How to Play the Imposter Game

Written by Bryan Jones, creator of Imposter and 25 other games played 40M+ times
Reviewed by Cami Childs, award-winning game designer who worked on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune
Updated 2026

The Imposter Word Game, also spelled impostor, is a fun family and party game of hidden roles, quick thinking, and deduction. One player secretly doesn't know the secret word, but has to blend in while others try to spot the imposter. It's silly, clever, and always full of laughs.

Play the Imposter game

Objective

For most players: figure out who the imposter is. For the imposter: avoid detection by blending in, and guess the secret word.

Age Range

Ages 10 and up. Younger kids can play with easier words, while teens and adults enjoy the bluffing and strategy.

Game Length

10 to 20 minutes per game, depending on group size.

Why We Like It for Kids and Families

• Hidden roles make it exciting for everyone.
• Encourages creativity as players describe the word in unique ways.
• Boosts social skills like observation, deception, and teamwork.
• Replayable with endless new words and categories.

Skills Learned

• Deductive reasoning
• Social awareness and reading people
• Creative wordplay
• Confidence in speaking

What You Need

• At least 3 players, and it is best with 6 to 10.
• A secret word, and a way to give it to everyone except the imposter.

That second one is the entire setup, and there are three ways to handle it.

• Use the free word generator. It picks the word and deals it privately, on one phone passed around the group. Nothing to print and nothing to write, and whoever would otherwise be stuck organising gets to play too.
• Print a word sheet. Print a random sheet of slips, cut them apart and fold them so the word hides. Best if you would rather not have screens at the table at all.
• Write your own. Slips of paper or index cards, the same word on all but one, and "Imposter" on the last. Worth knowing the catch: whoever writes them knows the word, so they cannot fairly take the imposter slip. That is the problem the generator exists to solve.

How to Play the Imposter Word Game in 9 Steps

1. Gather your group

   At least 3 players and one device between you, which is how almost everyone plays it. No device, or you would rather not use one? Slips of paper work, and so does a printed word sheet.

2. Get a secret word

   Hit Start and the generator picks one for you, which is the point of it: nobody has to sit out the round knowing the answer. On paper, pick a word from a word list and write it on every slip but one, with "Imposter" on the last. Example: Pizza.

3. Deal the word

   Pass the device round the circle. Each player taps Show My Word, reads it, then taps Hide Word & Pass before handing it on. One player sees Imposter instead of the word and has no idea what everyone else got. On paper, deal the folded slips face down.

4. Decide who goes first

   Choose a starting player (youngest player, roll of a dice, or random pick). Play moves clockwise.

5. Give clues in turn

   Each player gives one word (the default rule) to describe the secret word, without saying it directly. If the word is Pizza, clues might be "Cheesy" or "Slices." Continue around the circle. (Variation: allow short phrases for more creativity.)

6. Keep going around the circle

   Go around the circle several times, giving clues. The imposter tries to blend in by guessing what the word might be based on everyone else's clues.
   Personal note: Some of the funniest moments come when you think you know the word after a couple of passes, only to realize you guessed wrong when someone drops a clue that doesn't fit your assumption at all.

7. Discuss and vote

   After going around a few times (usually two or three passes), everyone discusses and votes on who they think the imposter is. Each player points at or calls out their choice, then the imposter is revealed.

   It is worth being clear that this is not really the group against the imposter. Everyone guesses individually, so some of you can be right in the same round that others are wrong, and an imposter nobody picked at all has done something genuinely impressive.

   Most groups never keep score. Each round is its own small story, you laugh about it, and you deal the next word. If you do want points, there is a scoring system below.

8. Reveal and recap

   Reveal the secret word and the imposter. Recap funny or odd clues. Often the best part is laughing about why someone described a word in such a weird way.

9. Play the next round

   Start a new round with a fresh word and new slips of paper. Ideally, play enough rounds that everyone gets a chance to be the imposter, though it is ultimately up to chance.

Rules Summary

• One secret word is chosen.
• Everyone sees the word except the imposter.
• Each player gives one word clues (phrases optional as a variation).
• After a couple of passes around the circle, the group votes on the imposter.
• If caught, the group wins. If not, the imposter scores by guessing the word.
• Use points across several rounds to keep score.

