Two Truths and a Lie: Ideas, Examples, and Instructions (2023)

I am a mother of two, an EMT, a paramedic student, a freelance writer, a veteran, and so much more.

The game Two Truths and a Lie is a great party game for teenagers and can also be a good icebreaker in meetings, classes, or other situations where you need to make introductions.

Below are some examples of truths or lies if you're already familiar with the game and just need to get some ideas. These are easy to modify to make them true (or not true) for yourself. For information on how to play the game, see below the examples.

Truths and Lies About Achievements

• I can play guitar.
• I can play piano.
• I've written three short stories.
• I used to do improv.
• I once wrote a play about hard-boiled eggs.
• I speak 23 languages.
• I speak three languages.
• I can ride a motorcycle.
• I took acting classes in college and have been in a commercial.
• I got a perfect score on the math portion of the SAT.
• I've completed a professional eating contest.
• I can breakdance.
• I can read and write Latin.
• I don't have my driver's license.
• I learned to read when I was four years old.
• I almost flunked out of college.
• I've been published in three magazines.

About Sports

• I can't swim.
• I can hold my breath for two minutes.
• I've never been able to do a cartwheel.
• I rowed for my college team.
• I know how to juggle.
• I'm really into working out.
• I took ballet lessons last year to try to become more graceful.
• I can run a mile in under seven minutes.
• I've swum with sharks.
• I love hunting and once shot a 710-pound elk.
• I run every day (even when it's cold outside).
• I've climbed six mountains.
• I used to play goalie for my high school soccer team.

About Your Childhood and Family

• I am a twin.
• I asked Conan O'Brien out to prom.
• When I was a kid, I wanted to be a hockey player.
• My dad builds sewage factories.
• I used to live in a theater.
• My sister is a vegetarian.
• I have a sister who is ten years younger than me.
• I was born in Denver, Colorado.
• I grew up on an island.
• I wore the same sweatshirt every day in middle school.
• I grew up on Long Island.
• I was voted most likely to succeed in high school.
• I graduated at the top of my class in college.
• I was the first person in my family to go to college.
• I grew up in an apple orchard.
• I went to grade school with the current senator.
• For my 16th birthday, I asked for and received the hardcover versions of The Lord of the Rings.
• I used to have a huge crush on my 7th grade science teacher.
• I went to prom wearing an actual Cinderella dress.
• I'm Mexican.
• One of my cousins is a movie star.

About Food

• I am a vegetarian.
• I only cook once a week.
• I hate chocolate chip pancakes.
• I think tomatoes are disgusting.
• I have never tasted honey,
• I hate cilantro.
• I try to avoid carbs.
• I love to deep-fry food.
• Peanut butter is my favorite food.

Truths and Lies That Make You Sound Quirky

• I once stepped on a pear covered with bees and didn't have an allergic reaction.
• I own a puppet.
• I hate the color red.
• I have never lived in a house.
• I have visited 23 countries.
• I don't have a Netflix account.
• I hate dirty dishes in the sink.
• I own six robes.
• I love gambling.
• I have never won a contest of any kind.
• I usually don't go to sleep before 2 a.m.
• I was interviewed on the news once.
• I have an autograph from Taylor Swift.
• I have over 100 selfies on my phone that I've never posted on social media.
• I've never gotten a ticket of any kind.
• I have a cape and cane.
• I never answer calls from unknown callers.
• I hate Justin Bieber so much it hurts.
• I met all the members of The Eagles.
• I nap almost every day.
• I always use a fake name at restaurants.
• I've been to Disneyland five times and eaten at the restaurant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride every time.
• I've never dyed my hair.
• I've never seen The Sound of Music.
• I'm an absolute musical freak!
• I once ate an entire medium pizza by myself.
• I haven't lived in the same city for more than four years.
• I collect rubber duckies

That Make You Sound Bad-Ass

• I've been skydiving twice.
• I've been arrested but never put in jail.
• I drink a pot of coffee every morning.
• I've broken both wrists and both ankles.
• I've crashed six weddings but only been kicked out of two.
• I was once in a car crash where the car was totaled and I survived with no injuries.

Things Your Close Friends Will Already Know

• I am deathly afraid of spiders.
• I have met the president.
• I'm colorblind.
• I've never been to New York City.
• I've been engaged but never married.
• I have over 10 plants in my house.
• I was the last of my friends to get a smartphone.
• I have never been on a roller coaster.
• I used to be deathly afraid of elevators.
• I think grasshoppers are pretty much the cutest things ever.
• I love black and white movies
• I've done stand-up exactly two times.
• I don't want to get married.
• I'd like to have six children.
• I dislike dogs.

How to Play the Game

This game is also called Two Truths, One Lie or Two Truths and One Not. It is extremely easy to play and doesn't need any equipment or supplies—only your imagination.

