Two Truths and a Lie: Rules, How to Write a Good Lie, and 152 Original Examples

By The Rondovo team · Published August 24, 2026 · Updated October 11, 2026 · 30 min read

Two Truths on Rondovo: the shared screen during a game

Two truths and a lie is a guessing game: one player says three things about themselves, two true and one made up, and everyone else tries to spot the lie. It needs no equipment, works with 3 to 30 people, and takes about a minute a turn. The trick is to make your lie sound ordinary and at least one truth sound unlikely. Below are the rules, the techniques that actually fool people, a few ways to score it, and 152 original two truths and a lie examples sorted by setting, each with the answer.

In short

How to play: say three statements, two true and one false. Everyone guesses the lie. Reveal, then pass the turn.
Best lies: a small change to something true (a number, a place, a year), told in the same tone as the rest.
Best truths: the strangest real thing about you. It draws the guesses away from the lie.
Scoring (optional): one point for each correct guess, one point to the teller for each person fooled.
Examples: 152 sets below, grouped into funny, work, kids, family, couples, hard to guess, and video calls. Answers follow each group.

How to play two truths and a lie

Sit or stand so everyone can see each other. On a video call, ask everyone to turn their camera on. Faces are half the game.
Give everyone a minute to think of three statements about themselves: two true, one false. Writing them down helps people who freeze.
The first player says all three, in any order, in the same tone of voice. Number them so people can point.
Everyone else guesses which one is the lie. A show of hands, holding up one to three fingers, or typing in the chat all work. Let people ask one quick question each if the group likes a bit of interrogation.
The player reveals the lie, ideally with the story behind the strangest truth. That story is often the best part of the round.
Pass to the next player until everyone has had a turn.

That is the whole game. With 10 people it fills about 15 minutes, which is why it is the default icebreaker for classrooms, new teams and first nights away.

How to write a good lie (techniques that work)

Most people lose at two truths and a lie the same way: their lie is the most interesting of the three. Fix that and you will fool most of the room.

Change one detail of a real story

The best lies are 80 percent true. "I got lost in Rome for six hours" becomes the lie if it was really Lisbon, or really two hours. Because you remember the real version, you can talk about it with total confidence.

Make your truths stranger than your lie

Pick your oddest true fact, the one people never believe, and put it next to a plain, boring lie. Guessers go for the strange one almost every time.

Match the length and detail

If two statements are short and one has a name, a place and a date, that one stands out. Give all three a similar shape. "I've been to Iceland. I own a ukulele. I've met a famous chef" is balanced. "I've been to Iceland. I own a ukulele. I once spent three days stranded at a ferry port in northern Norway with a broken suitcase" is not, and either way people will stare at the long one.

Avoid lies people can check

Your colleagues know whether you drive. Your sister knows whether you broke the vase. Before you lie about something, ask yourself who in the room might know the answer.

Do not always put the lie last

Many players put the lie at the end without noticing. Mix it up. Some people put it first on purpose because guessers expect it last.

Keep a straight face for all three

Say each statement at the same speed. Don't smile at the funny one, don't look at the floor on the lie, and don't add "honestly" to anything. If you can't help giggling, giggle at all three.

Know your audience

Work groups want harmless facts about skills, travel and hobbies. Families want old stories. Close friends want the embarrassing ones. Keep it light and kind: avoid health, money, politics, religion, relationships at work, and anything that would be awkward to explain once it is revealed as true.

Scoring variants

Most groups do not keep score. If yours likes a winner, try one of these.

Variant	How it scores	Good for
Spot the lie	1 point for each correct guess. Highest total wins.	Classrooms, families
Liar's bonus	Guessers get 1 point for a correct guess; the teller gets 1 point for every person they fool.	Competitive friends
Full house bonus	If nobody spots your lie, you get 3 extra points.	Big groups
Team play	Split into two teams. Each team writes one set together about a member; the other team discusses and makes one guess.	Workshops, parties over 15 people
Two lies and a truth	Flip it: two false statements and one true one. Guessers hunt for the truth. Harder than it sounds.	Groups who have played a lot
Interrogation	Before guessing, the group gets three questions total to ask the teller.	Detective minded friends

Our version on Rondovo uses the liar's bonus (more on that below).

Two truths and a lie examples

These sets are templates. Swap in your own real facts and keep the shape: the lie in each set is written to sound as believable as the truths, and at least one truth is a little surprising. If a truth in a set isn't true for you, replace it with something that is. Answers come at the end of each group so you can test yourself first.

