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Two truths and a lie is the icebreaker that never gets old. Everyone shares three statements about themselves, the team guesses which one is false, and you learn something surprising about your colleagues along the way.
Stuck for ideas? Here are 120 two truths and a lie ideas for work, sorted by theme, plus 10 complete example rounds and tips for writing a lie nobody will spot. Use them as inspiration: swap in details that are true for you, and turn the rest into your lie.
How do you play two truths and a lie?
- Give everyone a minute to think. Each person writes down three short statements about themselves: two true, one false.
- Take turns sharing. One person reads out their three statements.
- Ask questions. The group can ask one or two quick questions to test the story.
- Vote. Everyone guesses which statement is the lie, by show of hands, a number in the chat or an emoji.
- Reveal. The player shares the answer, and ideally the story behind the most surprising truth.
- Move on. Pass to the next person and repeat.
It works best with 4 to 12 people and takes about a minute per person. With a bigger team, split into smaller groups.
Two truths and a lie ideas
Pick statements that are true for you, or use these as prompts to find your own. Mix themes to make your lie harder to spot.
💼 Work and career ideas
- I once worked at a theme park.
- My first job was delivering newspapers.
- I have never written a line of code.
- I once gave a presentation with my slides in the wrong order.
- I've had the same email address for 20 years.
- I've worked in four different countries.
- I once got lost on my first day in a new office.
- I have never been late for a job interview.
- I started my career in a completely different industry.
- I once accidentally replied all to the whole company.
- I've kept every work lanyard I've ever had.
- I learned to touch type in a week.
✈️ Travel ideas
- I've been to more than 20 countries.
- I once missed a flight because I went to the wrong airport.
- I have never been on a cruise.
- I've slept overnight in an airport.
- I once ended up in the wrong city because I got on the wrong train.
- I've seen the Northern Lights.
- I have never been skiing.
- I've been to the same holiday spot every year since I was a child.
- I once got stuck in a lift abroad.
- I've been to every continent except Antarctica.
- I've never been on a plane.
- I once took a 24-hour bus journey.
🍝 Food ideas
- I've never eaten a Brussels sprout.
- I can cook a three-course meal without a recipe.
- I once entered a baking competition.
- I don't like chocolate.
- I ate the same breakfast every day for a year.
- I've eaten a cricket.
- I can't stand the smell of coffee.
- I once made bread so hard nobody could cut it.
- I've never ordered a takeaway pizza.
- I've made my own cheese.
- I can eat a whole chilli without flinching.
- I once worked in a restaurant kitchen.
🎸 Hobbies and hidden talents
- I can juggle.
- I play the ukulele.
- I once built a piece of furniture from scratch.
- I can solve a Rubik's cube.
- I've run a marathon.
- I can knit.
- I've played in a band.
- I can recite the alphabet backwards.
- I have a collection of more than 100 mugs.
- I've never been able to whistle.
- I know how to sail a boat.
- I've had a short story published.
🧒 Childhood ideas
- I played a tree in my school play.
- I had an imaginary friend until I was ten.
- I once won a spelling competition.
- I broke my arm falling off a trampoline.
- I grew up with five siblings.
- I've never been to a sleepover.
- I was scared of clowns as a child.
- I was the class clown.
- I had a goldfish that lived for 12 years.
- I didn't learn to swim until I was an adult.
- I once got lost in a supermarket.
- I went to four different primary schools.
⛰️ Sports and outdoors ideas
- I've climbed a mountain over 3,000 metres.
- I once scored an own goal in a school match.
- I can surf.
- I have never ridden a horse.
- I've been bungee jumping.
- I cycle to work every day.
- I once camped in the snow.
- I've played in a tennis tournament.
- I've never been to a live football match.
- I've done a triathlon.
- I once ran a race dressed as a banana.
- I've been white-water rafting.
🐾 Pets and animals ideas
- I've been bitten by a parrot.
- I once looked after a friend's snake for a month.
- I've never owned a pet.
- I have held a baby crocodile.
- My dog has its own social media account.
- I'm allergic to cats.
- I once rescued a hedgehog.
- I've ridden a camel.
- I have a tortoise that's older than me.
- I've been chased by a goose.
- I once named a pet after a teacher.
- I've swum with dolphins.
🎬 Music, films and TV ideas
- I've been an extra in a film.
- I have never seen a Star Wars film.
- I've met a famous musician.
- I once sang karaoke in front of 200 people.
- I've watched the same TV series more than five times.
- I went to my first concert when I was 30.
- I can play the piano by ear.
- I have never been to the cinema on my own.
- I once appeared on a TV quiz show.
- I know every word of a musical.
- I've never listened to a podcast.
- I've been to the same music festival every year for a decade.
😂 Funny ideas
- I once locked myself out of the house wearing only one shoe.
- I've accidentally dyed my hair green.
- I can touch my nose with my tongue.
- I once fell asleep at a concert.
- I have never had a filling.
- I've walked into a glass door more than once.
- I once asked a celebrity for directions without recognising them.
- I sneeze every time I look at the sun.
- I once wore odd shoes to a wedding.
- I can wiggle my ears.
- I've never been able to wink.
- I once ate a whole pizza for breakfast.
💻 Remote work ideas
- I've taken a video call from a car park.
- My cat has attended more meetings than some of my colleagues.
- I've worked from a beach.
- I have a standing desk I've never stood at.
- I once presented a whole meeting on mute.
- I work from a different place every week.
- I've joined a call from a train.
- I own three different webcams.
- I have never used a virtual background.
