220 words for the imposter game, sorted by category
Pick a category below, choose one word and give it to everyone except the imposter. The best secret words are ones every player knows and can describe in lots of ways, like Pizza or Beach. All 220 come from the word lists inside our Impostor app.
Secret words by category
Food and animals are the easiest place to start. Countries and music make harder rounds, because the clues have to be more specific.
Food
- Pizza
- Sushi
- Burger
- Pasta
- Taco
- Chocolate
- Ice Cream
- Pancakes
- Steak
- Salad
- Sandwich
- Soup
- Curry
- Ramen
- Donut
- Cookie
- Bread
- Cheese
- Apple
- Banana
Animals
- Dog
- Cat
- Elephant
- Lion
- Tiger
- Penguin
- Dolphin
- Eagle
- Shark
- Monkey
- Giraffe
- Zebra
- Bear
- Wolf
- Fox
- Rabbit
- Horse
- Cow
- Pig
- Chicken
Places
- Beach
- Mountain
- Forest
- Desert
- Island
- City
- Village
- Castle
- Museum
- Library
- Hospital
- Airport
- Restaurant
- School
- Church
- Stadium
- Zoo
- Park
- Mall
- Cinema
Jobs
- Doctor
- Teacher
- Chef
- Pilot
- Police
- Firefighter
- Lawyer
- Engineer
- Nurse
- Artist
- Musician
- Actor
- Farmer
- Scientist
- Astronaut
- Dentist
- Mechanic
- Barber
- Waiter
- Driver
Objects
- Phone
- Computer
- Television
- Car
- Bicycle
- Chair
- Table
- Lamp
- Mirror
- Clock
- Camera
- Guitar
- Piano
- Book
- Pen
- Umbrella
- Glasses
- Key
- Wallet
- Bag
Sports
- Football
- Basketball
- Tennis
- Swimming
- Running
- Golf
- Boxing
- Hockey
- Baseball
- Volleyball
- Skiing
- Surfing
- Cycling
- Wrestling
- Karate
- Yoga
- Gymnastics
- Cricket
- Rugby
- Bowling
Countries
- Japan
- Brazil
- France
- Egypt
- Australia
- Canada
- Mexico
- India
- Italy
- Germany
- China
- Spain
- Argentina
- Russia
- South Africa
- Thailand
- Greece
- Sweden
- Morocco
- Peru
Vehicles
- Motorcycle
- Bus
- Train
- Airplane
- Helicopter
- Boat
- Submarine
- Truck
- Taxi
- Ambulance
- Scooter
- Skateboard
- Rocket
- Tractor
- Van
- Canoe
- Jet Ski
- Hot Air Balloon
- Yacht
- Ferry
Clothing
- T-Shirt
- Jeans
- Dress
- Jacket
- Sneakers
- Hat
- Scarf
- Gloves
- Socks
- Sweater
- Shorts
- Skirt
- Boots
- Sandals
- Tie
- Belt
- Coat
- Hoodie
- Pajamas
- Swimsuit
Music
- Drums
- Violin
- Saxophone
- Trumpet
- Flute
- Rock
- Jazz
- Pop
- Hip Hop
- Classical
- Reggae
- Blues
- Electronic
- Country
- Microphone
- Concert
- DJ
- Orchestra
- Bass
- Cello
Movies
- Titanic
- Avatar
- Star Wars
- Harry Potter
- Frozen
- Shrek
- Batman
- Spider-Man
- Jurassic Park
- The Lion King
- Finding Nemo
- Toy Story
- Matrix
- Jaws
- Rocky
- Gladiator
- Inception
- Interstellar
- Forrest Gump
- Joker
How to pick a good secret word
Everyone has to know it
If one player has never heard of the word, their clue will sound vague, and the table will vote them out instead of the real imposter.
It needs more than one obvious clue
Beach works because people can say sand, towel, waves or sunburn. A word with only one clue gives the game away on the first turn.
Decide if you say the category out loud
Telling the table it's Food helps the imposter bluff. Keeping it secret makes the imposter's first clue a pure guess. Agree before the round starts.
Change category every few rounds
After three rounds of animals, everyone starts guessing animals. Moving to Places or Jobs resets the table.
Playing with paper
Write the secret word on every slip of paper except one, which says IMPOSTER. Fold them, mix them and let each player draw one. The person who wrote the slips knows the word, so they sit that round out, or play knowing the word and never as the imposter.
Or let one phone deal the words
In Impostor, the phone picks the word, so nobody at the table knows it in advance, not even the person holding the phone. You pass it around, each player taps to see their word, and the impostor sees that they are the impostor instead. It has 12 categories, works offline and is in 43 languages.
See how Impostor works
Questions about imposter game words
- How many words do you need for one game?
- One word per round. Pick a new one each round, and avoid repeating words in the same session, because players remember them.
- What are good imposter words for kids?
- Food and animals work best: Pizza, Banana, Dog or Penguin. Every child knows them and can think of a clue fast.
- Can you play the imposter game with your own words?
- Yes. On paper, any word works as long as everyone knows it. In the Impostor app you can also make your own category with your own words.
- What happens if the imposter guesses the word?
- That depends on your house rules. A common one is that an imposter who gets voted out can still win by naming the secret word.
Ready for the first round?
Use the list above, or let the app pick the word so everyone can play.