Two Truths and a Lie
Three statements, one of them false. Spot the lie, then explain why you think so.
Save a set · free
Want your own questions on the two truths and a lie? Type them once, save the set, play it any time on any device.
Playing this with a student?
In a lesson, open it from Resources and share your screen — and save your own set first so the game runs on your student's words, not a stock list.
Start freeHow to play
Read all three statements
Each round puts three statements on screen. Two are true, one is not. Read them all before committing — the lie is usually the one that is slightly too specific or slightly too round a number.
Say which one is the lie, and why
This is the whole game. The pick takes a second; the justification is the language. Insist on a full sentence — "I think the second one is false, because…" — before anyone reveals anything.
Reveal and compare
Show the answer and go back over the reasoning. Being wrong for a good reason is a better outcome than being right on a hunch, and saying so out loud is what keeps students arguing rather than guessing.
Two Truths and a Lie as a teaching tool
The justification is the activity
Played as a quiz, this game produces one word per round and teaches nothing. Played properly, it produces a small spoken argument every thirty seconds. The rule that makes the difference is simple and worth stating out loud before you begin: nobody says which statement is false until they have given a reason in a full sentence. Students quickly acquire the language of hedged opinion — "it sounds unlikely that", "I doubt anyone would", "that's too specific to be made up" — which is exactly the vocabulary that makes an intermediate speaker sound like an advanced one.
Teach the grammar of doubt
This game generates natural demand for modal verbs of deduction, and that demand is a far better teaching moment than a page of gap-fills. "That can't be true", "it might be right", "she must have made that one up" — the structures arrive because the student needs them, not because the syllabus reached them. Write the three or four you want on the board before you start and require one per turn; by the fifth round they are being used without prompting, which almost never happens from a drill.
Then make it about them
The stock statements are a demonstration of the format. The version students remember is the one where they write their own three about their own life and you have to guess. Writing them is a controlled writing task with a real purpose — a good lie has to be plausible, which forces careful, hedged phrasing — and reading them is genuine listening with a stake in the outcome. This is also the most reliable first-lesson icebreaker in the game, because you learn two true things about every student in the room.
Groups, levels and the online lesson
In a group, take a vote before the reveal and make each faction defend its position; a split room produces more English than a unanimous one, so seed the disagreement if it does not appear. With A2 learners, keep the statements short and accept "because it's strange" as a reason, then upgrade the phrasing for them out loud. With C1 students, ban the obvious reasons and require them to identify what about the wording gave it away. Online, share your screen, read the three aloud yourself as well as showing them, and give a few seconds of silence before taking answers — the pause is what stops the fastest speaker deciding it for everyone.
Frequently asked questions
What levels does Two Truths and a Lie work for?
A2 to C1, and the game itself does not change — your requirements do. An A2 learner picking a statement and saying "because it is strange" is working at their level. A C1 student should be identifying which piece of wording gave the lie away and hedging their answer properly. Same round, different demand.
How do I use it in an English lesson?
As a warm-up, an icebreaker in a first lesson, or a filler when an activity finishes early. Share your screen, read the three statements aloud, require a reason in a full sentence before anyone guesses, then reveal and go back over the reasoning. Four or five rounds is about right.
What language should I pre-teach?
Modal verbs of deduction — must, might, can't — plus a couple of hedges like "it sounds unlikely" and "I doubt". Put three or four on the board and require one per turn. The game creates genuine demand for them, which is why they stick better here than from a gap-fill exercise.
Can I write my own statements?
Yes. Sign up free and save your own set — statements about yourself, about your city, or about a topic you are teaching. Statements about you personally are the strongest version in a first lesson, because the students learn two real things about their teacher while they play.
Does it work in group classes?
Very well. Take a vote before the reveal and make each side defend its position — a split room produces far more English than a unanimous one. With larger classes, have students write their own three and run it in pairs or small groups, which multiplies the speaking time.
Can students play it alone for homework?
The guessing works alone, but the value does not — the language is in the justification, which needs a listener. Better homework is to have them write their own three statements for the next lesson, which is a controlled writing task with a real audience and a real reason to be careful.
More games
The free ones need no signup; open one and play.
Share your screen, they pick the lie
Open it from Resources and share your screen: three statements come up, your student picks the lie and says why, then you reveal it. Write your own sets about yourself, your city or your class.
Free to start · No credit card · Your student never pays
Your sentences, not a stock deck
Type your student's own words, errors or target structures into a set once. It saves to your account and the game plays your material instead of a generic list.
The game isn't the whole lesson
Open it from Resources inside the room your video, lesson notes, the Space whiteboard and 700+ ready-to-teach lessons already live in — so a warm-up is two clicks from the work it's warming up.
What came up gets kept
Add a word that comes up and it becomes a flashcard your student keeps practising between lessons — and the post-lesson AI report writes up what you covered.