You can play with any number of people. Here's how it works:

• Each person in the group gets a turn.
• When it is your turn, tell the group two things about yourself that are true and one thing that is untrue (this is your lie).
• Try not to tell both of your truths first and then the lie because that makes it easier to guess (see below for some more game strategies).
• Mix the order up each time it is your turn. Alternate between truth-truth-lie, truth-lie-truth and lie-truth-truth.
• Everyone in the group has an opportunity to try to guess which statement was the lie.
• Once everyone has guessed, the person will reveal what was true and what was false.
• If only one person was correct, that person can go next. Or, the person sitting closest to the last person can go next.
• This can go around as many times as you would like or just so everyone gets the chance to go once.

Some Strategies and Suggestions

This game isn't any fun if you make it completely obvious which statement is a lie and which statements are true. Here are some ways to avoid doing that.

Strategy #1

Make two boring or average statements. One of them should be the lie. Your true statement should be something radical or surprising. If you do this, chances are that your friends will suspect the outrageous fact is the lie.

Strategy #2

Make two surprising or uncommon statements—one of them should be true and the other should be a lie. Your second truth can be a common statement. This will prompt your friends to pick one of the surprising statements as the lie, but which one? It could possibly stump them.

Strategy #3

Make your two true statements unbelievable, if you can. This lets you make the lie very believable. Your friends will assume that the two wild statements can't both be true and pick one of them as a lie.

Watch the girls from the television show Pretty Little Liars playing the game.

Brainstorming Ideas

Sometimes it's hard to keep coming up with ideas if you play this game for a while. Here are a few questions for you to think about that will help you think of new ideas:

• Do you have any special talents that people don't know about?
• Are there any things you wish were true about yourself but aren't?
• What is your favorite subject in school? Or your favorite anything?
• Are you known for something like sports that would make it not seem obvious that you liked something else like poetry?
• How many siblings do you have and how many of each?
• What is something you have never done but that most people have?
• What are some things you have accomplished?
• What do you want to be when you grow up?
• What do you own or not own?

More Examples

Below is what I might say if I was playing the game. Which one do you think is the lie?

• I have a dog that cost over $1,000.
• I am 24 years old and have been married three times.
• I own my own home.

If you guessed that the lie is: "I own my own home," you would be correct! Congratulations! In this example, I made my lie a little boring and the truths a little unbelievable.

Let's try another example:

• I am going to school for nursing.
• I have one brother and one sister.
• I got my first job when I was 15.

Which one would you guess here? The lie is that I have a brother and a sister. In this example, I tried to make two boring statements with one of them being the lie.

If you think you have it down, go out and play with your friends!

Thea Storm on July 28, 2020:

I heard about this game in my English lesson.

I really liked it.

When I see my little kids again, I will play with them.

taylor on April 24, 2020:

i love tomatos i love cheese i love chocolate

shill on April 10, 2020:

I have 9 grandchildren.

I never learned how to swim.

I love to go to the mountains

Nimaparvar on February 21, 2020:

Lie food

malajah on January 24, 2020:

amazing

Fateh on January 09, 2020:

Gratitude this is so helpful and I am playing this game with my frnds

Niffy Damzy on January 08, 2020:

This is very good I have tried some with my friends they were so embarrassed but it all fun

I'm shy on December 03, 2019:

Doing this for a English class and this gave me a lot of useful ideas from high school and other things also.

Thanks for all this information!

I am Unknown on November 19, 2019:

Could you make more for younger teens.

Chloejones on October 09, 2019:

i love this game but can you make on for children

Name_Here on October 08, 2019:

I have to do this for an English assignment and this will definitely help. Thank you!

fire on August 11, 2019:

hi

all i gotta say is hi

Win team on February 21, 2019:

I love playing this game I’ve seen it all over YouTube

Anonymous on January 15, 2019:

I know where u live

ms unknown on November 19, 2018:

this is a fun college game to play with friends

Cute pie on July 19, 2018:

Me and my sister love this game!

So fun any day!

AralynWelker on April 22, 2018:

I was helping my grandma play ttaol thru text and theyre HILOURIOUS

Emma on March 22, 2018:

I used all of these and my mom guessed

Emily on March 12, 2018:

I love playing this game it’s really good I am pretty good at it as well

BruBoyStupid on December 03, 2017:

Ehh I sorta like it but I honestly hate the game it's self

?????? on April 03, 2017:

best game to play with your family #1

?????? on April 03, 2017:

Me and my sis love this game! So fun any day!

New Game on January 10, 2017:

Did you know you could play this game online as well Anonymouse?

IStayAnonymouse on January 10, 2017:

as an Asperger this was ultimately helpful, thanks!

Tae on December 07, 2016:

Me like the game

easyguyevo from Barbados on October 31, 2016:

I enjoy playing this game with my spouse. We can see who gets the most right for bragging rights.

http://truthsandlie.com/

Ashley on December 15, 2014:

I'm like doing 2 truths and 1 lie

laishaluvsu on September 04, 2014:

Cool