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Two Truths and a Lie generator

Three plausible statements, dealt at random. Make two of them true for you, turn the third into your lie, swap any card that does not fit, and copy the set. Everything is safe to say in a work meeting.

Three ideas · tap the one you would make your lie

Make two of these true for you (change the details) and the third into something that sounds just as likely.

How to play Two Truths and a Lie

  1. Each person prepares three statements about themselves: two true, one false.
  2. One at a time, read the three out loud without giving anything away.
  3. Everyone else guesses the lie: a show of hands, or a number in chat.
  4. Reveal the lie, enjoy the surprise, and move to the next person.
  5. Optional: keep score. One point for every correct guess, two for fooling everyone.

It is the icebreaker that runs itself because the preparation is the only hard part. That is what the generator is for: deal three ideas, adapt them, and you are ready in under a minute.

How to write a good lie

  • Match the texture. If your truths have a place and a year, your lie needs one too.
  • Stay close to true. The best lie is a truth with one detail changed: the right country, the wrong decade.
  • Make the truths surprising. If one statement is wild and true, people will guess it as the lie and you win twice.
  • Avoid things people can check. Nothing about your job title, your team or the photo on your desk.
  • Practise the delivery. Read all three in the same flat tone. The giveaway is usually a smile.

Growing up: two truths and a lie ideas

Things that happened before anyone at work knew you.

  1. I won a prize at a school science fair.
  2. I was in a school play and forgot my only line.
  3. I had a pet with a ridiculous name.
  4. I broke a bone before I turned ten.
  5. I once got lost in a shop for over an hour.
  6. I collected something unusual as a child.
  7. I was the tallest person in my class.
  8. I learned to ride a bike late.
  9. I had the same best friend from age five to today.
  10. I lived in three different towns before I was twelve.
  11. I was once on local television as a child.
  12. I wrote a fan letter and got a reply.
  13. I was afraid of a very specific cartoon.
  14. I played an instrument for years and quit the week before a concert.
  15. I could recite a whole film from memory.
  16. My childhood nickname is still used by my family.
  17. I once ran away from home and got as far as the garden.
  18. I believed something odd about the world until embarrassingly late.
  19. I was in a sports team that never won a game.
  20. I had a summer job that no longer exists.

Travel: two truths and a lie ideas

Places, journeys and the things that went wrong on them.

  1. I have missed a flight because I was in the airport bar.
  2. I have slept in an airport overnight.
  3. I have been to more than ten countries.
  4. I have never been on a cruise.
  5. I got on the wrong train and ended up in a different country.
  6. I have swum in a sea on three continents.
  7. I have driven on the wrong side of the road by mistake.
  8. I have been inside a volcano crater.
  9. I once went on holiday and did not take a single photo.
  10. I have been to the same place every year for over a decade.
  11. I have hiked a mountain over three thousand metres.
  12. I have ridden a camel, an elephant or a horse on holiday.
  13. I have lost my passport abroad.
  14. I have eaten at a restaurant with no menu.
  15. I have taken a boat trip that made me seasick.
  16. I have visited a place purely because of a film.
  17. I have had a holiday romance with a city rather than a person.
  18. I have been upgraded on a flight without asking.
  19. I have never been camping.
  20. I have crossed a border on foot.

Food: two truths and a lie ideas

Strong opinions and strange meals.

  1. I have never eaten a hot dog.
  2. I put salt on watermelon.
  3. I once ate the same lunch every day for a year.
  4. I can make a soufflé that does not collapse.
  5. I have eaten insects on purpose.
  6. I do not like chocolate.
  7. I have won an eating contest.
  8. I have set off a smoke alarm making toast.
  9. I have a secret recipe nobody else knows.
  10. I have never had a cup of coffee.
  11. I eat pizza with a knife and fork.
  12. I have grown my own vegetables and eaten them.
  13. I think coriander tastes like soap.
  14. I have cooked a meal for more than twenty people.
  15. I have been to a restaurant with a Michelin star.
  16. I keep hot sauce in my bag.
  17. I have made my own cheese, bread or beer.
  18. I have a strong opinion about how to cut a sandwich.
  19. I have eaten dinner at midnight more often than at six.
  20. I can eat a whole lemon without flinching.

Hidden skills: two truths and a lie ideas

Talents that do not come up in meetings.

