Everything below is free to use. The list is ordered the way a round actually goes wrong: ordinary words first, because they are the ones that work, then the funny and hard sets for groups who have played enough that the easy ones are boring.
Play it here instead of reading a list
The generator picks a word and assigns the imposter for you. No sign-up.
What makes a good imposter word
A word works when there are several true, obvious things to say about it and none of them give it away on their own. "Umbrella" is excellent: wet, folding, lost, black, borrowed. "Photosynthesis" is terrible, because only one person will have anything to say and everybody will know who the imposter is immediately. Words that are too broad fail in the other direction — if the word is "thing", the imposter can survive on nothing.
The second rule is that everyone in the room must know the word. A regional food, a brand that only half the group has heard of, an inside reference — any of these turns an innocent player into an accidental imposter, and that is the one failure mode that ruins the game rather than just making it easier.
Everyday things
UmbrellaToothbrushStaplerPillowMirrorCandleBackpackScissorsHeadphonesWalletLadderKettleBlanketShoelaceDoorbellRemote controlSuitcaseHairbrushClothes pegPadlockTorchBucketFridge magnetAlarm clockChewing gumSunglassesShopping trolleyEnvelopePaperclipRubber band
Food and drink
PizzaMangoIce creamCoffeeNoodlesPancakeChocolatePopcornWatermelonCheeseSoupBiryaniSandwichHoneyChilliDoughnutYoghurtGarlicLemonadeToastDumplingOlivePeanut butterPineappleCurryCroissantMilkshakeMushroomBubble teaCereal
Animals
PenguinElephantOctopusHedgehogGiraffeDolphinOwlKangarooCrocodileButterflyCamelSquirrelFlamingoTortoiseBatPeacockJellyfishRaccoonSlothHamsterEagleSnailGoatSharkChameleonMothOtterParrotBeeWolf
Places
AirportLibraryHospitalBeachMuseumCinemaGymPetrol stationWeddingZooPrisonClassroomSubmarineCastleSupermarketDentistTheme parkTrain stationCampsiteBankHair salonSwimming poolOfficeGreenhouseLighthouseNightclubMonasteryCar parkHotel lobbySki slope
Jobs
FirefighterChefPilotTeacherPlumberDentistJournalistFarmerLifeguardBarberElectricianNursePhotographerLawyerMechanicLibrarianArchitectTaxi driverScientistRefereeTattoo artistBus driverVetAccountantMagicianBeekeeperTranslatorParamedicPostmanSecurity guard
Sport
CricketFootballSwimmingBoxingChessMarathonBasketballYogaSurfingGolfTennisCyclingSkiingBadmintonWrestlingArcheryGymnasticsRock climbingHockeyTable tennisRowingDartsKarateSkateboardingBowlingFencingKabaddiVolleyballSumoIce skating
Travel
PassportHostelRoad tripJet lagSouvenirMapSunburnBackpackingCruise shipBorderHiking bootsPostcardSleeper trainHot air balloonDuty freeCampingTravel insuranceBoarding passLost luggageSafariFerryMountain passStreet foodGuidebookTaxi queueVisaLayoverHammockDesertWaterfall
Films and TV
Horror filmDocumentarySitcomPlot twistCliffhangerCameoSoundtrackSequelSubtitlesCartoonGame showSoap operaTrailerSpoilerBinge watchVillainStunt doubleOpening creditsTalent showCooking showNature documentaryIntervalBox officeRemakeNarratorLaugh trackBlooperRed carpetCatchphraseFinale
At home
Doing laundryBurnt toastLeaky tapSpring cleaningPower cutNoisy neighbourOnline deliveryLocked outWashing upMoving houseFlat tyreHouseplantAssembling furnitureSmoke alarmRearranging a roomOverflowing binLost keysBlocked sinkPainting a wallMouse in the kitchenLoud partyBroken heatingBedtimeHooveringCooking dinnerOpening a windowBad haircutDirty dishesPet hairSpider in the bath
Funny words
These work because the clues people give are funnier than the word. Best with groups who already know how to play.
Awkward hugGroup chatKaraokeSelfie stickFood comaDad jokeGym membershipAlarm snoozeWet socksAutocorrectLoud chewingQueue jumperFancy dressBad haircutBurnt toastSock puppetOverripe bananaMall SantaHiccupsElevator musicBeach sandTangled earphonesCold showerTalking plant
Hard words
Abstract nouns and phrases. Much harder to clue without either giving it away or sounding like you have no idea — which is exactly the tension you want once a group is experienced.
ReputationMomentumCoincidenceCompromiseExpectationRoutineInheritanceHindsightReputation damageSmall talkPeer pressureSecond placeA deadlineBeginner's luckAn inside jokeMixed signalsWishful thinkingA clean slateThe last strawCold feetA false alarmAn awkward silenceStage frightWriter's blockNostalgiaGravityDéjà vuProcrastinationPatienceJealousyRoutineLuckSilenceTraditionPrivacyHomesicknessReputationBoredomMomentumSarcasmAmbitionRegretCuriosityLoyaltyChaosBalanceSecrecyHesitationPrideRivalryFreedomTimingTrustConfusion
Words for younger players
Concrete, familiar, nothing that needs explaining. The game works well with children from about eight, as long as the words are things they can picture.
Ice creamBirthday cakePuppyPlaygroundBicycleRainbowBubble bathSnowmanKiteTeddy bearSwimming poolPizzaBalloonTreehouseCrayonsSandcastleHide and seekLemonadeButterflyFire engineSkipping ropePiggy bankZoo tripLost tooth
How many words do you need?
Fewer than you think. A group will get through six to ten rounds in an evening, and repeating a word two weeks later is fine — nobody remembers. What matters more is variety of type: a run of five food words in a row makes the category obvious even to the imposter, which is why the generator mixes within a category rather than working through a list in order.
Using your own words
Words drawn from your own group are the best of all — a running joke, a place you all know, something that happened last month. The generator has a field for exactly this: type in a comma-separated list and it uses those instead of the built-in categories. Just apply the same test. If one person would be lost, leave it out.