hold and more about the story you tell.
Blackwood
Blackwood is a bridge convention where a bid of 4NT asks partner how many aces they hold, so the partnership can check for missing aces before bidding a slam. In the classic version, 5♣ shows zero or four aces, 5♦ shows one, 5♥ shows two, and 5♠ shows three. Most modern partnerships play the upgraded version, Roman Keycard Blackwood, which counts the trump king as a fifth “keycard,” and Bridge Unleashed teaches it with 0314 responses in the 50 Conventions in 50 Days curriculum.
Contract
A contract in bridge is the final bid of the auction, which commits the declaring side to win a specific number of tricks in a chosen trump suit or in no trump. For example, a contract of 4♠ means the declaring side must win at least 10 of the 13 tricks with spades as trump. Making the contract scores points for the declaring side, while falling short gives points to the defenders.
Convention
A convention in bridge is an agreed-upon bid whose meaning is artificial, telling your partner something about your hand rather than suggesting the bid suit as trump. Conventions like Stayman and Blackwood let partnerships exchange precise information within the limited vocabulary of the auction. Bridge Unleashed teaches the 50 most useful ones in the 50 Conventions in 50 Days curriculum. Partnerships write their agreements on a convention card, which is what the opponents are entitled to see.
Cue bid
A cue bid in bridge is a bid of a suit the opponents have shown, or a bid made to show a control rather than a place to play. In competitive auctions, cue bidding the opponent's suit typically shows a strong hand or a strong raise of partner's suit. In slam auctions, cue bids let partners show aces, kings, and shortness on the way to deciding whether 12 tricks are there.
Dealer
The dealer in bridge is the player who distributes the 52 cards, 13 to each player, and makes the first call of the auction. The deal rotates clockwise around the table so everyone takes a turn. In duplicate bridge the dealer is printed on the board, which is one less thing to argue about.
Declarer
The declarer in bridge is the player who first bid the suit (or no trump) of the final contract for their side, and who plays both their own hand and the dummy's. Declarer's job is to win at least the number of tricks the contract promises. The player to declarer's left makes the opening lead.
Defender
A defender in bridge is one of the two players opposing the declarer, trying to win enough tricks to defeat the contract. The defender to declarer's left makes the opening lead, and the two defenders cooperate through their card play since they cannot talk. Defense is the hardest part of bridge and also the part played most often, so every hour spent on it pays twice.
Discard
A discard in bridge is a card you play from another suit, other than trump, when you cannot follow suit to the card led. A discard cannot win the trick, but it can protect winners you need later or send partner a message about what you hold. Careless discards give away more contracts than bad finesses ever will.
Distribution
Distribution in bridge is the pattern of suit lengths in a hand, written as four numbers such as 5-4-3-1 for five spades, four hearts, three diamonds, and one club. Distribution matters as much as high card points, because long suits produce extra tricks and short suits produce ruffs. Two hands with identical point counts can be worlds apart once you look at their shape.
Double
A double in bridge is a call that increases the penalty if the opponents fail to make their contract, and increases their reward if they make it. Doubles at low levels are usually “takeout,” asking partner to bid a suit rather than expecting to defend. Whether a double is takeout or penalty depends on the auction, and it is one of the most important distinctions in modern bidding. Both takeout doubles and negative doubles have their own guide.
Doubleton
A doubleton in bridge is a holding of exactly two cards in a suit. Once a trump fit is found, a doubleton adds value because the hand can ruff the third round of that suit. Learning to count shape alongside points is one of the fastest upgrades a newer player can make.
Dummy
The dummy in bridge is the declarer's partner, whose 13 cards are placed face up on the table after the opening lead. The declarer chooses which card the dummy plays to every trick, so the dummy takes no active part in the play of the hand. Declarer plays those 13 cards and their own 13 as a single unit, and that is what makes declarer play such a rich strategic exercise.
Duplicate bridge
Duplicate bridge is the competitive form of the game where the same deals are played at multiple tables, so every partnership faces identical cards. Your score depends on how well you did compared with other pairs who held the same hands, which removes most of the luck of the deal. It is the format used in clubs and tournaments run by organizations like the ACBL.
Entry
An entry in bridge is a card that allows you to win a trick in a specific hand, giving you the lead there when you need it. Declarers manage entries to reach established winners in the dummy, and defenders manage them to reach each other's tricks. Many contracts are won or lost not on power but on being in the right hand at the right time.
Finesse
A finesse in bridge is a play that tries to win a trick with a card lower than one the opponents hold, by taking advantage of that higher card's position. A classic example: leading toward a hand with the A♠ and Q♠ and playing the queen if the opponent in front of it does not play the king. A simple finesse succeeds about half the time, and knowing when to take one is a core declarer skill.
Fit
A fit in bridge is a combined holding of eight or more cards in one suit between the two partnership hands, such as five spades opposite three. An eight-card or better fit is the standard target for choosing a trump suit, which is why so much of bidding is a search for the fit. When no fit exists, no trump usually becomes the home.