Variations

• Phrases allowed: instead of just one word, let players give short descriptive phrases.
• Multiple imposters: for larger groups, include two imposters.
• Categories mode: pick a category (food, animals, movies) before selecting the word.
• No final guess: the imposter loses immediately if discovered.
• Kids' mode: use simple words like "Dog," "School," or "Ice Cream."

Strategies

• As a non-imposter, give clues that are clear but not too obvious, so you help your team without handing the word to the imposter.
• As the imposter, listen closely to everyone's clues and mimic their style without slipping up.
• Watch for hesitation, vague answers, or odd clues that don't match.

Scoring, if you want to keep score

Most of the fun of Imposter has nothing to do with points. It's the accusing, the pointing, and the laughing when a round ends and you deal a new word. Plenty of groups never keep score at all, and the game is great that way.

If you do want competitive play, here is the scoring we recommend. It's the same system built into our online game, and you can use it in a pass-and-play group too by having one person keep a tally.

Each round

• Catch the imposter, by voting for them, and you get a point.
• If the whole group catches the imposter, everyone gets a bonus point.
• If you are the imposter and you fool at least one person, you get a point.
• If you fool everyone, you get a bonus point.
• Optional third point. If the imposter got away with it and can then name the secret word, give them one more. Three points is the perfect round, and it is worth noticing that the group earned that: nobody spotted them, and the clues were clear enough that someone who started with nothing worked the word out anyway.

Play a set number of rounds so everyone gets a turn as the imposter, and the highest total wins.

How to Pick Words That Actually Play Well

If you are writing your own words instead of using a generator, this is the test worth applying. It is the same one every word in our lists has to pass: can you hint it eight different ways?

A word that gives you all eight is a good imposter word. Everyone has room to be creative, nobody runs dry on the third pass, and clues can be honest without handing the word over.

Every good word needs a close cousin

This is the part people miss. Pizza's close cousin is Calzone. Umbrella's is Parasol. Dog's is Cat. That cousin is what gives the imposter a fighting chance: they hear "cheesy, crust, slice" and land on Calzone, which is wrong but close enough to keep bluffing for another round.

A word with no close cousin makes the imposter's job impossible, and a round where the imposter never had a chance is not much fun for anyone. It is also worth knowing the obvious opposite, the word your group will never confuse it with: Pizza and Salad, Umbrella and Sun, Dog and Snake.

Why words fail

• Too vague. "Thing" or "stuff" fills none of the eight. There is nothing to hint.
• Too obscure. If half the table has never heard of it, they cannot fill the eight either, and the round stalls.
• No close cousin. The imposter has nowhere to land, so they are caught on the first pass or they guess blind.

Word Categories & Lists

FAQs

How do you play the Imposter Word Game?

Players take turns giving clues about a secret word. One person, the imposter, doesn't know the word and tries to blend in until the group votes to catch them.

How many players do you need?

At least 3, and it's best with 6 to 10.

What is the imposter word game called?

It's most often called the Imposter Word Game. You will also see it written as the impostor game, and similar bluffing word games go by names like Undercover.

What is the popular imposter game everyone is playing?

The word-based version is this Imposter Word Game, the one that spread across TikTok and Instagram as a party game. Online, games like Among Us are also popular imposter-style games, though they are a different format.

Are there board game or app versions of Imposter?

Yes. Commercial versions exist under names like Spyfall and Undercover, and there are app-store versions too. You don't need any of them to play: a free word generator in your browser and a group in a room is the whole game.

Is the Imposter Word Game free?

Yes. You can play with just paper, pencils, and a word list, or play free in your browser here with no download and no signup.

How do you play the imposter game in real life?

In real life just means everyone is in the same room, and that is what this game is built for. The usual way is pass-and-play: one phone goes round the circle and deals each person their word in private, so no paper is involved at all. If you would rather keep screens off the table, print a sheet of slips or write your own. Either way you take turns giving clues, discuss, then vote and reveal.

What's the best way to score?

Not to, most of the time. Plenty of groups never keep score and the game is great that way. If you want points, use the system built into our game, and note that it scores each player rather than the group: you get a point for identifying the imposter and a bonus point if everybody does, while the imposter gets a point if anyone mis-identifies and a bonus point if nobody catches them at all. There is an optional third point for an uncaught imposter who can also name the secret word, which is as much a comment on the group's clues as on the imposter. Full scoring is above.

Who made this

Play the Imposter game