  1. I can juggle three balls.
  2. I can solve a Rubik's cube.
  3. I can say the alphabet backwards.
  4. I can touch my nose with my tongue.
  5. I know how to sail.
  6. I can play two instruments.
  7. I can whistle with my fingers.
  8. I have a black belt in a martial art.
  9. I can type without looking at the keyboard.
  10. I can name every country in Europe.
  11. I can do a handstand.
  12. I speak three languages.
  13. I can identify birds by their song.
  14. I have run a marathon.
  15. I can fold a fitted sheet properly.
  16. I can do a convincing impression of a famous person.
  17. I know all the words to a very long song.
  18. I can drive a tractor.
  19. I can knit, crochet or sew my own clothes.
  20. I can read music.

Work: two truths and a lie ideas

Jobs, firsts and small professional confessions.

  1. My first job was in a fast-food restaurant.
  2. I have been on a work trip to another continent.
  3. I once sent an email to the whole company by mistake.
  4. I have fallen asleep in a meeting.
  5. I have worked a night shift.
  6. I have had a job that involved animals.
  7. I have interviewed for a job and been offered a different one.
  8. I have never used a fax machine.
  9. I have been on a conference call from a car park.
  10. I have presented to more than two hundred people.
  11. I have had the same desk plant for over five years.
  12. I once worked from a boat.
  13. I have been the youngest person on a team.
  14. I have quit a job on the first day.
  15. I have met a client I thought was a colleague.
  16. I have had a job title that nobody could explain.
  17. I have worked in a shop at Christmas.
  18. I have been on a work trip and seen only the hotel.
  19. I got my current job through a friend.
  20. I have taken a call in a cupboard to find some quiet.

Everyday: two truths and a lie ideas

Habits, pets and household facts.

  1. I have never owned a car.
  2. I have more than three pets.
  3. I wake up before six most days.
  4. I have never broken a phone screen.
  5. I have a houseplant older than my job.
  6. I make my bed every single morning.
  7. I have a tattoo nobody at work has seen.
  8. I have lived in the same home for over fifteen years.
  9. I have never watched a famous film everyone has seen.
  10. I talk to my pets in a special voice.
  11. I have over a hundred books I have not read.
  12. I have been to a concert alone.
  13. I own a very specific collection.
  14. I have never dyed my hair.
  15. I can fall asleep anywhere within five minutes.
  16. I have the same breakfast every day.
  17. I have a twin.
  18. I have never been stung by a bee.
  19. I am related to someone with a street named after them.
  20. I have a hobby I have kept secret for years.

Brushes with fame: two truths and a lie ideas

Famous people, places and moments, almost.

  1. I have shaken hands with a head of state.
  2. I have been an extra in a film or TV show.
  3. I once sat next to a famous person on a plane.
  4. I have been in the crowd at a world record attempt.
  5. I have a photo with a famous athlete.
  6. I have been mistaken for a celebrity.
  7. I have been on a radio show.
  8. I have had a question read out on live television.
  9. I have met an author at a book signing and said something silly.
  10. I have been to a royal event.
  11. I have been in a music video.
  12. I have had a meal cooked by a famous chef.
  13. I have been quoted in a newspaper.
  14. I have been on stage with a band.
  15. I have been to an awards ceremony as a guest.

Two Truths and a Lie for work and team building

In an office or a remote team, the game does two jobs at once: people learn a surprising fact about each colleague, and they practise reading each other. Keep rounds short, let anyone pass, and for a new team pair it with the icebreaker question generator so the quiet people get an easier opener first. If you want the whole team on one map afterwards, the animal quiz takes five minutes each and the workshop icebreaker explains how facilitators run it.

Quick answers

How do you play Two Truths and a Lie?
Each person says three statements about themselves: two true, one false. The others guess which is the lie, then the person reveals it. It takes about a minute per player, which makes it the standard icebreaker for new teams, first lessons and onboarding weeks.
What makes a good lie for Two Truths and a Lie?
A good lie is as specific and as ordinary as the truths. Add a detail (a place, a year, a number) and keep it close to something that is true about you. The classic mistake is one wild lie between two dull truths, which everyone spots instantly.
How does the generator help?
It deals three plausible statements from a bank of 135. You adapt two into truths about yourself, turn the third into your lie (or swap it for one that fits better), mark it, and copy the set. Nobody has to stare at a blank page.
Are the ideas safe for work?
Yes. Nothing needs a private story, a medical detail or money to answer, and none of it would be odd to say in front of a manager. The Work set is deliberately mild: first jobs, night shifts, the email sent to the whole company.
How long does it take with a team?
About a minute per person: thirty seconds to read, thirty seconds for guesses and the reveal. For a group of more than twelve, split into breakout groups or let people post their three in chat and vote with emoji.

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