Who is the spy? The word game where nobody knows

Who Is the Spy rules in short

The twist is that the spy is not told they are the spy. Everyone simply sees a word. You only find out from the clues whether yours matches the group.

1. Everyone reads a private word. Most share one word; the spy has a related one.
2. Take turns giving a short clue about your word without saying it.
3. Listen for the clue that fits a slightly different word.
4. Vote for the player you think holds the other word.
5. Results reveal both words and who the spy was.

An example: Coffee or Tea?

Say the group has Coffee and the spy has Tea. "Hot", "morning" and "cup" fit both, so nobody is safe yet. Then someone says "bitter" and the Tea player hesitates. Or the Tea player says "leaves" and suddenly three people are looking at them.

The best clues are true for your word but do not give it away. Too specific, and a spy with the other word learns what the group has. Too vague, and you look like the spy yourself. The site deals the pairs from 192 imposter word pairs in 12 themes.

Who wins?

If the group votes out the spy, the majority wins straight away. There is no final guess in this version, because the spy had a real word all along. A tie, no majority or voting out a majority player gives the spy the win.

Online rooms need a strict majority of all players for an accusation. On one phone the player with the most votes is accused. Read the full Similar Words rules for clue rounds and timers.

Other versions of the spy game

If your group prefers a spy who knows they are the spy, try Secret Words, where the spy gets no word at all and can win with a final guess. If you want questions instead of clues, the location version is the spy party game Spyfall.

Questions