Two Truths and a Lie: 150 Ideas, Examples and Tips

Two Truths and a Lie is the easiest icebreaker there is. You say three things about yourself. Two are true, one is made up, and everyone else guesses the lie. No cards, no app, no setup.

The best statements are specific and a little surprising: "My first job was at a car wash," "I've seen a moose in the wild," "I can say hello in nine languages." Below are the rules, ten example rounds, 150 ideas by setting, and variations for video calls and big groups.

How to play Two Truths and a Lie

You need three or more people and nothing else, which makes it one of the best games to play with no supplies.

1. Everyone thinks of three statements about themselves: two true, one false.
2. The first player says all three, in any order, with a straight face.
3. Optional: the group gets two or three quick questions. Answer honestly about the truths and bluff about the lie.
4. On the count of three, everyone holds up one, two or three fingers to vote. Voting together stops people from copying the loudest guesser.
5. The player reveals the lie and tells the story behind the truths. That's the best part.
6. Move on to the next player.

Plan on a minute or two per person. With more than about 15 people, try the written version under Variations.

Simple ways to keep score

Most groups skip scoring. If yours wants it:

• Guessers score: a point for each correct guess.
• Tellers score: a point for every person you fool.
• Both: guessers score for right guesses, tellers for wrong ones. Add it up after everyone's turn.

What makes a good round

A good set is hard to call. Here's how to write one.

• Be specific. "I've been to Canada" is easy to judge. "I've been to Montreal three times, always in January" is not. Details make truths sound invented and lies sound real.
• Mix ordinary truths with surprising ones. People tend to pick the strangest statement as the lie, so a strange truth is your best weapon.
• Make the lie plausible. Start close to the truth. Change a number, a city or a year.
• Match the style. Keep all three about the same length and tone, so none of them stands out.
• Keep it light. You want a laugh and a story, not a confession.
• At work, don't overshare. Stick to hobbies, travel, food, past jobs and skills. Leave out health, money, relationships, politics and religion. Let anyone pass. If you're running it, go first with a light set so everyone knows the tone. Our icebreaker games follow the same rule.

10 example rounds, with the lie marked

Guess each one before you read the answer.

1. A new teammate

1. My first job was scooping ice cream at a mini-golf course.
2. I've given a presentation to more than 400 people.
3. I can type over 100 words per minute.

The lie: #3. Precise numbers sound true.

2. A friend at game night

1. I've seen the same movie in a theater seven times.
2. I once waited six hours in line for concert tickets.
3. I've never seen any of the Star Wars movies.

The lie: #2. Most people vote for #3.

3. A family gathering

1. At summer camp, I won the talent show with a yo-yo routine.
2. I once hid so well in hide-and-seek that everyone gave up and ate dessert without me.
3. I can make Grandma's lasagna from memory.

The lie: #1. With relatives, put your lie somewhere they weren't, like camp or work.

4. A new class

1. I can say "hello" in nine languages.
2. I've lived in four different states.
3. I won my school's spelling bee in fifth grade.

The lie: #1. Expect someone to ask for number six.

5. A traveler

1. I once stood in four states at the same time.
2. I missed a flight because I went to the wrong airport.
3. I've slept in a treehouse hotel.

The lie: #3. #1 is the Four Corners Monument, where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.

6. A food lover

1. I've eaten a cricket on purpose.
2. I put hot sauce on vanilla ice cream.
3. I've never had pumpkin pie.

The lie: #2. Nobody can fact-check your taste buds.

7. A hidden talent

1. I played the tuba in my high school marching band.
2. I can solve a Rubik's Cube in under two minutes.
3. I can whistle with two fingers loud enough to hail a cab.

The lie: #2. A skill makes a great lie, until someone hands you a cube.

8. The funny one

1. A seagull once stole a whole sandwich out of my hand.
2. I once said "you too" when a server told me to enjoy my meal.
3. I named my robot vacuum Gerald, and I apologize when I trip over it.

The lie: #3. When all three are funny, people have to judge the details.

