Social deception Wordplay No equipment
Word Wolf
From Japan · Also called Undercover
Everyone gets the same secret word, except one player who doesn't know their word is different. Find them.
the best bit: realizing halfway through that you're the wolf
- Players
- 4–10 (best with 5–8)
- Time
- 10–20 min
- Learn in
- Seconds
- Mood
- Lively
- Format
- Secret roles
The 30-second version
A Moderator whispers a secret word to each player. Everyone gets the same word, like "beach", except one player, the Wolf, who gets a similar word, like "pool". Nobody is told who the Wolf is, not even the Wolf. Talk about your word for three minutes without saying it, then vote on who has the odd one out.
honestly, just read this out and go.
Grab these
Set up
- Pick a Moderator. They sit this round out and choose two similar words, like "beach" and "pool". There are more ideas in the list below.
- The Moderator secretly picks one player to be the Wolf. They whisper the Wolf's word to that player and the other word to everyone else. Nobody is told which word they have.
Other ways to set up
- Fold slips
- Instead of whispering, the Moderator writes the words on folded slips, one per player, and hands them out.
How to play
-
Talk about it
Start a three-minute timer. Everyone talks about their word without saying it: "I went to one last summer." "It's better when it's hot."
-
Listen closely
Everyone is working out whether their word matches the group's. If you start to suspect you're the Wolf, blend in.
-
Vote
When time's up, everyone counts to three and points at the player they think is the Wolf.
-
Reveal
The Moderator reveals who the Wolf was, and both words.
How to win
If the Wolf gets the most fingers, everyone else wins. If anyone else gets the most, the Wolf wins.
Word pairs to start with
- Beach and pool
- Coffee and tea
- Cat and dog
- Pizza and burgers
- Guitar and piano
- Dentist and doctor
- Wedding and birthday party
- Airplane and train
- Bakery and coffee shop
- Camping and hiking
Once you know it
- Last chance
- If the Wolf is caught, they get one guess at the group's word. Guess it and they win anyway.
- Undercover
- China's version. Instead of open discussion, each player gives a one-word clue per round, and the group votes someone out every round until the odd one out is found.
From experience…
- Stay vague early. Precise clues help the Wolf work out your word.
- Moderators: pick words that overlap a lot. If they're too different, the Wolf is obvious in seconds.