Forcing bid
A forcing bid in bridge is a bid that partner is not allowed to pass, because it promises more bidding to come. Forcing bids let a partnership explore for the right game or slam without fear of the auction dying too early. Knowing which of your bids are forcing and which are not is the single most common source of partnership misunderstandings, so agree on it early. One system built on exactly this idea, Two Over One, makes a two-over-one response forcing all the way to game.
Game
A game in bridge is a contract worth at least 100 trick points, which earns a large scoring bonus. The standard game contracts are 3NT, 4♥ or 4♠ in the major suits, and 5♣ or 5♦ in the minor suits. Partnerships with roughly 25 or more combined high card points usually try to bid a game because the bonus is so valuable.
HCP (High Card Points)
HCP, or high card points, is the standard method for measuring the strength of a bridge hand: ace = 4, king = 3, queen = 2, jack = 1. A full deck contains 40 HCP, so an average hand holds 10. Point count drives most bidding decisions, such as opening 1NT with 15 to 17 HCP.
Honor
An honor in bridge is one of the top five cards in a suit: the ace, king, queen, jack, or 10. Honors win tricks directly and combine with each other, which is why A-K-Q in one suit is worth more than the same cards scattered across three suits. When players talk about “honor strength,” they mean how much of a hand's value sits in these top cards.
IMP
An IMP, or International Match Point, is the scoring unit used in team bridge. The point difference between the two tables' results on a deal is converted to IMPs on a fixed scale that flattens huge swings. IMP scoring rewards bidding and making games and slams, which makes team bridge feel very different from matchpoint pairs.
Major suit
The major suits in bridge are ♠ and ♥, the two higher-ranking suits, which score more per trick than the minors. Game in a major is at the four level, requiring 10 tricks, which is one trick fewer than game in a minor. This scoring edge is why so much of modern bidding, from Stayman to transfers, is built around finding an eight-card major suit fit.
Matchpoints
Matchpoints is the scoring method used in most duplicate pairs games, where your result on each deal is compared with every other pair who held the same cards. You earn one matchpoint for each pair you beat and half for each tie, so even a small edge like an overtrick can be worth a top score. Matchpoints rewards fighting for every trick on every deal.
Minor suit
The minor suits in bridge are ♣ and ♦, the two lower-ranking suits, which score less per trick than the majors. Game in a minor is 5♣ or 5♦, requiring 11 tricks, so partnerships often prefer 3NT with only nine tricks when they can manage it. The minors do their best work as the quiet foundation of the auction rather than the final destination.
No trump
No trump in bridge is a contract played without any trump suit, so the highest card in the suit led wins each trick. No trump contracts are written with NT, as in 1NT or 3NT, and 3NT is the most common game contract because it requires only nine tricks. Balanced hands with strength in every suit are the natural home for no trump bidding.
Opening bid
An opening bid in bridge is the first bid of the auction, made by the first player who chooses not to pass. It sets the tone for the whole deal, describing the opener's strength and shape to partner, such as opening 1♥ with five or more hearts and 12 or more points. Everything that follows in the auction builds on what the opening bid promised. The strongest opening of all, 2♣, has its own guide.
Opening lead
The opening lead in bridge is the first card of the play, made by the defender to declarer's left before the dummy is placed face up. It is the only card chosen without seeing dummy, which makes it both the blindest and one of the most influential plays of the whole hand. Standard agreements, like leading fourth from your longest and strongest suit against no trump, exist to make this guess an educated one.
Overcall
An overcall in bridge is a bid made after the opponents have opened the auction. It competes for the contract, suggests a lead to partner, and takes bidding space away from the other side, such as bidding 1♠ over an opponent's 1♦ opening. A simple overcall typically shows a decent five-card or longer suit and roughly 8 to 16 points.
Overtrick
An overtrick in bridge is any trick the declaring side wins beyond what the contract required, such as taking 11 tricks in a 4♠ contract. Overtricks score a small bonus per trick, and at matchpoints that small bonus can be the difference between a top and an average board. At IMPs, the safety of the contract matters far more than an extra 30 points.
Partscore
A partscore in bridge is any contract below game level, worth fewer than 100 trick points, such as 2♠ or 3♦. Partscores earn a small bonus rather than the big game bonus, so they are the target when the partnership lacks the strength for game. Winning the fight for a partscore is one of the quiet skills that separates good pairs from average ones.
Pass
A pass in bridge is a call that makes no bid, no double, and no redouble, simply handing the turn to the next player. The auction ends when a bid is followed by three consecutive passes, and if all four players pass at the start, the deal is thrown in with no contract. Passing is not quitting; a well-judged pass is often the strongest call at the table.
Preempt
A preempt in bridge is a high-level opening bid or jump made with a weak hand and a long suit, such as opening 3♣ with seven clubs and little outside strength. The goal is to take away the opponents' bidding space before they can exchange information. Preempts trade safety for disruption, and vulnerability should always temper how bold you get.
