How to play the imposter word game
Everyone gets the same secret word except one player, the imposter, who only knows the category. Players take turns giving a one-word clue and then vote on who the imposter is; a caught imposter gets one last guess at the word, and a right guess still wins them the round.
Updated · The Open Apps, Inc.
The rules, step by step
- Deal the secret. Pick a category and a secret word. Everyone learns the word privately, except one random player, the imposter, who learns only the category. With paper, a person who sits out writes the slips; with phones, an app or Hushword deals them.
- Give one-word clues. Going around once (or twice), each player says one word linked to the secret word. Too obvious and the imposter learns it; too vague and you look like the imposter.
- The imposter bluffs. The imposter listens to the clues and gives one that sounds like they know the word.
- Vote. After the clues, everyone votes for who they think the imposter is. The player with the most votes is caught; a tie means nobody is.
- Last guess. A caught imposter gets one guess at the word. Right: the imposter wins anyway. Wrong: everyone else wins. An imposter nobody caught wins too.
- Next round. Deal a new word and a new imposter. Keep score across rounds if you like.
Tips that make the game work
For players: go for a clue only someone who knows the word would pick, not the most obvious one. If the word is “beach”, “towel” is safer than “sand”, which gives it away.
For the imposter: listen to the first clues before your turn, and say something broad that fits them. Voting with the group helps too.
For the group: one or two laps of clues is enough. A third lap almost always gives the word away.
How Hushword runs these rules
Hushword deals the word to each phone and keeps it out of the chat, so ChatGPT can host without knowing it: it calls the clue order, reads the bots' clues, asks for the vote and reads the result. A caught imposter picks their last guess from 8 words on their phone.
In Beat the AI mode the rules flip: everyone gets the word and ChatGPT is the imposter. It bluffs a clue on its turn and guesses the word after each lap; if it's wrong every time, the people win.
How the imposter word game differs from similar games
Several party games share the same idea, one player without the secret, with different rules around it.
| Game | Who doesn't know the secret | What players do | How a round ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imposter word game (Hushword Classic) | One player, who knows only the category | One-word clues | Vote; a caught imposter guesses the word |
| Undercover | One or more players get a different but related word (some versions add a player with no word) | Clues; the odd one out may not know it | Elimination votes over several rounds |
| The Chameleon (Big Potato) | The Chameleon, who sees the topic card but not which word is secret | One word each | Vote; a caught Chameleon can guess the word |
| Spyfall (Hobby World) | The spy, who doesn't know the location | Players question each other | An accusation, or the spy guesses the location |
| Insider (Oink Games) | Nobody: the Insider secretly knows the answer and steers | Yes/no questions to a master, against a timer | After solving, a vote on who the Insider was |
| Hushword Beat the AI | ChatGPT | One-word clues; ChatGPT bluffs on its turn | ChatGPT guesses after each lap; wrong every time and the people win |
Rules from each publisher's page or the game's encyclopedia entry, checked 14 October 2026. Houses play all of these with their own twists.
Use it in ChatGPT
Hushword Imposter is a ChatGPT plugin. The host types one of these, and friends join at hushword.ambientapp.ai with the code:
- “Let's play Hushword with 5 friends”
- “Start a Hushword room where ChatGPT is the imposter”
- “Open a Hushword room with 3 bots so I can try it”
Questions
How many players do you need?
At least 3; it gets better with 4 or more. Hushword takes 3 to 8, and bots can fill up to 3 seats.
Does the imposter know they're the imposter?
In the classic rules, yes: their slip or phone says so. In Undercover the odd one out gets a similar word and may not realise.
What happens on a tied vote?
In Hushword, and in most house rules, nobody is caught, so the imposter escapes.
Is it the same as Spyfall?
It's a close relative. Spyfall uses locations and questions between players; the imposter word game uses a secret word and one-word clues, so rounds are shorter.
What are good categories?
Food and drink, animals, places, jobs, sports and games, and things around the house: the six packs Hushword deals from in English and Turkish.