The term GAME PLAYED IN WHISPERS can be solved by the crossword solution TELEPHONE, which is a nine-letter word. TELEPHONE is a game in which players form a circle and one person whispers a phrase or sentence into the ear of the person next to them. The phrase is then passed around the circle until it reaches the last person, who must then say the phrase out loud. The goal of the game is to see how much the phrase has changed by the time it reaches the end of the circle.