How to play
The category is public. The word is not. Everyone who is crew sees the same word. Each imposter sees either a blank card or, if you switched hint mode on, a vague hint from that category. Nobody is told who the imposters are. You win the room by sounding as if you know the word, or by noticing who does not.
Set the table
Choose 3 to 20 players, how many imposters, a category, and whether imposters see a hint. Add names if you want the phone to use them.
Deal the words in private
Pass the phone around. Each person holds the card, reads their own word, and hides it before the phone moves on.
Give clues
A randomly chosen player starts. Talk about the secret word without saying it. Start the timer if you set one.
Vote and reveal
Agree who is bluffing, then confirm the reveal to see the word and the imposters. Play again deals a new word with the same settings.
A good house rule is one clue each, going clockwise from the starting player, then a second clue only if the group is stuck. Vote out loud or with a pointed finger on three. Then use Reveal. Play again keeps the same headcount, category, hint setting and timer, deals a new word, and chooses the imposters again. The long version, including how a vote is won, is on how to play.
Rules you can change
Hint mode
Turn this on for younger players, a very wide category such as Countries, or a group that has never played. The hint belongs to the secret word. It is related, and it is not the answer. Imposters still have to talk their way through clues that may only half fit. Leave it off once the table knows the game. A blank card is funnier.
Several imposters
The generator allows one imposter for every three players, so six people can hide two bluffers and nine can hide three. They are not introduced to each other. Decide the win before you deal: either the imposters win if the vote names a crew member, or they win only when every imposter is missed. The second rule is harsh on the crew and better for a short party round.
Timed rounds
One minute is a lightning round: one word each and an immediate vote. Three minutes suits a table of eight. Five minutes is plenty for a classroom that wants every pupil to speak. Start the timer yourself once the phone has come back to the table, so the clock is not running while people are still peeking.
Tips that actually help
If you are the imposter
- Let someone else speak first if you can. Their clue is free information.
- Copy the shape of what they said and add a detail that could fit several words in the category. “Packed in lunchboxes” is safer than guessing “banana” out loud.
- Ask a question instead of staking a claim. Questions sound involved and commit you to less.
- If you were given a hint, treat it as fog, not as a label. The hint may sit next to the real word rather than on it.
- With more than one imposter, do not hunt for your partner. Two people exchanging looks is a confession.
If you have the word
- Give a clue a teammate would get and a guesser would not. “Yellow” is weak in Food. “Often bruised in a lunchbox” is sharper, and it still is not the word.
- Watch who agrees with everything and never adds a new fact.
- Ask one player for a second clue. Crew can usually do it. An imposter starts to wobble.
- Do not say the word, spell it, or point at the thing if it is in the room. That ends the round and annoys everyone.
- If you are sure, say so. Long, polite indecision is how a bluff survives.
How many players work well
- 3 or 4. One imposter, short rounds, good for a kitchen table. Hint mode stops the first game feeling cruel.
- 5 to 8. The sweet spot for who is the imposter. One or two imposters. Everyone gets a turn to speak before the vote.
- 9 to 12. Use two or three imposters and a three-minute timer, or the clues start repeating and people drift.
- 13 to 20. Party size. Names on, timer on, clues kept to a single word. The phone will tell you who looks next, which matters once the room is loud.
Families, classrooms and parties
At home
Playtime, Animals and Food are the kindest lists. Sit so the screen faces away from the table, and drop the brightness if you are outside. A grown-up can read the card with a child who is still learning to read, whisper the word, then hide it. Let them guess before anyone presses Reveal.
In a classroom
School, Jobs, Countries and Nature sit next to a lesson without dragging in film titles or brands. Pairs can share one card if you have more pupils than you want to type. Skip real names if you would rather not: “Player 7” works, and anything you do type stays in the browser on that device. One clue each, then a vote, keeps the noise inside a few minutes.
At a party
Stories, Holidays and Household get loud. Agree the voting rule before the first deal, or you will relitigate it every round. Play again is there so a best-of-three does not mean tapping through the setup. The starting player is chosen at random after the last card is hidden, so the person who owns the phone is not always the one who talks first. For a match night, use the football pack.
Play, rules, words and packs
- Play online is the same generator, with notes for a single phone and for a video call.
- How to play covers dealing, voting and how the imposter wins.
- The word list is every built-in word, by category, with a button to deal that list.
- Word packs are the themed categories, including food and football.
- The word generator draws one secret word and its hint, without dealing a round.
Questions people ask
What is the imposter game?
It is a pass-the-phone party word game for 3 to 20 players. Everyone on the crew sees the same secret word. Each imposter sees a blank card, or a short hint if you turn hint mode on. You give clues, listen for the person who is bluffing, and vote. This site is a free generator for that game: one phone, no account and no app to install.
How do you play the imposter game?
Set the number of players, imposters and a category, then press Deal the cards. Pass the phone. Each person reads only their card and hides it before handing the phone on. A randomly chosen player starts the clues. You talk without saying the word, vote out loud, then press Reveal. Play again deals a new word and keeps the same settings. The how to play page has the full round.
How does the imposter game work?
The category is public. The word is not. Crew members all see one shared word. Imposters are not introduced to each other. The phone picks the word, the imposter seats and the starting player in your browser. Nothing about the round is sent to a server. Reveal shows the word and who was bluffing. It does not decide the vote for you.
How does the imposter win the imposter word game?
Agree this before you deal. The usual house rule is that the imposters win if the vote names a crew member. A stricter rule is that they win only when every imposter is missed. Either way, you vote out loud and then reveal. The generator shows the secret and the imposter names. It does not keep a score.
How do you get good at the imposter word game?
If you are the imposter, let someone else speak first and reuse the shape of their clue without naming a guess. Questions commit you to less than a firm claim. If you were given a hint, treat it as a neighbouring idea, not as the answer. If you have the word, add one new fact a teammate would recognise. Asking a single player for a second clue is the quickest way to hear who is stuck.
How do you win as crew?
Give a clue that is true of the secret word and weak for the rest of the category. A colour or a size is often too broad. Watch who agrees with every clue and never adds a detail of their own. Ask that person to go again. Once you are sure, say the name and vote. Long, polite indecision is how a bluff survives. Do not say the word, spell it, or point at the thing if it is in the room.
Can you play the imposter game online / in real life?
Yes, in person, and yes in a browser. Around a table you pass one phone. On a video call, one person hosts that same phone and shows each card privately, with everyone else looking away. This site is not a shared online room. If several people each press Deal on their own phone, they each get a different word, and the round does not work. Real life and a hosted call both use one deal.
What are good words for the imposter game?
Use words a mixed group can describe without saying the name. Food, Animals, Places and Jobs are the kindest built-in lists for a first round. Countries and other wide lists are easier if imposters can see a hint. The word list page shows every built-in word. You can also type your own, one word or phrase per line, and keep that list on this device.
Is it the same as Spyfall?
No. Both are bluffing games where most of the table shares a secret and one or more players do not. Spyfall is about a location, and the other players each have a role there. This game uses one secret word, the same word for every crew member, and a blank card or a short hint for each imposter. This site is not Spyfall and is not affiliated with that game.
Can you play with hints?
Yes. In the setup, under what the imposters see, choose A vague hint. Each imposter then sees a short clue linked to the secret word, and still never sees the word itself. Crew see the word and do not see the hint. Leave hints off once the table knows the game. A blank card is the usual rule.