Vivuvi

Games for two strangers

100 Two Truths and a Lie Ideas for Playing With Someone You Just Met

Two truths and a lie is usually played with people who already know a little about each other: coworkers at an offsite, friends around a kitchen table. Played with a stranger, it turns into a different game. You have almost nothing to go on, so every guess is a genuine guess, and every reveal tells you something true about the person you’re talking to.

Below are 100 ideas you can borrow, grouped by mood, plus the few things that change when you play online with someone you met a minute ago, starting with how to keep your truths from giving away who you are.

· 10 min read

01How to play (the 30-second version)

  1. One person says three statements about themselves. Two are true, one is made up.
  2. The other person guesses which one is the lie. If you like, they get one question first.
  3. Reveal, then swap.

That’s the whole game. You don’t need points. The fun is in the reveal, and in the story behind the strangest true one.

When you play online, deliver all three in one go: say them back to back on a call, or send them in a single message in text so they sit side by side.

02The one rule with a stranger: leave out anything that identifies you

Specific truths make the best rounds. The trouble is only with details that point to who you are: your name, your workplace, your routine, your location.

Keep these out of your statements:

  • your full name, or anyone else’s
  • where you work, which gym you use, or places you go every week
  • your street, your neighborhood, your town or any other precise location (keep places broad)
  • your social media handles, phone number or email
  • anything you’ve posted publicly that would turn up in a search

You rarely have to drop the truth itself. Swap the identifying detail for a general one:

  • Instead of “I work at the dental clinic on Main Street,” try “I’ve had a job where I spent all day looking into strangers’ mouths.”
  • Instead of “I won the Riverside chili cook-off in 2019,” try “I once won a chili contest with a recipe I made up that morning.”
  • Instead of “My roommate Jake and I got stuck in the elevator at the Hilton downtown,” try “I once got stuck in an elevator for an hour.”

It works both ways. If the other person over-shares, don’t dig for more. And a round of two truths and a lie is never a reason to swap phone numbers or social handles with someone you just met.

03What makes a good lie

  • Make your truths strange and your lie ordinary. People go hunting for the weird one, so let the weird one be true.
  • Build the lie on something you really know. If you can cook one difficult dish, claiming a different one is easy to describe convincingly.
  • Match the length. If two statements are short and the third comes with a backstory, that’s your tell.
  • Keep it guessable. A statement like “my middle name is Frank” gives the other person nothing to reason about, and the reveal falls flat.

04100 two truths and a lie ideas

Use these as starting points and adapt them to your own life. If the true version of one would identify you, pick a different idea rather than adding more detail.

Funny and harmless

  1. I’ve been locked out of my own place in my pajamas.
  2. I once waved back at someone who was waving at the person behind me.
  3. I laughed so hard in a quiet library that I had to leave.
  4. I’ve walked into a glass door more than once.
  5. I have a playlist that’s one song on repeat.
  6. I once sent a voice note meant for a friend to my boss.
  7. I’ve been mistaken for a celebrity. Twice.
  8. I’ve fallen asleep in a movie theater during an action movie.
  9. I talk to my plants, and one of them is doing suspiciously well.
  10. I once lost a fight with a goose.

Food and drink

  1. I’ve never had a cup of coffee.
  2. I’ve eaten a whole large pizza by myself.
  3. I put hot sauce on fruit.
  4. I’ve eaten a bug on purpose.
  5. I once ate the same lunch for 100 days in a row.
  6. I can’t stand chocolate.
  7. I’ve cooked dinner for twenty people.
  8. I dip my fries in ice cream.
  9. I’ve never eaten a burger.
  10. I once drove two hours for one specific dessert.

Travel and places

  1. I’ve been to four continents.
  2. I’ve never been on a plane.
  3. I’ve missed a flight because I fell asleep at the gate.
  4. I’ve swum in two different oceans in the same week.
  5. I’ve stayed in a hotel that claims to be haunted.
  6. I once got lost while traveling and ended up at a stranger’s birthday party.
  7. I’ve spent more than ten hours crossing a country by car.
  8. I’ve seen the northern lights.
  9. I’ve been to the same vacation spot every year for as long as I can remember.
  10. I once took the wrong train and ended up in a different country.

Hidden talents and odd skills

  1. I can juggle.
  2. I can solve a Rubik’s cube.
  3. I can whistle with my fingers loud enough to hail a cab.
  4. I can type 100 words a minute without looking at the keyboard.
  5. I can say the alphabet backwards faster than forwards.
  6. I can play the piano by ear.
  7. I can wiggle my ears.
  8. I can draw an almost perfect circle freehand.
  9. I can hold a basic conversation in sign language.
  10. I can do a decent impression of a famous cartoon voice.

Weird but true

  1. I have a scar from a very embarrassing trampoline accident.
  2. I’ve never broken a bone.
  3. I sleep in socks all year round.
  4. I’ve had the same phone case for five years.
  5. I can’t whistle at all.
  6. I once found money in a coat I bought secondhand.
  7. I’ve been hit by a golf ball.
  8. I’ve never seen a Star Wars movie.
  9. I’m afraid of balloons.
  10. I know every word of a song in a language I don’t speak.