Redouble
A redouble in bridge is a call available only after the opponents have doubled, and it doubles the stakes again in both directions. A redouble can show confidence that the contract will make, or by agreement it can carry a conventional meaning, like showing 10 or more points after partner's opening bid is doubled. Scores in redoubled contracts get very large very fast.
Response
A response in bridge is the bid made by the partner of the opening bidder. Responses describe strength and shape so the partnership can find its best contract, such as responding 1♠ to partner's 1♣ opening to show four or more spades. The opener and responder take turns narrowing the picture until one of them can place the final contract.
Rubber
A rubber in bridge is the traditional scoring unit of home and social play, won by the first side to make two games. Rubber bridge adds bonuses for winning the rubber and keeps a running score above and below the line. Most competitive play today uses duplicate scoring instead, but rubber bridge is where many players first learn the game.
Ruff
To ruff in bridge is to win a trick by playing a trump card when you have no cards left in the suit that was led. Ruffing turns small trumps into winners, which is a main reason to play in a suit contract instead of no trump. Scoring extra tricks by ruffing in the shorter trump hand is one of declarer's most reliable techniques.
Sacrifice
A sacrifice in bridge is a deliberate bid of a contract you do not expect to make, because going down, even doubled, figures to cost less than the score the opponents would earn for their contract. Sacrifices depend heavily on vulnerability, which sets the price of going down. A good sacrifice is a calculated purchase, not a panic bid.
Singleton
A singleton in bridge is a holding of exactly one card in a suit. In a suit contract a singleton is an asset, since the hand can start ruffing that suit on the second round. In no trump the same singleton becomes a liability, which is a tidy example of how the value of a hand changes with the contract.
Slam
A slam in bridge is a contract at the six level or higher. A small slam (like 6♥) commits your side to winning 12 of the 13 tricks, and a grand slam (like 7NT) requires all 13. Slams pay large bonuses, so partnerships use tools like Blackwood to check for aces before bidding them.
Stayman
Stayman is a bridge convention where a 2♣ response to partner's 1NT opening asks whether opener holds a four-card major suit. Opener answers 2♥ or 2♠ with one, or 2♦ with neither, helping the partnership find a 4-4 major suit fit instead of guessing. It is one of the first conventions every new player should learn, and we break it down fully in our Stayman guide.
Stopper
A stopper in bridge is a card holding that prevents the opponents from running a suit against a no trump contract, such as an ace, a guarded king like K-x, or a guarded queen like Q-x-x. Before bidding 3NT, partnerships want confidence that every suit the opponents might attack is stopped. Tools like the Western cue bid exist precisely to ask partner about a stopper when you cannot see one yourself.
Transfer
A transfer in bridge is a convention where a response to a 1NT opening asks opener to bid the next suit up, letting the stronger hand play the contract. In Jacoby Transfers, the most common version, 2♦ asks opener to bid 2♥ and 2♥ asks for 2♠, showing five or more cards in that major. Transfers keep the opening lead coming into the strong hand, and we teach them in our workshops.
Trick
A trick in bridge is one round of play where all four players contribute one card each, and the highest card of the suit led (or the highest trump) wins. Every deal contains exactly 13 tricks, and the whole game revolves around how many your side can win. The auction decides how many tricks your side must take, and the play decides whether you deliver.
Trump
Trump in bridge is the suit named by the final contract, and any card in that suit outranks every card in the other three suits. If ♠ are trump, the 2♠ beats even the A♥ when a player has no hearts left. The auction decides which suit becomes trump, or the hand can be played in no trump with no trump suit at all.
Void
A void in bridge is a suit in which a hand holds zero cards. In a suit contract a void is powerful, allowing immediate ruffs the moment that suit is led. Voids also complicate ace-asking auctions, since an ace you cannot use in a void suit counts less than the math suggests, which is a judgment call worth discussing with your partner.
Vulnerability
Vulnerability in bridge is a scoring condition that raises both the bonuses for making games and the penalties for going down. In duplicate it is preset for each deal, and in rubber bridge a side becomes vulnerable once it has won a game. A vulnerable side scores more for its games and slams but pays more when it fails, so vulnerability shapes how aggressively good players bid and sacrifice. Checking the vulnerability before you compete is a habit worth building early.
Weak two bid
A weak two bid in bridge is an opening bid of 2♦, 2♥, or 2♠ showing a good six-card suit and a weak hand, typically about 5 to 10 points. It describes the hand in one call and pressures the opponents to start their auction a level higher. Weak twos are the everyday cousin of the preempt, and conventions like Ogust exist to help partner judge how high to go opposite one.
Keep going
A glossary gets you the words. Playing gets you the game. The Bridge Unleashed workshop library walks every major convention from zero to table-ready, one convention at a time, and you can browse the whole library at bridgeunleashed.com/workshops. There's also a VIP membership if you'd rather learn on an ongoing path than one workshop at a time.
