Two truths and a lie for work: rules, 100 ideas and 7 variations
How to play, how to write a lie nobody spots, and 100 statements to borrow. Plus a remote version and seven ways to mix it up.
Two truths and a lie is a team building game people actually enjoy, because it’s a guessing game first and an introduction second. The hard part is thinking of statements on the spot. Below are 100 to adapt: keep the ones that are true for you and bend one into a lie.
How to play two truths and a lie
Works for 4 to 40 people and takes about a minute per person.
- Everyone writes three statements. Two true things about yourself and one made-up thing, in any order. Give people two minutes to think.
- One person reads theirs out. Same tone for all three. No smirking on the lie.
- The group votes. Everyone picks the statement they think is the lie: hands up, fingers for 1, 2 or 3, or a poll.
- Reveal and tell one story. Say which one was the lie, then give the 20-second story behind the most surprising truth. That story is the real point of the game.
- Score it if you like. Guessers get a point for spotting the lie; the teller gets a point for every person they fooled.
How to write a good lie
- Make the lie boring. A plain, believable lie beats a wild one every time.
- Make one truth sound unbelievable, so the group suspects the wrong statement.
- Match the detail. If one statement has a number or a place, give all three one.
- Keep all three about the same area of life, like travel or food, so none stands out.
- Pick a lie nobody in the room can disprove. Your desk neighbor knows you don't own a boat.
- Read all three at the same pace, without a pause before the lie.
Two truths and a lie examples: three sample rounds
Round 1
- 1.I was an extra in a movie.
- 2.I can type over 100 words per minute.
- 3.I've never tasted coffee.
The lie: number 3. The lie is the dullest of the three, and the movie one sounds made up.
Round 2
- 1.I once cooked dinner for 40 people.
- 2.I learned to drive in a country where they drive on the left.
- 3.I've been camping in a national park for a week.
The lie: number 1. All three are plausible and all three have a detail, so nothing gives it away.
Round 3
- 1.My first job was at an amusement park.
- 2.I've given a talk to more than 500 people.
- 3.I was in the school marching band.
The lie: number 2. Groups usually suspect the most impressive claim. Here they'd be right, so next round, make your most impressive statement a true one.
100 two truths and a lie ideas
Example statements in seven themes, all safe for work. Use the true ones as they are and twist one detail for your lie.
Travel and places
Places are easy to fake and hard to check.
1. I've visited more than ten countries.
2. I've been on a plane exactly once.
3. I once spent more than 24 hours stuck in an airport.
4. I've seen the Northern Lights.
5. I've swum in three different oceans.
6. I once took a 30-hour train ride.
7. I've never been on a cruise.
8. I've lived in four different states.
9. I've hiked to the top of a volcano.
10. I learned to drive in a country where they drive on the left.
11. I've gone to the same vacation spot every year since I was a kid.
12. I once missed a flight because I went to the wrong airport.
13. I've been camping in a national park for a week.
14. I've been to a place where the sun never set.
15. I've never left the country I was born in.
Food
Everyone has a strange food fact, and everyone has an opinion about yours.
16. I've never tasted coffee.
17. I once ate a whole pizza on a dare.
18. I've eaten a fried insect.
19. I've never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
20. I bake my own bread every week.
21. I've won a chili cook-off.
22. I don't like chocolate.
23. I've eaten the same breakfast every day for a year.
24. I once cooked dinner for 40 people.
25. I've never used chopsticks.
26. I can crack an egg with one hand.
27. I've judged a baking contest.
28. I put hot sauce on almost everything.
29. I've picked apples at the same orchard every fall for ten years.
30. I've never eaten a hot dog.
Skills and talents
Hidden talents make the best truths, because nobody at work has seen them.
31. I can solve a puzzle cube in under two minutes.
32. I can juggle three balls.
33. I can type over 100 words per minute.
34. I can play the piano by ear.
35. I know sign language.
36. I can say the alphabet backward in under ten seconds.
37. I can whistle with my fingers.
38. I know how to sail.
39. I can draw a near-perfect circle freehand.
40. I've built my own computer.
41. I can name every US state capital.
42. I can ride a unicycle.
43. I knit my own scarves.
44. I'm a certified scuba diver.
45. I can say hello in ten languages.
Childhood and school
Old stories nobody here can fact-check.