Funny two truths and a lie

(a) I once got stuck in a revolving door long enough that staff came to help. (b) I have a laugh so loud a cinema usher asked me to keep it down. (c) I have never once lost my keys.
(a) I sneeze every time I walk into bright sunlight. (b) I once ate an entire birthday cake meant for someone else's party. (c) I named my first car Gerald.
(a) I fell asleep at a rock concert, in the front row. (b) I've been mistaken for a waiter at my own birthday dinner. (c) I can't whistle.
(a) I once spent ten minutes waving at a stranger I thought was my cousin. (b) I own more mugs than plates. (c) I've been banned from a games night for winning too often.
(a) I learned to ride a bike at 19. (b) I've accidentally sent my boss a voice note of me singing. (c) I still sleep with the toy rabbit I had as a toddler.
(a) I once got a parking ticket on a bicycle. (b) I've tried to pay for groceries with my library card. (c) I can say the alphabet backwards in under five seconds.
(a) A seagull once stole a whole sandwich out of my hand. (b) I've fainted at the sight of a paper cut. (c) I ran a 10k dressed as a banana.
(a) I have never watched a single episode of a soap opera. (b) I once got locked inside a public toilet for forty minutes. (c) I taught my dog to sneeze on command.
(a) I once won a pie eating contest. (b) I clap when a plane lands, even when nobody else does. (c) I've gone to work wearing two different shoes.
(a) I'm scared of butterflies. (b) I once had hiccups for an entire day. (c) I've been on TV as an audience member who got asked a question.
(a) I once accidentally ended up in a stranger's wedding photo. (b) I put ketchup on scrambled eggs and I'm not sorry. (c) I have never been able to do a cartwheel.
(a) I reversed into the same bollard twice in one day. (b) My first word was "biscuit". (c) I've been chased by a goose and lost.
(a) I can wiggle my ears one at a time. (b) I turned my hair slightly green in a swimming pool. (c) I've never eaten a Brussels sprout.
(a) I once got a standing ovation for karaoke, from total strangers. (b) I fell off the stage during a school play. (c) I keep a spreadsheet of every pizza I've eaten.
(a) I once mixed up salt and sugar and served the tea to guests. (b) On my first morning in a new city, a stranger asked me for directions and I got them right. (c) I once slept through a fire alarm.
(a) I have a scar from a fight with a trampoline. (b) A librarian told me off for laughing at a cookbook. (c) I can juggle three oranges.
(a) I walked into a glass door at a job interview and still got the job. (b) I've had the same pair of slippers for twelve years. (c) I can do an impression of a dial up modem.
(a) I bought a sofa that didn't fit through my front door. (b) I sing to my cat in an opera voice. (c) I've never been on a rollercoaster.
(a) I locked myself out of the house wearing only a towel. (b) I once ordered 40 lemons online instead of 4. (c) I'm nervous on escalators.
(a) I went for a high five with someone who was waving at the person behind me. (b) I have a birthmark shaped like a teapot. (c) I once got lost in a furniture superstore for over an hour.
(a) I've been bitten by a horse. (b) I set off a shop's security alarm on the way in. (c) I accidentally texted "love you" to a plumber.
(a) I've eaten a whole jar of pickles in one sitting. (b) I fell asleep in a hammock and got sunburnt in stripes. (c) I've been asked to leave a museum for touching a dinosaur.
(a) I own a bow tie for my dog. (b) I once sang the wrong national anthem at a match. (c) I can solve a puzzle cube in under two minutes.
(a) I once asked a mannequin for help finding the changing rooms. (b) I've broken a toe on the same coffee table three times. (c) I was on the front page of my local paper as a baby.
(a) I've never learned to swim. (b) I wore a shirt inside out for an entire wedding. (c) I have eaten cereal with orange juice instead of milk.

Answers (the lie): 1c, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5b, 6a, 7b, 8c, 9a, 10b, 11a, 12b, 13c, 14c, 15a, 16b, 17a, 18c, 19b, 20b, 21a, 22c, 23b, 24a, 25c.

Two truths and a lie for work (icebreaker safe)

Good for a first team meeting, a training day or a new class. Nothing here is personal, and every answer leads to an easy follow up question.

