Imposter game words: what to pick and why it matters
The word makes or breaks a round of Imposter. Pick a good one and the room turns on itself in minutes; pick a bad one and the imposter strolls home.
Playing right now? Deal the words on one phone, free in your browser.
What makes a good Imposter word?
Three things, and a word needs all of them. It has to be concrete, everyone in the room has to know it, and it needs more than one angle. Miss one and the round goes flat: either nobody can think of a clue, or the first clue gives the game away.
Concrete means you can picture it. Wheelie Bin works because everyone can see one. "Freedom" doesn't, because every clue for it sounds like a guess, and the imposter blends right in.
Everyone knowing it means your nan and your little cousin both have material. If one player has never heard of the word, they look exactly like the imposter, and they get voted out for it.
More than one angle is the big one. Wheelie Bin has bin day, the smell in August and dragging it out in your pyjamas. A word with one obvious clue gets that clue said first, and then the imposter knows the answer.
The six categories
Each category below has its own page with the full word list. Here is what each one feels like at the table, so you can pick the right one for the room.
Food and drinks. The warm-up category: everyone has eaten most of it and has strong views on Marmite. Pizza, Sunday Roast, Pot Noodle, Cheese Toastie. Full list: /imposter-game-words/food/
Celebrities. Henry VIII to MrBeast, so it works best when the room spans a few generations, and gets loud when it doesn't. Full list: /imposter-game-words/celebrities/
Places. Where Imposter started. Everyone is somewhere, like a laundrette, a silent disco or the office Christmas party, and has to prove they have been there. Full list: /imposter-game-words/places/
Everyday objects. The sneaky hard one. Everyone owns a hot water bottle and nobody has ever described one out loud. Full list: /imposter-game-words/everyday-objects/
Brands. Logos you walk past every day, which is why the clues get personal fast. Greggs, Ryanair and Duolingo all come with a reputation. Full list: /imposter-game-words/brands/
Sports. Not just the big ones: curling, sumo, the Mexican wave and sports day, so the people who never watch sport still have plenty to say. Full list: /imposter-game-words/sports/
Playing at Halloween? Halloween party games for adults has eight Halloween words that work for Imposter, plus the one rule for playing in costume. For a longer list with both hints, see Halloween words for Imposter.
Easy words and hard words
An easy word has loads of angles and everyone has a story about it. Pizza, Umbrella, Taylor Swift and IKEA are easy: ten people can give ten different clues and all of them are safe.
A hard word is narrow. Curling, Fencing, Wikipedia and Photo Finish only have a couple of obvious clues, so the people who know the word run out of safe ones fast, and the first clue that is too on the nose hands the imposter the answer. Hard words suit groups who have played before and want cleverer clues.
The app adds a second dial on top of the word: the imposter's hint. On Easy, the hint is something you could photograph at the target. On Hard, it is the frame around it, the mood or the moment, so the imposter has to bluff more. The word never changes, only the hint does.
Three examples from the app's decks. Lawnmower: easy hint Garden, hard hint Sunday. Snooker: easy hint Cue, hard hint Silence. Wimbledon: easy hint Strawberries, hard hint Rain. The app deals the imposter a one-word hint every round, so they have something to work with without being handed the answer.
How to run a round with a word from the list
- Pick a category and open its page on one phone. One player is the dealer this round: they pick a word and keep quiet about it.
- Tear one paper strip for every player except the dealer. Write the word on every strip but one, and write Imposter on the last.
- Fold the strips, shuffle them in a bowl and everyone draws one. The dealer sits this round out as the judge, and the job moves round each time.
- Go round the circle giving one clue each. After one or two circuits, count down from three and everyone points at their suspect.
- If the imposter is caught, they get one guess at the word. Get it right and they still win.
The full rules, the tie-break and some example rounds are on the how to play Imposter page: /how-to-play-imposter/. Or skip the paper: the app deals the word to everyone but the imposter and gives the imposter a one-word hint, so nobody has to sit out.
Imposter words FAQ
How many words do you need for a night?
About 15 to 20. A round with a vote takes a few minutes, and you want a few spares for when someone blurts the word out. Mix two or three categories so the night doesn't get samey.
Can you reuse words?
Not in the same night with the same group: everyone remembers last time's clues and the imposter gets a head start. With a different group, or a few weeks later, go for it. The app remembers which words your phone has dealt and serves fresh ones first.
What if someone has read the list?
Make them the dealer. If you want them playing, mix two categories and don't say which one the word came from. Knowing the list narrows it down; it doesn't tell you which word it is.
How many players do you need?
Four to eight is the sweet spot. Three works with a few tweaks, covered on the Imposter variations page: /imposter-game-variations/. Past ten, split into two circles so nobody forgets the early clues before the vote.
Let the phone deal
Imposter is free in Antics. Pass the phone round, everyone peeks, and the imposter gets a one-word hint to bluff with. Nobody has to sit out as dealer.
On a laptop? anticsapp.com/get sends the right store to your phone.