The imposter game: rules, Mr White and 50 word pairs
Updated on October 2, 2026 · 4 min read
In short
Civilians share a secret word, the imposter has a very similar one without knowing it, and Mr White has none. Everyone gives a clue, then the group votes. Here are the roles, the rules, strategies, 50 word pairs and variations, also playable on the page.
- 4–12 players
- 10–20 min
- Pen and paper
- A phone
- No alcohol
Contents
The imposter game is a game of bluff and deduction where everything hangs on a word. The civilians share the same secret word, the imposter has a very similar one without knowing it, and Mr White has none at all. Each round, everyone gives a clue… and the group has to unmask the infiltrators. The game goes by several names, but the rules stay the same. Here's how to play and 50 ready-to-use word pairs.
The roles
- The civilians all get the same secret word, for example "pizza".
- The imposter gets a similar but different word, for example "burger". They don't know they're the imposter: they think they're a civilian.
- Mr White gets no word. He has to bluff by listening to the others' clues. He comes into play from five players.
The rules
- The deal: each player discovers their word in secret (on a piece of paper or a phone passed around).
- Clues: in turn, each player gives a single word related to their secret word. Not too precise (the infiltrators would guess the word), not too vague (you'd look suspicious).
- The debate: after the round, the group talks. Who gave a strange clue? Who hesitated?
- The vote: everyone votes to eliminate a player, who reveals their role.
- Mr White eliminated: he gets one last chance. If he guesses the civilians' word, he wins the round on his own.
- Start a new round of clues with the remaining players.
End of the round: the civilians win when all the infiltrators are out. The infiltrators win when only one civilian is left, and Mr White wins alone if he guesses the word.
Points: the whole winning side scores, eliminated players included: 1 point per civilian, 3 for Mr White, 5 per imposter. The first to 10 or 15 points wins the game.
Strategies for each role
Civilian
Give a clue that proves you know the word without giving it away. If the word is "beach", say "towel" rather than "sand", which would put Mr White straight on the trail.
Imposter
You don't know you're the imposter, but if the others' clues seem slightly off, be careful. Stay vague and line your clues up with the group's.
Mr White
Listen closely to the first clues and give a word broad enough to fit several leads. Don't speak first if you can avoid it.
50 word pairs to play
The first word is the civilians', the second the imposter's.
Easy
- Pizza / Burger
- Cat / Dog
- Beach / Swimming pool
- Coffee / Tea
- Bike / Scooter
- Apple / Pear
- Train / Underground
- Sun / Moon
- Guitar / Piano
- Football / Rugby
- Snow / Rain
- Book / Magazine
- Lion / Tiger
- Chocolate / Caramel
- Cinema / Theatre
Medium
- Croissant / Muffin
- Wedding / Birthday
- Mountain / Hill
- Plane / Helicopter
- Pirate / Viking
- Castle / Palace
- Facebook / Instagram
- Dentist / Doctor
- Bakery / Cake shop
- Camping / Hotel
- Mermaid / Dolphin
- Volcano / Geyser
- Pancake / Waffle
- Ninja / Samurai
- Ghost / Zombie
- Bowling / Pool
- Mosquito / Fly
- Candle / Lamp
- Clown / Magician
- Umbrella / Raincoat
Tricky
- Rain / Shower
- Museum / Gallery
- Jewel / Watch
- Lawyer / Judge
- Lake / Pond
- Dream / Nightmare
- Toothbrush / Toothpaste
- Squirrel / Hedgehog
- Concert / Festival
- Salt / Pepper
- Bus / Coach
- Witch / Fairy
- Holiday / Weekend
- Mirror / Window
- Cold / Flu
Variations
- Without Mr White: keep only the civilians and the imposters, for a simpler game or to learn how to play.
- Set themes: all the pairs of a game come from one theme (food, films, animals) so nobody is lost.
- Timed clues: each player has only five seconds to give their clue. Hesitations give everyone away.
Frequently asked questions
How many imposters for your number of players?
One imposter up to six players, two from seven to nine players, three from ten. Add Mr White from five players for more bluffing.
What does Mr White do?
Mr White gets no word: he has to work out the civilians' word by listening to their clues. If he is caught, he gets one last chance: guess the exact word to win alone.
How do you play without slips of paper?
The Imposter in the Partizo app hands out the words secretly on a single phone that gets passed around, picks who starts, runs the votes and keeps score from round to round.
The imposter game with Partizo
In the Partizo app, The Imposter deals the words in secret on a single phone, picks who starts (never Mr White), handles the votes and keeps the score from round to round. The game is for 4 to 15 players, with word pairs sorted by theme.
For another group bluffing game, see the Werewolf rules.