46. I made it to the final round of a school spelling bee.
47. I went to five different schools before high school.
48. I was voted class clown.
49. I had a pet rabbit named after a breakfast cereal.
50. I was in a TV commercial as a kid.
51. I broke my arm falling out of a tree.
52. I had perfect attendance for a whole school year.
53. I won a science fair with a project about mold.
54. I swam competitively until I was 16.
55. I could read before I turned four.
56. I sold more fundraiser candy than anyone in my school.
57. I grew up on a farm.
58. I was in the school marching band.
59. I've had the same best friend since kindergarten.
60. I wrote to an author as a kid and got a letter back.
Work and career
Good for a new team: the truths double as real introductions.
61. My first job was at an amusement park.
62. I worked night shifts for a whole year.
63. I once interviewed for a job at a zoo.
64. I've had the same job title at three companies.
65. I've given a talk to more than 500 people.
66. I've never had a job interview over video.
67. I once got hired on the spot.
68. I worked as a lifeguard.
69. I started a small business in college.
70. I've worked in a restaurant kitchen.
71. I applied to this company twice before I got in.
72. I once had a job that came with a uniform and a hat.
73. I've never pulled an all-nighter for work.
74. I've trained more than 50 new hires.
75. I've worked in four different industries.
Hobbies and sports
Weekend activities with just enough detail to be believable.
76. I've run a marathon.
77. I'm in a bowling league.
78. I've been skydiving.
79. I've written a novel that nobody has read.
80. I play in a band.
81. I've finished a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle in one day.
82. I've grown a pumpkin that weighed over 100 pounds.
83. I've kept the same houseplant alive for 15 years.
84. I've ridden a horse along a beach.
85. I've seen my favorite band live more than ten times.
86. I collect vinyl records.
87. I've been ice fishing.
88. I've finished a triathlon.
89. I built a treehouse.
90. I've watched every episode of a TV show that ran for over 300 episodes.
Brushes with fame and odd luck
The ones that get the biggest reaction when they turn out to be true.
91. I once shook hands with a famous athlete.
92. I was an extra in a movie.
93. I've been a contestant on a game show.
94. I found a $100 bill on the sidewalk.
95. I've won a raffle twice in one year.
96. I once ended up in the background of a live TV news report.
97. I've been interviewed on the radio.
98. I've met an astronaut.
99. I've had a letter published in a newspaper.
100. I got a hole in one at mini golf on my first try.
How to play two truths and a lie on Zoom, Teams or Slack
- On Zoom or Teams: people read their three statements on camera, and everyone votes in the chat with 1, 2 or 3, all at once on the host's count.
- Use the poll feature for big calls, so nobody copies the first answer they see.
- Collect statements ahead of time in a form, then the host reads each set and the group guesses who wrote it before guessing the lie.
- On Slack or Teams chat, post one person's three statements a day as a numbered message. People vote with 1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣ reactions, and the reveal comes the next morning.
- For more than 12 people, use breakout rooms of five or six and bring the best lie back to the main room.
7 two truths and a lie variations
Once everyone has played the classic version, change one rule.
1. Two lies and a truth
Flip it: two made-up statements and one true one. The group hunts for the truth, which is harder than it sounds.
2. Guess who
Everyone sends their three statements to the host privately. The host reads each set; the group guesses who wrote it first, then the lie.
3. Theme rounds
Every statement has to fit a theme: travel, food, first jobs, hidden talents. Themes stop people from reusing the same three facts every time.
4. Three questions
Before the vote, the group can ask the teller three questions about any statement. The teller must answer, and must keep lying about the lie.
5. Team edition
Small teams write two truths and a lie about their team as a whole, then present to the other teams. Great for cross-department meetings.
Example: Our team has a combined 40 years at this company. We've never missed a deadline. Three of us were born in the same hospital.
6. Lightning round
Each person gets 30 seconds to read and the group gets 10 to vote. Good for big groups or the end of a meeting.
7. One a day
On a remote team, one person posts their three statements each morning in chat, and the reveal is the next day. It takes a week to go round a team of five.
Need a different kind of question? Try our get to know you questions, icebreaker questions, hot seat questions and true or false questions.
Want someone to run this for your team?
Two truths and a lie is a great 15-minute opener. For the main event, a live host runs a virtual game show or trivia for about an hour, on Zoom or at your office. Book about 2 weeks ahead, or get a free quote.
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