(a) I worked as a lifeguard for three summers. (b) I've visited every country in South America. (c) I can type over 100 words a minute.
(a) I was born in a different country from both my parents. (b) My first job was selling ice cream from a van. (c) I once shared a lift with a prime minister.
(a) I've run a marathon. (b) I have a degree in music. (c) I've never had a cup of coffee.
(a) I speak three languages. (b) I built my own computer from parts. (c) I did a parachute jump for charity.
(a) I collect old maps. (b) I grew up on a farm with goats. (c) I've lived in the same town my whole life.
(a) I've never broken a bone. (b) I won a spelling competition at 11. (c) I once worked night shifts in a bakery.
(a) I have a twin. (b) I've climbed the highest mountain in my home country. (c) I play the bagpipes.
(a) The plant on my desk is older than my career. (b) I've read every book on our team's shared shelf. (c) I once fixed a printer with a paperclip.
(a) I learned to drive in a tractor. (b) I've seen a total solar eclipse. (c) I used to be a professional dancer.
(a) My middle name comes from a famous singer. (b) I've eaten insects on purpose. (c) I've never been on a plane.
(a) I volunteer at an animal shelter on Saturdays. (b) I once got three holes in one in a row at mini golf. (c) I've kept a daily journal for ten years.
(a) I sing in a choir. (b) I once helped deliver a lamb. (c) I can name every capital city in Europe.
(a) I was the school chess champion. (b) I've lived in four different cities. (c) I've been scuba diving with sharks.
(a) I bake my own bread every week. (b) I was an extra in a film. (c) I'm allergic to cats but have two.
(a) My first email address was so embarrassing I still won't say it. (b) I learned sign language as a kid. (c) I've never missed a deadline in my life.
(a) I went to three weddings in one weekend. (b) I hand wrote a thank you letter to every teacher I ever had. (c) I'm a qualified football referee.
(a) I can finish a crossword faster than anyone I know. (b) I've swum in three different oceans. (c) I've slept in a hotel made of ice.
(a) I won a holiday in a radio competition. (b) My grandmother taught me to knit. (c) I've kept the same houseplant alive for a decade.
(a) I can play the piano by ear. (b) I used to run a youth group camping club. (c) I've run my own small business.
(a) I've been to more than 30 countries. (b) I'm left handed but write with my right. (c) I've met my favourite author at a book signing.
(a) I trained as a chef before I changed careers. (b) I have a pilot's licence. (c) I've walked the full length of a long distance trail.
(a) I've never owned a car. (b) I play in a five a side football league. (c) I wrote a children's book that got published.
(a) I can't stand the taste of chocolate. (b) I grew up above a shop my family ran. (c) I've done stand up comedy once.
(a) I won the science prize at school. (b) I've seen the northern lights. (c) I've worked in four different industries.
(a) I've been a contestant on a TV quiz show. (b) I learned to code at 12. (c) I make pottery at weekends.

Answers (the lie): 1b, 2c, 3a, 4b, 5a, 6b, 7c, 8b, 9c, 10a, 11b, 12c, 13a, 14c, 15c, 16b, 17c, 18a, 19b, 20a, 21b, 22c, 23a, 24b, 25a.

Tip for work: ask people to prepare their three before the meeting. Nobody likes inventing a lie on the spot in front of their manager.

Two truths and a lie for kids

For children around 6 to 12. Simple facts, nothing scary, and the lies are things a child could easily make up.

