Halloween words for Imposter
A ready-made Halloween list for a round of Imposter on paper. Every word comes with an easy hint and a hard one, so you decide how much help the imposter gets.
Halloween suits Imposter because every word comes with a memory. Apple Bobbing is wet hair and the one apple nobody can catch. Fake Blood is the towel that was never the same again. Scooby-Doo is Saturday mornings as a kid. And half the room is probably dressed as something on the list, which is either a gift or a trap, depending on who the imposter is. Every word is below, with both of its hints.
The full Halloween word list, with an easy and a hard hint
This list is for playing on paper, with the steps below. Every word has an easy hint and a harder one. Give the imposter one hint, or none, your call.
| WORD | EASY HINT | HARD HINT |
|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin | Seeds | Patch |
| Trick or Treat | Knocking | Dusk |
| Fancy Dress | Wig | Theme |
| Witch | Cackle | Salem |
| Cauldron | Bubbling | Recipe |
| Broomstick | Bristles | Shed |
| Ghost | Sheet | Attic |
| Vampire | Velvet | Thirsty |
| Zombie | Brains | Apocalypse |
| Werewolf | Claws | Monthly |
| Mummy | Bandages | Ancient |
| Skeleton | Ribs | Secrets |
| Frankenstein | Stitches | Experiment |
| Bat | Wings | Upside-down |
| Spider | Web | Phobia |
| Graveyard | Flowers | Overgrown |
| Ouija Board | Letters | Sleepover |
| Apple Bobbing | Tub | Retro |
| Fake Blood | Dripping | Stains |
| Face Paint | Brushes | Fete |
| Cat Ears | Headband | Last-minute |
| Horror Film | Sequel | Sleepless |
| Scarecrow | Hay | Fields |
| Full Moon | Craters | Restless |
| Crystal Ball | Headscarf | Horoscope |
| Grim Reaper | Scythe | Inevitable |
| Pumpkin Spice Latte | Froth | Basic |
| Glow Stick | Neon | Safety |
| Couples Costume | Matching | Commitment |
| Toffee Apple | Glossy | Fillings |
| Coffin | Lid | Sombre |
| Scooby-Doo | Van | Meddling |
| Devil Horns | Pitchfork | Naughty |
| Banshee | Wailing | Irish |
How to run a Halloween round
- Pick a word and write it on paper strips, one per player, with IMPOSTER on one strip. Whoever writes them knows the word, so they host this round and play the next.
- Pick the hint and write it on the IMPOSTER strip. Easy points straight at the word, so it suits a first game. Hard is a mood or a moment, and it gives far less away.
- Fold the strips and mix them in a bowl. Everyone but the host draws one and reads it in secret.
- Go round the circle, one clue each. No acting it out: a cackle is the same as saying Witch.
- Vote on three. A caught imposter gets one guess, and it has to be the actual word: "something spooky" gets a laugh, not the win.
The hardest Halloween words to bluff
The hardest words come in sets. Witch, Cauldron and Broomstick are all on the list, so an imposter who hears "green" and "spells" has three answers and one guess. Pumpkin and Pumpkin Spice Latte pull the same trick, and so do Apple Bobbing and Toffee Apple. Banshee is the wildcard: half the room is not sure what one is, so the clues go vague and the imposter blends right in. Easy then hard: Broomstick: Bristles / Shed. Toffee Apple: Glossy / Fillings. Banshee: Wailing / Irish.
Who the Halloween list suits
A house party in costume, once everyone has turned up and found a seat. A uni flat before the big Halloween night out, when you are all half dressed and waiting on the last person to finish their face paint. And a grown-up family night in, because Scooby-Doo, Trick or Treat and Apple Bobbing are common ground for every generation at the table.
What if someone is dressed as one of the words?
Take that word out before you start. Every clue for it gets a look across the room, and the imposter gets a free round. If someone has come as a witch, drop Cauldron and Broomstick too.
Should the imposter get the easy or the hard hint?
Easy for a first game, because the imposter needs something to hold on to before the first clue. Once the room has the hang of it, switch to Hard. Ouija Board's hard hint is Sleepover, and that fits half the list.
How many players do you need?
Four to eight is the sweet spot, plus whoever writes the strips. Three works with a few tweaks, covered on the Imposter variations page.
One of you came as the imposter
Want the phone to deal it? Download Antics and play Imposter. It is free, and the phone keeps the imposter secret, so nobody has to sit out as host.
On a laptop? anticsapp.com/get sends the right store to your phone.