Undercover: one secret word, one player who does not have it

The whole group shares a secret word — except one player, who got something suspiciously similar and does not know it yet. Everyone gives a one-word clue out loud, then the group votes. The classic imposter word game, free, on a single phone.

How to play Undercover

1. Add the players — Enter three or more names on a single phone. The game secretly picks who goes undercover, and tells nobody.
2. See your secret word — Pass the device around: each player views their word privately, then hides the screen. Almost everyone shares the same word — one player got something very close to it.
3. Give a one-word clue — Take turns saying a single word out loud that describes your secret word — specific enough to prove you have it, vague enough not to hand it to the imposter.
4. Vote someone out — After a full round of clues, the group votes. The chosen player reveals their word. If the undercover player survives to the end, they win.

Strategy tips

• A clue that is too precise on turn one gift-wraps the word for the imposter.
• Listen to hesitation as much as to the words — the undercover player always thinks a beat longer.
• If you are undercover, borrow the previous player’s vocabulary instead of inventing your own.
• Never vote first when you are certain. Let everyone else expose themselves.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from the imposter drawing game?

Same core idea, but here you communicate with a spoken one-word clue instead of drawing. Undercover is faster and works well at a dinner table or in a car.

What is the minimum number of players?

Three. Between six and eight it gets considerably tenser, because the undercover player has far more clues to imitate convincingly.

Does the undercover player know who they are?

No, and that is the whole point. They receive a perfectly plausible word and only realise mid-game that everyone else is describing something else.

Can we play without a phone each?

Yes — it is designed that way. One device circulates for the word reveal, and everything after that happens out loud.

Are the word pairs always the same?

No. Pairs are drawn at random from a built-in bank, and you can also request freshly generated pairs on the spot.