(a) I have a pet hamster called Biscuit. (b) I once found a fossil on the beach. (c) I can touch my nose with my tongue.
(a) My favourite food is broccoli. (b) I can count to ten in Spanish. (c) I lost my first tooth biting an apple.
(a) I've been to the top of a lighthouse. (b) I have three brothers. (c) I once saw a fox in my garden.
(a) I can do a handstand for ten seconds. (b) I've never been to the seaside. (c) I built a snowman taller than my dad.
(a) I've read the same book eight times. (b) I've ridden a camel. (c) I'm a bit scared of the dark.
(a) I can whistle with my fingers. (b) My birthday is on a holiday. (c) I won a medal for swimming.
(a) I named my goldfish after a footballer. (b) I once ate a whole lemon without making a face. (c) I can say the alphabet backwards.
(a) I have a secret den in my garden. (b) I've been on a boat that went under a big bridge. (c) I've met a real astronaut.
(a) My first word was "dog". (b) I can play three songs on the recorder. (c) I once got stuck up a tree.
(a) I've held a snake. (b) I don't like ice cream. (c) I have a wobbly tooth right now.
(a) I was born in the middle of a thunderstorm. (b) I can do the splits. (c) I've been on a plane five times.
(a) I sleep with the light on. (b) I found a coin from another country in the park. (c) My cat can open doors.
(a) I've been inside a chocolate factory. (b) I have a collection of 100 stickers. (c) I rode a horse on a beach.
(a) I can name all the planets in order. (b) I've never had a nosebleed. (c) I won a sandcastle competition.
(a) My favourite colour is brown. (b) I helped plant a tree at school. (c) I can hop on one leg for a whole minute.
(a) I've been inside a real cave. (b) I have a cousin who lives in another country. (c) I've seen a dolphin from a boat.
(a) I fell into a pond at a birthday party. (b) I can make pancakes on my own. (c) I have a skateboard with my name on it.
(a) I can spell "necessary" without looking. (b) I have a pet tortoise older than me. (c) I've camped in a tent in my living room.
(a) I've been on a sleepover with my whole class. (b) I sing in the bath every day. (c) My feet are bigger than my mum's.
(a) I've fed a baby goat on a farm. (b) I learned to ride a bike in one day. (c) I've never tasted pizza.
(a) I dreamed I could fly and woke up on the floor. (b) I have my own library card. (c) I've been to a football match in a big stadium.
(a) I know how to tie a bow tie. (b) I've seen snow fall in spring. (c) I once had a pet stick insect.

Answers (the lie): 1c, 2a, 3b, 4c, 5b, 6a, 7b, 8c, 9a, 10b, 11b, 12a, 13a, 14c, 15a, 16c, 17a, 18b, 19a, 20c, 21a, 22a.

Tip for younger kids: let them whisper their lie to an adult first. Small children often forget which one was the lie, and the reveal falls apart.

Two truths and a lie for family gatherings

Families already know most of your stories, so these lean on small secrets, childhood mix ups and things nobody thought to ask.

(a) I once read my sibling's diary and never told them. (b) I was the one who broke the good blue vase. (c) I used to hide vegetables in the plant pot at dinner.
(a) I have a recipe of Grandad's written on the back of a bus ticket. (b) I once drove the family car into the garage door. (c) I learned to swim in the sea, not a pool.
(a) I've kept every birthday card my parents ever gave me. (b) I can still remember our landline number from when I was six. (c) I once ran away from home and got as far as the end of the road.
(a) I've never told anyone what I wished for on my tenth birthday. (b) I secretly studied for the family quiz one year. (c) I spent every summer at my cousins' house until I was twelve.
(a) I ate the last slice of the Christmas cake and let the dog take the blame. (b) I've seen Mum cry at an advert for gravy. (c) I can make Grandma's soup without the recipe.
(a) I was nearly named after a weather presenter. (b) I spent a whole summer convinced our house was haunted. (c) I once got lost in a supermarket and was found in the fish aisle.
(a) Grandma taught me to play cards, and she cheated. (b) I've planted a tree for every niece and nephew. (c) I fell asleep under the table at a family wedding.
(a) I've visited the village our family name comes from. (b) I cut my own fringe the night before school photos. (c) I once accidentally locked Dad in the shed.
(a) I buried a time capsule in the garden of our first house. (b) I ate a tin of baked beans cold for a bet. (c) I have never once won the family quiz.
(a) I've been to every family reunion since I was born. (b) I had an imaginary friend called Mr Toast. (c) I could read before I could ride a bike.
(a) I spent my pocket money on a goldfish without asking. (b) I've sneaked out of a family party to watch a match. (c) I know the dog's birthday better than some of my cousins'.
(a) I was born in the back of a taxi. (b) I've written a poem for every one of my grandparents. (c) I won a fancy dress contest dressed as a lamp.
(a) I've broken the same arm twice. (b) I rearranged my bedroom furniture every month for a year. (c) I've never eaten a meal my sibling cooked.
(a) I can still fit into my school uniform. (b) I once bit into soap thinking it was cheese. (c) I slept through an entire family road trip.
(a) People say I look exactly like my great aunt. (b) I hid under the stairs for an hour during my first thunderstorm. (c) I was a bridesmaid or page at five different weddings.
(a) I learned my times tables from a song Dad made up. (b) I kept a lock of my baby hair in a matchbox. (c) I've climbed onto our roof without anyone knowing.
(a) I once cooked Christmas dinner for twelve people on my own. (b) I have a scar from a game of tag. (c) I can do an impression of every person at this table.
(a) A famous footballer once wrote back to my fan letter. (b) I used to believe the ice cream van played music when it ran out of ice cream. (c) I helped paint the kitchen and got more paint on the dog.
(a) I won the family egg and spoon race three years running. (b) I've watched the same holiday film every December for twenty years. (c) I once gave away a family heirloom at a jumble sale by accident.
(a) I know a few words of the language my great grandparents spoke. (b) I once wore my brother's football kit to a party as a disguise. (c) I was the last in the family to learn to swim.