9. The outdoorsy one

1. I've seen a moose in the wild.
2. I once got lost on a marked hiking trail for three hours.
3. I've camped in the snow on purpose.

The lie: #2. Plain statements are the hardest to spot.

10. Weird but true

1. I have a collection of more than 200 sugar packets from different restaurants.
2. I once met someone with my exact first and last name.
3. When I was nine, I wrote to a favorite author and got a handwritten reply.

The lie: #1. Collections are easy to believe.

150 Two Truths and a Lie ideas

Use these as templates. Fill each blank with something true, or with a lie that sounds true. Take your three from different lists so they don't all sound alike.

For work and team meetings

1. My first job was ___.
2. I've worked in ___ different industries.
3. Before this career, I wanted to be a ___.
4. I once took a work call from ___.
5. I've had the same work mug for ___ years.
6. I can type ___ words per minute.
7. I've given a presentation to more than ___ people.
8. I keep a ___ in my desk drawer.
9. I learned ___ in one weekend.
10. My first work uniform was ___.
11. I've worked a night shift as a ___.
12. I once got lost on the way to my own job interview.
13. I've never had a single cup of coffee.
14. I know how to drive a ___.
15. I once trained someone who later became my manager.
16. I've spoken at a ___.
17. I've had ___ jobs that required a name tag.
18. My most-used emoji at work is ___.
19. Outside work, I volunteer as a ___.
20. I once worked in an office with a ___.

For friends

21. I've seen ___ in a theater ___ times.
22. I've never seen a single ___ movie.
23. I once waited ___ hours in line for ___.
24. I've been to ___ concerts by the same band.
25. I know every word of ___.
26. I've dressed up as ___ for a costume party.
27. I once won a ___ contest.
28. I've read the whole ___ series twice.
29. I once watched ___ seasons of a show in a weekend.
30. I've sung karaoke in front of ___ people.
31. I had a pen pal in ___.
32. I've never lost a game of ___.
33. I've camped in ___.
34. I've ridden a roller coaster ___ times in a row.
35. I've watched the sunrise from ___.

Funny

36. A ___ once stole my ___.
37. I've been chased by a ___.
38. I once waved back at someone who wasn't waving at me.
39. I once said "you too" when a ___ told me to enjoy my ___.
40. My ___ has a name: ___.
41. I talk to my ___ like it's a person.
42. I once pushed a "pull" door for a full ___.
43. I've called a teacher "Mom" or "Dad" by accident.
44. I once wore my shirt inside out all ___ long.
45. I once sent my grocery list to the wrong ___.
46. I once got locked out while dressed as a ___.
47. I laughed so hard at a ___ that I had to leave.
48. I own way too many ___.
49. I rehearse my order before the drive-through.
50. I once mistook a ___ for a real person.
51. I once fell asleep at a ___.
52. My phone autocorrects my name to ___.
53. I once got a standing ovation for ___.
54. I've lost a game of ___ to a ___-year-old.
55. My ringtone is ___.

For family gatherings

56. I once hid so well that nobody found me for ___.
57. I can make ___ from memory.
58. I still have my childhood ___.
59. I once got lost at a ___.
60. As a kid, I wanted to be a ___.
61. I had a pet ___ named ___.
62. I learned to ride a bike at age ___.
63. I've won the family ___ game ___ years running.
64. I once dropped the ___ on the way to the table.
65. I was in a school play as ___.
66. I once broke a ___ playing ___ indoors.
67. I've built a snowman taller than ___.
68. I still know my childhood ___ by heart.
69. I once ate ___ helpings of ___ at one holiday dinner.
70. I once dug up the yard looking for ___.

For a new class or group

71. I've lived in ___ different states or countries.
72. I can say "hello" in ___ languages.
73. My favorite subject in school was ___.
74. I once won my school's ___.
75. I've played the ___ for ___ years.
76. My first name means ___.
77. I've read ___ books this year.
78. I've never seen ___ in real life.
79. I was on a ___ team in high school.
80. I've had the same ___ since ___ grade.
81. I've volunteered at a ___.
82. I once performed ___ on a stage.
83. My first email address had the word ___ in it.
84. I was named after a ___.
85. I can name all the ___ in order.