Small wins and strange luck

  1. I’ve won a raffle more than once.
  2. I once got upgraded to first class for free.
  3. I found a wallet full of cash and handed it in.
  4. I won a prize for a contest I’d completely forgotten entering.
  5. I once shared an elevator with someone famous and only recognized them afterwards.
  6. I’ve caught a ball at a baseball game.
  7. A stranger once paid for my whole grocery shop.
  8. I found a four-leaf clover on my first try.
  9. Other tourists have asked me for directions in three different countries.
  10. I’ve met a world record holder.

Firsts, fears and small confessions

  1. The first concert I went to was a band I’m too embarrassed to name.
  2. I still sleep with a light on.
  3. I once quit a job after one day.
  4. I cried at an animated movie last month.
  5. I never learned to ride a bike.
  6. I’m scared of deep water, but I love boats.
  7. My first car broke down on the day I bought it.
  8. I once pretended to know a band for a whole evening so I wouldn’t look out of the loop.
  9. I’ve never been on a roller coaster.
  10. I haven’t finished a single book I started this year.

Hobbies and obsessions

  1. I’ve read the same book eleven times.
  2. I’ve run a marathon.
  3. I own more than 200 of one very specific kind of collectible.
  4. I once stayed up all night to finish a video game.
  5. I’ve knitted a sweater that someone actually wears.
  6. I can name every capital city in Europe.
  7. I’ve performed live in front of an audience exactly once.
  8. I’ve built a piece of furniture from scratch.
  9. I’ve watched an entire TV series in one weekend.
  10. I grow my own chili peppers.

Flirty, but still clean (for when the chat is going well)

  1. I’ve been told I have a great laugh by three different strangers.
  2. I once asked someone out by writing it on a coffee cup.
  3. I’ve never been on a blind date.
  4. I’ve been on a date that lasted fourteen hours.
  5. I’ve written a love letter by hand.
  6. I once danced with a stranger in the rain.
  7. I’m a terrible dancer, and I dance anyway.
  8. I’ve fallen hard for a fictional character.
  9. I once had a New Year’s Eve date that went far better than expected.
  10. I’ve been serenaded, badly, in public.

Short ones for text chat

  1. I’ve never had a cavity.
  2. I can’t swim.
  3. I’ve been skydiving.
  4. I sleep eight hours every night.
  5. I don’t like pizza.
  6. I’ve never seen snow.
  7. I’m left-handed.
  8. I’ve been vegetarian for ten years.
  9. I own a snake.
  10. I’ve never had a speeding ticket.

05Two truths and a lie examples: three full rounds

Round one: the ordinary lie.

“I’ve been to four continents. I can wiggle my ears. I’ve never had a cup of coffee.”

RevealThe lie was the coffee. The ears were true, and on video they got a demonstration, which is half the fun.

Round two: the lie built on something real.

“I once got lost while traveling and ended up at a stranger’s birthday party. I’ve seen the northern lights. I’ve swum in two oceans in the same week.”

RevealThe lie was the northern lights. They’d only ever seen them in photos, which is where all the convincing details came from.

Round three: the fast one, in text.

“I’m left-handed. I own a snake. I’ve been skydiving.”

RevealThe lie was the snake. There is a pet, but it’s a very ordinary cat.

06Playing it on video, voice or text

Each way of chatting changes the game a little.

On video

Your face does half the talking. Plenty of people give themselves away with a grin on the lie, or overcorrect with a stone-cold stare. Say all three at the same pace and let them ask one question before they guess.

Start a video chat →

On voice

They can’t see your expression, so they’ll listen harder to your pauses and your tone. A steady voice goes a long way.

Start a voice chat →

In text

Send all three in one message. Nobody can hear you hesitate, but the other person can take their time, so your lie has to stand up on its own.

Start a text chat →

On Vivuvi you choose video, voice or text before you start, so you can play whichever version you like best.

07Keeping it going after the reveal

The reveal is where the real conversation starts. Ask about the strangest true one:

  • “Wait. The goose. What happened?”
  • “Which book? And why eleven times?”
  • “What do you collect, and is the collection still growing?”

Then play another round, or let the conversation wander wherever it wants to go.

08When to stop playing, and when to move on

Not everyone wants to play games, and that’s fine. Some people would rather just talk. Suggest it once, and if they’d rather not, drop it.

If a chat isn’t going anywhere, you don’t have to force it. On a Vivuvi call, Next appears a moment after you connect; in a text chat, you can simply start a new match. And if anyone gets pushy about personal details, like where you live, where you work or what your full name is, you can report or block them.

09FAQ

What are some good two truths and a lie ideas?

The best ones are specific and a little surprising: a hidden talent, a strange food habit, an odd bit of luck. A strong round mixes one strange truth, one ordinary truth and one believable lie.

How do you make a lie believable?

Keep it ordinary, build it on something you really know, and say it at the same length and pace as your two truths.

Can you play two truths and a lie over text?

Yes. Send all three statements in one message. Text hides your face and your tone, so the lie has to hold up on its own.

Is it safe to play with strangers online?

You can keep the risk low. Leave identifying details out of your statements, don’t share links or contact information, and don’t answer follow-up questions that make you uncomfortable. If someone pressures you for personal information, end the chat and use the report or block tools.

How many rounds should you play?

Two or three is usually about right. After that, pick the most interesting reveal and just talk about it.

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