Answers (the lie): 1b, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5c, 6a, 7b, 8a, 9a, 10a, 11a, 12b, 13c, 14a, 15c, 16b, 17a, 18a, 19c, 20b.

Two truths and a lie for couples

For date nights, double dates or a partner guessing game. Play it as "how well do you know me" and you will find out.

(a) I almost cancelled our first date. (b) I can tell you exactly what you wore on our first date. (c) I've never told you my real favourite film.
(a) I practised what I'd say before I first called you. (b) I kept the receipt from our first dinner. (c) I knew I liked you within ten minutes.
(a) I had a crush on my maths teacher. (b) I "proposed" to someone in the playground when I was six. (c) I once dated someone with the same first name as you.
(a) I've never actually liked the song we call ours. (b) I cried at a film we watched together and hid it. (c) I once got a tattoo I later had removed.
(a) I can name your three closest childhood friends. (b) I got lost on the way to meet your parents. (c) I pretended to like one of your hobbies for a month.
(a) I've been to a speed dating night. (b) I wrote a love letter once and never sent it. (c) I've been on a blind date that lasted six hours.
(a) My dream holiday is a cabin with no internet. (b) I once danced on a table at a wedding. (c) I've ridden a motorbike across a whole country.
(a) I've never been dumped. (b) I can cook exactly one dish well. (c) I kissed someone at midnight on New Year's Eve and never saw them again.
(a) I know your coffee order by heart. (b) I've worn one of your jumpers to work and nobody noticed. (c) I once bought you a present and kept it for myself.
(a) I was terrible at slow dancing at school discos. (b) I once wrote a song for someone. (c) I've been on a date at a zoo.
(a) I've kept every note you've ever left me. (b) I've never sung karaoke sober. (c) I learned to cook to impress someone.
(a) I once ended a date early to watch a match. (b) I've been in love twice. (c) I secretly hate surprises.
(a) Friends have set me up on more than three blind dates. (b) I've looked at your bookshelf to work out your type. (c) I still get butterflies on our anniversary.
(a) My first kiss was at a bus stop. (b) I've never been anyone's plus one at a wedding. (c) I went to a fancy dress party as a famous couple, on my own.
(a) I once flew across the country to see someone for a single day. (b) I know your mum's birthday without checking. (c) I've always wanted us to take up a hobby together.
(a) I've been to a concert on my own. (b) I once hid a ring in a dessert and someone nearly swallowed it. (c) I'd rather go camping than to a spa.
(a) I once broke up with someone by letter. (b) I've had the same best friend since I was four. (c) I can't fall asleep without socks on.
(a) I nearly moved abroad the year we met. (b) I've never told anyone how we really met. (c) I've learned a recipe from your family.
(a) I picked my first date outfit three days early. (b) I've secretly taken dance lessons. (c) I'm scared of heights but went up the tower on our trip anyway.
(a) I've been on a date that ended in A&E. (b) I had a pop star poster on my bedroom ceiling. (c) I once proposed as a joke and they said yes.

Answers (the lie): 1a, 2b, 3c, 4a, 5b, 6c, 7c, 8a, 9c, 10b, 11a, 12a, 13a, 14b, 15a, 16b, 17a, 18b, 19b, 20c.

Keep it kind: the point is to learn something, not to dig up exes. Agree on what is off limits before you start.

Hard two truths and a lie (for experienced players)

These use the main trick: an unlikely truth beside a dull lie. Most people pick the wrong one.

