The Spy's Word
If your word is different, you're the spy
- Players
- 4–12
- Play on
- Single or multi-device
- Rounds
- Until the game ends
- First package
- Free
How to play
Look at the word and picture on your card, keep them to yourself and tap Got It. The game may not tell you that you're the spy; the clues will show whether your word is the odd one.
When it's your turn, say one clue about your word and tap I Gave My Clue. Don't say your word, part of it or a translation, and don't repeat someone else's clue.
After the discussion, pick the player you think is a spy or the ghost and tap Submit Vote. You can't vote for yourself. If the host turned on passing, you can also pick Pass when you don't want anyone out.
The player with the most votes is out; with passing on, nobody is out if Pass got at least as many votes. On a tie, the tied players face a duel. Depending on the settings, the eliminated player's role is shown to everyone or stays hidden until the end.
If the ghost is voted out, they type one guess at the citizens' word. Get it right and the ghost wins alone; get it wrong and the ghost is out of the game.
When the game ends, you see the winning side, both words, everyone's role and the vote log for every round.
Everyone gets a secret word, but the spies get a slightly different one and usually don't know they're spies. Take turns giving one clue about your word: it should prove you know the word without giving it away. There may also be a ghost who has no word at all. After a discussion, everyone votes and the player with the most votes is out.
The citizens win once every spy and the ghost are voted out. The spies and the ghost win once only one citizen is left. A ghost who gets voted out can still win alone by guessing the citizens' word.
How to win
The citizens win when every spy and the ghost are voted out. If only one citizen is left, the spies and the ghost win together; a ghost who is voted out and then guesses the citizens' word wins alone.
Single device
Multi-device
Playing on one phone? Invite your friends: the game runs on your phone, and XP, titles and stats go on everyone's own profile. How to invite
The Spy's Word rules
Every rule of the game, from scoring to how a game is won.
Overview
- The Spy's Word is a hidden-word bluffing game. There are no points; the game ends when one side, or the ghost alone, wins.
- Each game uses one package. A package holds two similar words of the same kind, each with a picture.
- One word goes to the citizens and the other to the spies. Which word goes to which side is random every game.
- The game is played in rounds: everyone gives a clue, the table discusses, and a vote puts one player out (with passing on, the table can also pass). Rounds continue until one side wins.
Roles and player count
- Citizen: sees the citizens' word and its picture. The goal is to vote out every spy and the ghost.
- Spy: sees the other word and its picture. By default, spies aren't told they are spies; their screen looks exactly like a citizen's. The goal is to stay hidden until only one citizen is left.
- Ghost: gets no word and knows they are the ghost. The ghost listens, tries to work out the word and blends in. If voted out, the ghost gets one guess at the citizens' word.
- The spies and the ghost are on the same side, but they don't know who the others are.
- With 4 players there is 1 spy and no ghost. With 5 there is 1 spy and an optional ghost. With 6–8 players you can have 1 or 2 spies, and with 9–12 players 1 to 3 spies, plus an optional ghost. A game never has more than 1 ghost.
- At the start, the citizens must outnumber the spies and the ghost combined. For example, 6 players can't have 2 spies and a ghost.
- The recommended setup is 1 spy for 4–5 players, 1 spy and a ghost for 6–8, and 2 spies and a ghost for 9–12. Roles are dealt at random.
How a round works
- Everyone looks at their card and taps Got It. On one phone, the phone is passed around; on everyone's phone, each player sees their own card on their own screen.
- In the Clue Round, players take turns saying one clue about their word. Depending on the setting, a clue is one word or one sentence. You can't say the word, part of it or a translation of it, and you can't repeat a clue that was already given.
- The speaking order is shuffled at the start of the game. The ghost never speaks first in round 1. Each later round starts with the next player still in the game after the previous round's starter.
- On everyone's phone, each speaker has 30 seconds and taps I Gave My Clue to pass the turn. If time runs out, the turn passes automatically. On one phone there is no speaking timer.
- After the clues comes the discussion, 90 seconds by default; when time runs out, voting starts automatically. On one phone, anyone can tap Start Voting to end it early; on everyone's phone, only the host can.
- You can check your word again during the clues and the discussion: on one phone, tap Check My Word and pick your name; on everyone's phone, press and hold My word.
- An eliminated player's word is not shown until the game ends. Eliminated players become spectators and don't speak or vote for the rest of the game.
Voting and ties
- Everyone still in the game, spies and the ghost included, votes for another player who is still in. You can't vote for yourself. With passing on, you can pick Pass instead of a player.
- On one phone, players vote one at a time in secret; earlier votes are never shown and nobody can hand the phone on without choosing (with passing on, picking Pass counts as a vote). On everyone's phone, all players vote at the same time and a vote can't be changed once cast.
