Rules for Two Truths and a Lie (With 50 Example Lies)

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Learn more about your friends with this fun icebreaker activity

Co-authored by Hunter Rising Reviewed by Ashton Wu

Last Updated: January 8, 2024 Fact Checked

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How to Play

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Lie Ideas and Examples

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Lying Strategies

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Q&A

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Tips

If you want to get to know a group of people even better, Two Truths, One Lie (or Two Truths and a Lie) is the perfect way to break the ice. Players tell each other 3 statements about themselves, but one of them is a lie that the other players have to figure out. Keep reading and we’ll walk you through all the rules to play, plus a few example lies to help get you started.

Things You Should Know

List 2 statements about yourself that are truthful and 1 statement that’s a lie. Try to make the lie convincing to trick other players.
The other players make guesses or vote for which statement is the lie.
Play until everyone takes a turn, or keep going to learn more about each other.

Section 1 of 3:

How to Play Two Truths, One Lie

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1
One player lists 2 truthful statements and 1 lie about themselves. Choose a person at random to take the first turn of the game. They’ll think of 2 statements about themselves that are truthful and 1 lie that sounds believable. The person then says all their statements out loud.^{[1]
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- If you don’t want to put people on the spot when it’s their turn to share, give everyone a few minutes at the start of the game to write down their statements first.
- You can play Two Truths and a Lie with any number of players, but it usually works best as an icebreaker activity with a larger group.
2
The other players guess which statement is the lie. All the other players can either discuss the statements as a group or individually choose which statement they think is the lie. After everyone makes their guess, the original player reveals the lie they told to the group.^{[2]
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- People may play the game slightly differently depending on if it’s for an icebreaker activity or for fun, so double-check the rules if you’re not sure.
- If you want to play Two Truths, One Lie as a drinking game, take a sip if you guess the lie incorrectly. If all the other players guess the lie, the player who told it drinks instead.^{[3]
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Continue playing rounds until you decide to stop. Choose another random player to take the next turn. Play until everyone has had a chance to list their statements, but keep the game going if you’re having fun. Just think of 3 new statements for the next round.
- While Two Truths, One Lie doesn’t normally have a winner, you can easily keep track of the score. Give 1 point to players who guess the lie correctly, and whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins!

Section 2 of 3:

Lie Ideas and Examples

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1
Lies about your childhood and family
- I have an identical twin.
- I used to live in Canada before moving to the US.
- My family goes to Disney World every year.
- My first concert was Hannah Montana.
- I’m a distant relative of George Washington.
- I starred in a commercial when I was a baby.
- I have 5 younger brothers.
- My family had pet ferrets when I was growing up.
- I grew up in California but have never been to the beach.
- My dad is a pilot and owns a plane.
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Lies about your achievements
- I got a perfect score on the ACT.
- I graduated from high school when I was a junior.
- I’ve never been rejected from any job I’ve applied to.
- I got straight As when I was in college.
- I’ve had over 10 stories professionally published.
- I’ve never been pulled over
- My artwork has been hung up in a museum.
- I was the employee of the month 3 months in a row at my last job.
- I made a YouTube video that became a viral hit.
- I climbed the 5 tallest mountains in the US.
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Lies about hidden skills or talents
- I can play the piano with my eyes closed.
- I can whistle so it sounds like a bird.
- I can recite the opening to any Shakespeare play from memory.
- I can shoot a basketball from half-court and make it.
- I run a successful Etsy shop with thousands of sales worldwide.
- I’m a master at doing the worm.
- I’ve bowled a perfect 300 game.
- I competed in 5 marathons and placed in all of them.
- I’ve eaten the world’s spiciest pepper without breaking a sweat.
- I can juggle up to 8 balls at a time.
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Lies about fun or interesting facts
- I’ve met the President.
- I can speak 3 languages fluently.
- I’m allergic to dogs and cats.
- I’m colorblind.
- I once won $1,000 from a lottery ticket.
- I became an ordained minister online.
- I’ve never been on a plane before.
- I broke the birth weight record for the hospital where I was born.
- I’ve been swimming with dolphins.
- I have an irrational fear of heights.
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Lies about food
- I’m allergic to cherries.
- I’ve never eaten raw cookie dough.
- I was a vegetarian for 3 years.
- I’ve only been to McDonald’s once in my life.
- My favorite food is chocolate ice cream.
- I can eat an entire watermelon in one sitting.
- I won a hot dog-eating contest.
- I prefer eating cereal without milk.
- I can’t stand the taste of chocolate.
- I love artificial banana flavor over real bananas.

Section 3 of 3:

Strategies for Lying Convincingly

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When you’re figuring out your 2 truths and 1 lie, try to pick things that all sound believable or all sound fake. It’ll be a lot harder for the group to figure out the false statement when they all feel like possibilities.
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Use outrageous truths and simple lies to fool other people. If you really want to fool the other players, think of true statements that are hard to believe and sound like lies. Then pick lies that sound so basic that no one would suspect them.
- Example: An outrageous truth could be something like, “I’ve been stung by a bee inside my mouth.” A simple lie may be something like, “I’ve never broken a bone.”
- Players will tend to pick the more outrageous-sounding statements as a lie, so it’s the perfect way to fool the other players.
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Say a half-truth if you have trouble thinking of a lie. Rather than thinking of a complete lie on the spot, think of a truthful statement and just switch the name of a place or person. That way, it sounds like the truth but the details are changed.
- Example: If pizza is your favorite food and you’re a die-hard Pizza Hut fan, you could easily lie and say, “My favorite food of all time is pizza from Dominos.”
- Other players may think telling a half-truth isn’t fair because it’s harder to figure out. If anyone seems annoyed by it, tell a full lie the next time it’s your turn.
Try to avoid making the lie your last statement every time because clever players may catch on. If you’re playing multiple rounds, switch between saying the lie as your first, second, and third statement every turn so you don’t get caught.
When you list your statements, use the same facial expression and tone for each one so the lie is harder to figure out. Rapid blinking, flaring your nostrils, and changing the tone of your voice are all common ways to tell that someone is lying, so avoid doing it if you’re able to.^{[4]
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Community Q&A

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Question

What's the largest number of people I should try this game with?

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You can have as many people playing as you want, but I would think 10 people would be enough.

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What if people fight about who goes next?

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You should make a list of names beforehand if that's the case, then no one can argue.

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What if you know the people who are playing the game very well?

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Talk about something that happened before you met.

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Tips

Other good lies to tell are facts about someone else or things you wished had happened.

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Try to make statements that no one in the group would know about you so you don’t get found out too easily.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

When you're saying the lie, try adding in a few extra details to make it sound believable. For example, you could say, "When I was 9, I crashed my scooter and I had to walk home by myself."
Try to think of funny truths and lies for the game. Don't put too much pressure on yourself because the game is supposed to be fun and relaxing.
Think about centering one of your "truths" around a special moment in your life.
Try not to make your lies too obvious, or else they may be easy to figure out.

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