(a) I have shaken hands with an Olympic gold medallist. (b) I have never been stung by a wasp or a bee. (c) I once got a speeding ticket on a moped.
(a) I was born on 29 February. (b) My grandmother was a professional wrestler. (c) I can't ride a bike.
(a) I have perfect pitch. (b) I've eaten a scorpion. (c) I've never had a filling.
(a) I once stood in a police line up as a volunteer filler. (b) I played the triangle in the school orchestra. (c) I've been to Antarctica.
(a) I learned to read when I was three. (b) Someone who works at my local bank looks exactly like me. (c) I've slept in an airport three nights in a row.
(a) I can write with both hands at the same time. (b) I've never cracked a screen. (c) I once rescued a kitten from a drain.
(a) I once fell asleep on a horse while it was walking. (b) I've been to the same holiday spot fifteen years running. (c) I grew up without a TV.
(a) I've finished a 1,000 piece jigsaw in a single day. (b) My great grandfather was a lighthouse keeper. (c) I once sleepwalked out of a house.
(a) I have an extra bone in my foot. (b) I've eaten at a restaurant where a robot cooked the food. (c) I've never been to the cinema alone.
(a) My childhood lemonade stand made more than my first real pay cheque. (b) A whole herd of cows once followed me across a field. (c) I've never seen snow.
(a) I know Morse code. (b) I've been hypnotised on stage. (c) I've had a reply from a royal household to a letter I sent.
(a) I've been on a train that hit a deer. (b) I tie my shoelaces in a way nobody else does. (c) I won a year's supply of soup in a raffle.
(a) I've touched a meteorite. (b) I hold a record at my old school that still stands. (c) I don't have a favourite food.
(a) A video of my dog went briefly viral. (b) I've never been to a dentist outside my home town. (c) I've swum with a manatee.
(a) I've had the same haircut for twenty years. (b) My name has been read out on national radio. (c) My first pet was a chicken that lived for eleven years.
(a) I've been mistaken for a celebrity and signed an autograph. (b) I've never eaten a banana. (c) I've been to a wedding where the couple arrived on a tractor.
(a) I've learned to juggle with fire. (b) I've walked between two countries in one afternoon. (c) I've lived on the same street my whole life.
(a) I've had dinner on a sleeper train. (b) I've never had a nickname. (c) A street artist once painted my portrait.
(a) I've given a speech to more than 500 people. (b) I'm afraid of balloons. (c) I've opened a fortune cookie with no fortune in it, twice in a row.
(a) I can fall asleep standing up. (b) I once returned a library book fifteen years late. (c) I've never lost a game of noughts and crosses.

Answers (the lie): 1b, 2c, 3c, 4b, 5a, 6c, 7b, 8a, 9c, 10a, 11b, 12c, 13c, 14a, 15a, 16a, 17c, 18b, 19a, 20c.

Notice how often the dull one is the lie here. Once your group has worked that out, flip it and use a strange lie. That is the long game.

Two truths and a lie for online and video calls

These use the one thing a video call has that a room does not: everyone can see a bit of your home. Expect people to ask you to prove it on camera, which is part of the fun.

(a) The painting behind me was done by my uncle. (b) I'm wearing pyjama bottoms right now. (c) I've never once forgotten to unmute.
(a) There's a cat asleep within two metres of me. (b) My desk was the kitchen table until last month. (c) I've joined a meeting from a parked car.
(a) My background is a real photo of a place I've been. (b) I've left my camera on while eating cereal. (c) I have three monitors.
(a) I can see a mountain from my window. (b) My chair is older than me. (c) I've joined a call from a ferry.
(a) I've never changed my default ringtone. (b) A parrot has interrupted one of my calls. (c) I've taken a call from a hotel bathroom because it had the best wifi.
(a) The mug I'm drinking from is from my first job. (b) There's a lamp in this room I made myself. (c) I'm sitting on an exercise ball, not a chair.
(a) I learned a whole language over video calls. (b) I've attended a wedding by video. (c) I've played an entire board game over a video call.
(a) I once joined a call where it was 3 am for me. (b) The plant on my desk has never been watered because it's fake. (c) My microphone is propped up on a book.
(a) The book behind me is one I've never read. (b) There's a guitar in this room I can't play. (c) I've moved house four times in two years.
(a) Someone once walked into my call and introduced themselves to everyone. (b) I took a call from inside a cupboard to get some quiet. (c) I own a ring light.
(a) I'm in a different city from where I normally work. (b) My socks don't match right now. (c) I've worked a full day from a beach.
(a) My wifi network has a pun for a name. (b) I've done a whole exercise class on a call. (c) I've done a virtual escape room.
(a) I've worn a shirt and tie with shorts on a call. (b) I baked bread during a long meeting. (c) I've never used a virtual background.
(a) I can see three clocks from my seat and none of them agree. (b) There's a dog toy under my desk. (c) I learned to knit from online videos.
(a) There's a sticky note on my screen with a joke on it. (b) I once presented for ten minutes on mute. (c) I've joined a call from a hospital waiting room.
(a) I'm taking this call standing up. (b) I've joined a call from a tent. (c) My display name has been spelled wrong for a year and nobody told me.
(a) My headphones died mid sentence in a job interview. (b) My best friend lives ten hours ahead of me. (c) I have a hammock in my office.
(a) I met someone in person after two years of only knowing them on calls. (b) I've accidentally shared my screen with my shopping list on it. (c) I've waved goodbye and then couldn't find the leave button.
(a) There's a framed photo on my wall of someone I've never met. (b) My keyboard is missing a key. (c) I've worked from a library.
(a) I can hear the sea from where I'm sitting. (b) I'm drinking hot chocolate right now. (c) I've been on a call with someone in Antarctica.