- I once wore pyjama bottoms to a client call.
- I've set up six different home offices.
- My desk is in my kitchen.
Two truths and a lie examples
Here are 10 complete example rounds, with the lie revealed and why it works. Use them to show your team how to play, or as a model for your own.
Example 1: the traveller
- I've seen the Northern Lights.
- I once missed a flight because I went to the wrong airport.
- I've been to every continent except Antarctica.
The lie: every continent except Antarctica.
Why it works: it sounds impressive, so people assume it's the truth being shown off, while the embarrassing airport story sounds made up.
Example 2: the quiet achiever
- I've run a marathon.
- I can solve a Rubik's cube.
- I've played in a band.
The lie: the marathon.
Why it works: all three are believable, so the group has to rely on what they know about the person.
Example 3: the foodie
- I've made my own cheese.
- I don't like chocolate.
- I once worked in a restaurant kitchen.
The lie: the restaurant kitchen.
Why it works: it's the most ordinary statement, while the chocolate one sounds like the obvious fib.
Example 4: the new starter
- My first job was delivering newspapers.
- I've worked in four different countries.
- I learned to touch type in a week.
The lie: four different countries.
Why it works: it's easy to say and hard to check, and nobody on a new team knows your CV yet.
Example 5: the animal lover
- I've been chased by a goose.
- I've ridden a camel.
- I have a tortoise that's older than me.
The lie: the camel.
Why it works: the tortoise sounds too odd to be true, so people pick it as the lie.
Example 6: the remote worker
- I've worked from a beach.
- I have a standing desk I've never stood at.
- I own three different webcams.
The lie: the beach.
Why it works: it's the kind of thing people wish were true, which makes it believable.
Example 7: the performer
- I once sang karaoke in front of 200 people.
- I've been an extra in a film.
- I can play the piano by ear.
The lie: karaoke in front of 200 people.
Why it works: a specific number makes a lie sound more convincing.
Example 8: the outdoors fan
- I once camped in the snow.
- I've never been to a live football match.
- I've been bungee jumping.
The lie: bungee jumping.
Why it works: the football statement is surprising for many teams, so it draws the guesses.
Example 9: the childhood story
- I played a tree in my school play.
- I went to four different primary schools.
- I had a goldfish that lived for 12 years.
The lie: four primary schools.
Why it works: the goldfish sounds unlikely, so it takes the attention.
Example 10: the funny one
- I sneeze every time I look at the sun.
- I can wiggle my ears.
- I once ate a whole pizza for breakfast.
The lie: the pizza.
Why it works: it's funny and plausible, while the sun sneeze sounds invented but is a real thing for many people.
How do you write a believable lie?
- Make it boring. Ordinary lies are the hardest to spot.
- Match the detail. If your truths include numbers or places, give your lie the same level of detail.
- Hide behind a surprising truth. One odd but true statement pulls the guesses away from your lie.
- Keep it close to real life. Take something you nearly did and say you did it.
- Keep a straight face. Read all three statements in the same tone.
How do you play two truths and a lie online?
Two truths and a lie works well on video calls. Ask everyone to type their three statements into the chat when it's their turn, then vote with a number or an emoji. To speed things up, have everyone prepare their statements before the meeting.
You can also run it on a shared board. Each person adds three cards, the team votes on the card they think is false, and the player reveals the answer. In TeleRetro, the real-time board, voting and emoji reactions make this quick to set up before a retro.
Tips for facilitators
- Go first. Share your own round to show the tone and length you're after.
- Set a theme. "Travel" or "first jobs" makes it easier for people to think of statements.
- Keep it work-safe. Remind people to avoid anything about health, relationships, money or other colleagues.
- Timebox it. Around a minute per person keeps the energy up.
- Let people pass. Some people need more time to think. Come back to them at the end.
- Split big groups. With more than 12 people, use breakout rooms of four to six.
Two truths and a lie variations
- Two lies and a truth. Flip the game so the group looks for the one true statement.
- Team edition. The whole team writes two truths and a lie about the team, and a new starter guesses.
- Themed rounds. Stick to one theme per round, such as holidays or first jobs.
- Work edition. Every statement has to be about work, which suits teams that already know each other well.
More icebreakers
- Icebreaker games for meetings
- Question of the day ideas
- Agree or disagree questions
- Funny icebreaker questions
- Either or questions
Opening a retrospective? Pair two truths and a lie with one of our retro formats, or pick a random question from the icebreaker generator.
Create a question with Icebreaker Bot
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you play two truths and a lie?
Each person shares three short statements about themselves. Two are true and one is made up. Everyone else guesses which one is the lie, then the player reveals the answer. It works best with 4 to 12 people and takes about a minute per person.
What are good two truths and a lie ideas for work?
Good ideas are specific, a little surprising and safe to share with colleagues. Travel, food, hobbies, childhood and first jobs all work well. Avoid anything about health, relationships, money or other people, and keep your lie as believable as your truths.
How do you make a good lie in two truths and a lie?
Make it boring. A plausible, ordinary lie is much harder to spot than an outrageous one. Match the level of detail in your truths, and if one of your truths is surprising, make the lie the most normal-sounding statement of the three.
Can you play two truths and a lie online?
Yes. On a video call, each person types their three statements into the chat, then everyone votes on the lie with a number or an emoji. You can also use a shared board where each person adds three cards and the team votes on which one is false.
What's a good two truths and a lie example?
Here's one:
- I once worked at a theme park
- I've seen the Northern Lights
- I've never been on a plane
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