Two Truths and a Lie: How to Play, Plus Ideas and Examples

The rules

Players: 3 or more. Time: about a minute per person. Needs: nothing, though paper and a pen help if you want to keep score.

1. Think of three statements. Two must be true about you. One must be a lie. Take a minute to write them down or hold them in your head.
2. Go first. One player says their three statements out loud. The order is your choice, and the lie does not have to be last.
3. Question time (optional). Others may ask one or two questions each, such as “Which country was that?” You can answer, but you may only lie about the lie.
4. Vote. On a count of three, everyone points at the statement they think is false, or says its number.
5. Reveal. Say which one was the lie. The truths usually come with a story, which is the best part.
6. Next player. Move clockwise until everyone has had a turn.

Scoring

The game is fine without points, but if you want a winner:

• A guesser who spots the lie scores 1 point.
• The storyteller scores 1 point for each person who guesses wrong.
• Play one round each and add up the totals. Highest score wins.

If you want to cut down on lucky guesses, ask players to name the lie before they hear any answers to questions.

What makes a good set

• Make the lie believable. A lie like “I have been to Mars” is no puzzle. “I have broken my arm twice” is.
• Make a truth sound strange. The truth that sounds like a lie is what beats the table. “I once won a goat at a fair” works if it is true.
• Keep it specific. Details are convincing. “I lived in Lisbon for a year” beats “I have lived abroad.”
• Do not tell all three the same way. If you lean in on the lie or speak faster, people will notice.

Two Truths and a Lie ideas and examples

Each line is one statement. Pick two true ones about you and one that is false, or borrow the shape and swap in your own details.

For work and icebreakers

1. I have worked in a restaurant kitchen.
2. I can speak more than two languages.
3. My first job was delivering newspapers.
4. I once met a famous person by accident.
5. I have never had a cup of coffee.
6. I have run a marathon.
7. I have lived in three different countries.
8. I can juggle.
9. I have been on local TV.
10. My commute used to be over an hour each way.
11. I started in a different career altogether.
12. I have sung on stage.
13. I have never missed a flight.
14. I learned to code before I could drive.
15. I am afraid of one very ordinary thing, like escalators.
16. I once got lost in a city and ended up in the wrong country.
17. I have a tattoo that no one at work knows about.
18. I have taken a cold shower every day for a month.

For friends and parties

1. I have been stuck in a lift for over an hour.
2. I once got a speeding ticket on a bicycle.
3. I have eaten something I could not identify.
4. I have broken a bone doing something dumb.
5. I was in a school play as a tree.
6. I have gone to a concert alone.
7. I have swum with something large in the sea.
8. I once won a raffle prize and never collected it.
9. I know how to pick a lock.
10. I have been kicked out of a place for laughing.
11. I once fell asleep at a wedding.
12. I have never seen a certain very famous film.
13. I have a distant relative who is famous.
14. I can touch my nose with my tongue.
15. I have camped in a field with no toilets.
16. I have been to a festival on a different continent.
17. I once drove the wrong way down a one-way street.
18. I have a strange collection, like hotel soaps or old keys.
19. I have been on a blind date set up by my parents.
20. I once lost a phone in a taxi and got it back.

For couples and dates

1. I had a crush on a teacher.
2. I have cried at an advert.
3. I have been engaged before.
4. I have kissed someone on a first date within five minutes.
5. I have texted the wrong person something embarrassing.
6. I once ghosted someone and still feel bad.
7. I have a nickname I hate.
8. I sleep with a stuffed toy.
9. I have written a love letter and never sent it.
10. I proposed a name for our future dog before we met.
11. I have pretended to like a band for someone.
12. I have been on a date where I walked out.
13. I have moved cities for love.
14. I once cooked a meal that nobody could finish.
15. I have never been in a long-distance relationship.
16. I have met an ex’s parents.

For more of this kind of thing, see the truth or dare questions for couples and games to play on a date.

For kids and school

Keep these simple and about everyday life: pets, food, birthdays, places visited, school subjects. For example: “I have a pet rabbit,” “I have been on a plane,” “I can ride a unicycle.” Younger players need a careful adult to make sure the lie is obviously not true to them, otherwise the game stalls.

3 ways to play

1. In person with nothing

Sit in a circle and go round. This is the standard version and needs no equipment. See the games to play with friends without anything list for more like it.

2. With paper or sticky notes

Everyone writes their three statements on a card, folds it and puts it in a hat. Pull out a card and read it aloud. The group guesses which one is the lie and who wrote it. This is good for shy groups, because nobody has to perform. Use a random order generator to decide who goes first.

3. On a video call

Post statements in the chat. Vote with emoji, a poll or by number. For big calls, use breakout rooms of four or five people and give each room a few minutes.

Variations

Two Lies and a Truth. The reverse. Harder to play, because the guesser looks for the single true statement.

Team version. Teams of 3 or 4 build statements together about one of their members, and the other team guesses who the true story belongs to.

Themed. Limit every statement to a topic: travel, food, school, childhood, work. This helps shy players because they have less to choose from.

Drinking version. Wrong guessers take a sip. Keep the rule simple so the game does not turn into just drinking. For other ideas, see the party games for adults.

Fake bio. Write three statements about a famous person or a fictional character and let the group guess.

Tips

• Pick statements that are true and unusual rather than boring and obvious.
• Do not make the lie too silly, or it gives itself away.
• If you are guessing, watch who fidgets, and who smiles at a truth they are proud of.
• If you play often with the same people, keep a note of what has been used.

More to read

If you like bluffing games, try the imposter game, how to play Spyfall or how to play Codenames.