- The player with the most votes is out. With passing off, every vote puts exactly one player out; there is no result where nobody is eliminated.
- With passing on, Pass collects votes like a player. If Pass gets the most votes, or ties with the player who got the most, nobody is out and a new round starts with the same words.
- If Pass gets fewer votes than the top player, that player is out. If players tie among themselves, the tie rule below applies.
- After a vote that ended in a pass, the next vote has no Pass option; two votes in a row can't both be passed. You can't pass in the duel vote either.
- On a tie with the Tie Breaker set to Duel, the tied players each give one more clue. Then only the other players vote, and only among the tied players.
- If the duel vote is also tied, or if nobody outside the tie is left to vote, lots are drawn among the tied players.
- With the Tie Breaker set to Draw lots, a tie goes straight to a random draw with no duel.
- With Vote result set to Open, everyone sees who voted for whom; with Totals only, you see just how many votes each player got.
The ghost's guess
- If the ghost is voted out, they type one guess at the citizens' word.
- Capital letters, accents, punctuation, spaces and small typos in longer words don't matter. A guess that also matches the spies' word doesn't count as correct.
- If the guess is right, the ghost wins alone and the game ends at once.
- If the guess is wrong, the ghost is out and the correct word is not shown until the game ends. When eliminated roles are hidden, a wrong guess stays private too.
- When eliminated roles are hidden, every eliminated player gets a private screen so the ghost can't be spotted: the ghost sees the guess screen, everyone else sees their own role.
Winning and losing
- The game checks for a winner after every elimination and after every wrong ghost guess.
- If the ghost guesses the citizens' word, the ghost wins alone.
- If no spy and no ghost are left in the game, the citizens win.
- If only one citizen is left, the spies and the ghost win together. Spies and a ghost who were already eliminated are on the winning side too.
- If none of these happens, a new round starts with the same words.
Special cases
- On everyone's phone, the vote lasts 30 seconds. A player who hasn't voted when time runs out casts no vote, and that doesn't count as a vote for Pass either.
- On everyone's phone, if nobody votes, everyone is tied at 0 votes and one player still in the game is eliminated by a random draw.
- On everyone's phone, a player who leaves or is removed counts as eliminated. A ghost who leaves gets no guess.
- If players leave and fewer than 4 remain in the room (eliminated players count), the game ends with no winner, unless the leave already decided a winner.
- If the host leaves, the game goes on: hosting passes at once to the next signed-in player. If the host loses connection, everyone is warned after 1 minute, and hosting passes on if they aren't back within 2 minutes.
- A player who disconnects stays in the game, but the speaking and voting timers don't wait for them.
- On everyone's phone, the ghost's guess is timed: 45 seconds when eliminated roles are revealed, 60 seconds when roles are hidden; if time runs out, the guess counts as wrong. On one phone, only the discussion is timed and the ghost's guess has no time limit.
Host settings
- Spies and Ghost: choose them within the limits for your player count. The recommended setup is used by default.
- Spies know their role: when on, spies see that they are the spy next to their word. Off by default.
- Reveal eliminated roles: when on, an eliminated player's role is shown to everyone; when off, roles stay hidden until the game ends. On by default.
- Vote result: Open (who voted for whom) or Totals only. Open by default.
- Allow passing the vote: when on, players can pick Pass instead of a player in the vote. Off by default.
- Speaking Mode: 1 Word or 1 Sentence. 1 Word by default.
- Discussion Time: 60, 90 or 120 seconds, or Unlimited. 90 seconds by default.
- Tie Breaker: Duel or Draw lots. Duel by default.
- Timers may change in future updates.
The Spy's Word titles
You earn these titles in The Spy's Word matches: in multiplayer games and in one-phone games you play with friends as real players. The title you pick shows on your card, under your name.
AlexLord of WordsLVL 27Lord of Words Win 35 games in a row regardless of role.
On top of these, there are 21 general titles you can earn in every game. Levels and titles
This game has 45 titles. Tap one to see it on your card.
Questions about The Spy's Word
How many players can play?
4 to 12 players. The ghost can be added from 5 players.
Do we play on one phone or on everyone's phone?
Either works. On one phone, you pass it around so everyone sees their card and votes in secret. On everyone's phone, each player sees their word on their own screen and all players vote at the same time.
How long does a game take?
Each round of clues, discussion and voting takes about 3–4 minutes. Most games end within 3–5 rounds, so about 10–20 minutes.
How do I know if I'm the spy?
By default, nobody tells you. If the other clues don't fit your word, you may be the spy. If the host turns on Spies know their role, spies see their role on their card.
Can we pass a vote?
Yes, if the host turns on Allow passing the vote. If Pass gets the most votes, or ties with the player who got the most, nobody is out that round and play moves on to a new round with the same words. Two votes in a row can't both be passed.
