On each team, the player who was given the password gave a one-word clue from which their partner attempted to guess the password. Gameplay alternated between the two teams. The word to be conveyed (the 'password') was given to one player on each team and was shown onscreen to viewers as well as spoken softly on the audio track. Two teams, each consisting of one celebrity player and one 'civilian' contestant, competed. In 2013, TV Guide ranked it #8 in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever. The show was revived on NBC in 2022 with Keke Palmer as host and featuring Jimmy Fallon. All of these versions introduced new variations in gameplay. Two revivals later aired on NBC: Password Plus from 1979 to 1982, and Super Password from 1984 to 1989, followed by a primetime version, Million Dollar Password, on CBS from 2008 to 2009. The original host was Allen Ludden, who had previously been well known as the host of the G.E. It aired on CBS from 1961 to 1967, and ABC from 1971 to 1975. The show was created by Bob Stewart and originally produced by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions.

Password is an American television game show in which two teams, each composed of a celebrity player and a contestant, attempt to convey mystery words to each other using only single-word clues, in order to win cash prizes.