Answers (the lie): 1c, 2a, 3c, 4a, 5b, 6c, 7a, 8c, 9b, 10c, 11a, 12b, 13b, 14a, 15c, 16c, 17c, 18a, 19b, 20c.

Playing two truths and a lie on a video call

Collect statements in advance by private message, so the host can read them out and nobody spends the call thinking.
Vote in the chat all at once. Count down "three, two, one, send" so nobody copies the first answer.
Use the room. "Show us" makes a great extra rule: guessers can ask for one object to be held up to the camera before they guess.
Keep it under 12 people per call, or split into breakout rooms and bring back the best truths to the main group.

Two truths and a lie on Rondovo

If you want the scorekeeping done for you, Two Truths on Rondovo is our version. It is free: one person hosts a room, friends join at rondovo.com on their own screens with the four letter code, and nobody needs an account or a download. A TV is optional. On a video call, everyone opens the room on their own device, so nobody has to share a screen.

Everyone writes at once on their own screen: three statements of up to 90 characters each, then you mark which one is the lie. The default writing time is 90 seconds, and the host can set 60 to 180.
The game puts one player on the spot. Everyone sees their three statements in a shuffled order, so you can't give the lie away by where you put it.
Everyone else picks the lie on their own screen, with 30 seconds by default, and nobody sees anyone else's guess until the reveal.
Scoring is the liar's bonus: one point for each correct guess, and the writer gets one point for each player their lie fools. Highest total after everyone's turn wins.
3 to 12 players, about 15 minutes. Anyone who doesn't finish writing in time still gets to guess.

Where it is weaker than playing out loud: you lose the tone of voice and the follow up questions, which some groups love. Nothing stops you arguing out loud during the guessing, though, and in the same room that is the best of both.

More games like two truths and a lie

Most Likely To: the game asks who in the room is most likely to do something, and everyone votes. A great follow up once you've all learned something new about each other.
Odd One Out: one or more players get a slightly different secret word, and the room has to spot the bluffer from their hints.
Nightfall: our version of Mafia, for when the group is ready for a full game of lying. Our guide to how to play Mafia covers the rules and roles.

For bigger groups, see party games for large groups; for more first-meeting games, our icebreaker games; and for everything else, the full list of party games.

Questions people ask

What are good two truths and a lie examples?

The best sets pair an unusual true fact with a plain, believable lie, like "I've been to Antarctica, I played the triangle in the school orchestra, I once stood in a police line up as a filler", where the triangle is the lie. See the 152 examples above.

How do you make two truths and a lie hard to guess?

Base your lie on a real story with one detail changed, keep all three statements the same length, and say them in the same tone. Putting your strangest truth beside your lie pulls guesses away from it.

What is a good lie for two truths and a lie at work?

Something harmless and plausible about skills, travel or hobbies, such as "I can play the piano by ear" or "I've seen the northern lights". Avoid anything about health, money, politics or colleagues.

How do you play two truths and a lie with kids?

Same rules, simpler facts: pets, favourite foods, things they can do. Let young children tell an adult their lie first so they remember it, and skip scoring if anyone gets upset about being fooled.

How many people do you need for two truths and a lie?

Three is the minimum to make guessing interesting. It works well up to about 15; beyond that, split into smaller groups or play in teams.

What is the opposite game?

Two lies and a truth: say two false statements and one true one, and the group hunts for the truth. It is harder, so it suits groups who have played the normal version a lot.