Travel

86. I've been to ___ countries.
87. I've visited ___ of the 50 states.
88. I once missed a ___ because ___.
89. I've been to ___ but never left the airport.
90. I've spent a night in a ___.
91. I once got lost in ___ for ___ hours.
92. I've seen the ___ in person.
93. I've ridden a ___.
94. I've swum in the ___ Ocean.
95. I've driven from ___ to ___.
96. I once took a ___-hour train ride.
97. I once forgot to pack ___.
98. I've stood in ___ states at the same time.
99. I once traveled to ___ just to eat ___.
100. I've been to every ___ in my state.

Food

101. I've never tried ___.
102. I've eaten a ___ on purpose.
103. I put ___ on my ___.
104. I make my own ___ from scratch.
105. I don't like ___ at all.
106. I had ___ for breakfast every day for a ___.
107. I worked at a ___ and still can't look at ___.
108. I can name ___ kinds of ___.
109. I once baked a cake shaped like ___.
110. I've won a ___ cook-off.
111. I once grew a ___-pound ___.
112. I've eaten at the same ___ over ___ times.
113. I can flip a ___ without a spatula.
114. My go-to snack is ___ dipped in ___.
115. I once cooked dinner for ___ people.

Skills and talents

116. I can juggle ___.
117. I can play ___ on the ___.
118. I learned to ___ from a video.
119. I can say the alphabet backward in ___ seconds.
120. I can solve a Rubik's Cube in under ___.
121. I can recite ___ digits of pi.
122. I can draw a ___ from memory.
123. I'm certified in ___.
124. I can identify ___ birds by song.
125. I taught myself to ___.
126. I can do a ___ trick.
127. I can name every ___.
128. I can whistle ___.
129. I've built a ___ by hand.
130. I speak enough ___ to ___.

Weird but true

131. I share a birthday with ___.
132. I have a collection of ___.
133. I once marched in a ___ parade.
134. I once found ___ inside a ___.
135. I've held a ___.
136. I've touched a real ___.
137. I can't fall asleep without ___.
138. I've never been to a ___.
139. I once met someone with my exact name.
140. I've been stuck in an elevator for ___ minutes.
141. I once got a letter back from ___.
142. I've seen a ___ in the wild.
143. I've found a four-leaf clover ___ times.
144. I've ridden in a ___.
145. I'm in the background of a ___.
146. There's a ___ in my freezer older than ___.
147. I know exactly how many ___ I own.
148. I once found a message in a ___.
149. I once named a ___ after a ___.
150. I once owned a ___ famous in my neighborhood.

Variations

Over a video call

The teller reads their three statements, then everyone types 1, 2 or 3 in the chat on the count of three, so nobody copies. For a big call, the host can collect statements by private message beforehand, read them out, and have the group guess the author too. For more ideas, see our video call games.

Two lies and a truth

Two statements are made up, and the group hunts for the true one. It's harder, so it suits people who know each other well. Make your truth the one that sounds most invented.

Teams

Split into teams of three to five. Each team builds one set from different teammates' facts. The other teams guess the lie, then whose truth is whose. Score a point for each right answer.

Speed round

One sentence per statement, no questions, an instant vote, and stories at the end. A turn takes about 30 seconds, which suits a meeting with ten minutes to spare.

In writing, for big groups

For 20 or more people, hand out index cards. Everyone writes three numbered statements on the front and their name on the back. The host shuffles and reads cards out loud, and the room guesses the writer and the lie. Or tape the cards to a wall and let people leave guesses on sticky notes during a break.

More icebreakers like Two Truths and a Lie

Play it: Get to Know You deals one question at a time for everyone to answer. Its Work icebreakers category suits a new team.

At work: This or That, Most Likely To and Never Have I Ever each have a work list that stays comfortable for a mixed team, on one phone or a shared screen.

With friends: in Paranoia, one player reads a secret question and says a name out loud, and a coin flip decides whether everyone finds out why.