Questions to Ask in Spyfall
Questions for a round of Spyfall, chosen so that anyone who knows the location can answer them and the spy has to guess, without naming the place for the spy to hear.
20 questions, each with the reason to ask it · includes a conversation guide
The questions
Open any question to see why it works.
- 1
Are you happy to be here?
A good first question because every location gives a clear answer and none of them narrow it much. Locations split cleanly into pleasant places and unpleasant ones, and a spy who hesitates before a simple yes has already told you something.
- 2
How did you get here?
Answerable everywhere and dangerous for a spy, because transport differs sharply between a submarine, a beach, and an office party. Watch for the reply that avoids a method altogether, such as saying the usual way.
- 3
Are you here for work, or by choice?
Splits the deck almost in half without giving away which half you are in. The spy must pick one and commit, and a wrong guess here contradicts everything they say for the rest of the round.
- 4
Is it loud where you are standing?
Sensory questions are the spy's real problem, because they cannot be answered from general knowledge. Vague replies like it depends are the tell, since anyone actually there would simply say yes or no.
- 5
What are you wearing?
One of the strongest questions in the game and also one of the riskiest to be asked, since your own honest answer may hand the location over. Keep your reply plausible in several places, such as something comfortable, rather than naming a uniform.
- 6
Is anyone here in a uniform?
Points at institutional locations without naming any. Notice who answers instantly and who waits to see how others answer first, because the spy is usually reading the room before committing.
- 7
Would you bring a child here?
Rules out the adult-only locations and does it gently. A spy will often answer yes because it feels harmless, which is exactly the sort of guess that becomes visible once the next two answers contradict it.
- 8
Would you bring your grandmother here?
Sounds like a joke and works as a filter for physically demanding or hazardous places. Ask it after the child question and you have quietly separated the family-friendly locations from the merely safe ones.
- 9
Is there anywhere to sit down?
Ordinary enough that nobody suspects the asker, and it distinguishes a great many locations. The spy has no way to guess whether seating is the obvious answer, and hedged replies stand out against the confident ones.
- 10
Could you fall asleep here?
A comfort question rather than a factual one, so answers carry personality and the spy cannot hide behind neutrality. Anyone who answers with a rule about the place rather than their own feeling is likely improvising.
- 11
Are you paying to be here?
Separates paid venues from workplaces and public spaces in one move. It is also the kind of thing a real visitor answers immediately, so any pause is worth remembering when the accusation comes.
- 12
Could you buy something to eat here?
Almost everywhere has some answer, which is what makes it safe to ask, but the answers differ in a way that is hard to bluff. Follow up on a yes by asking what, because that is where a spy usually overreaches.
- 13
What is the most expensive thing you can see?
Forces a specific object, and specific objects are where spies get caught. Be careful asking it if you are not sure of your own answer, since you will probably be asked something similar in return.
- 14
Does it smell like anything in particular?
Nearly impossible to fake convincingly, because a bluff has to invent a detail rather than reason from a category. Watch for the answer that names an emotion instead of a smell.
- 15
How long do people usually stay here?
Distinguishes places you pass through from places you spend a day in, and it sounds like idle curiosity. A spy who answers with a vague plenty of time is trying to stay compatible with everything, which is itself a pattern.
- 16
Would you take a photograph here?
Separates the notable locations from the mundane and the ones where photography would be inappropriate. Ask what they would photograph as a follow-up, since that turns a safe yes into a commitment.
- 17
If something went wrong, who would you tell?
Asks about the authority structure of a place without naming a role. Answers reveal whether there is staff, a captain, a guard, or nobody at all, and a spy usually reaches for a manager as a generic guess.
- 18
Are you wearing shoes?
Narrow, fast, and eliminates a great deal at once. Use it when you already have a shortlist rather than early, because a confident yes from everyone tells the spy as much as it tells you.
- 19
Can you see the sky from where you are?
Cleanly separates indoor from outdoor locations, and there is no honest way to dodge it. The cost is that it halves the possibilities for the spy too, so it is better asked once you can afford to trade information.
- 20
Would you come back?
A good closing question when you already suspect someone, because it invites a personal reply that is hard to keep neutral. Broad enthusiasm with no detail attached is the most common shape of a spy's answer.
Asking and Answering Without Giving It Away
Practical guidance for the conversation itself.
How to Play the Question Phase
How to Play the Question Phase
Never ask what you cannot answer
You will usually be asked something similar in return, and turning your own question back on you is a standard move. Before you ask about the most expensive object in sight, have your own answer ready and make sure it does not name the place.
Prefer sensory and personal questions over factual ones
A spy can reason about what a place is probably like. They cannot fake what it smells like or whether they could fall asleep there. Anything requiring a first-person impression is where the bluffing breaks down.
Answer specifically enough to be believed
If you keep giving safe non-answers to protect the location, the table will read you as the spy, which is the most common way non-spies lose. Give one real detail that fits several places rather than nothing at all.
Track who follows and who leads
The spy benefits from answering late, after two or three players have established a picture. Notice who consistently answers after the room has warmed up and who is asked nothing at all, since being ignored is how a spy survives to the end.
Mistakes That Lose Rounds
Mistakes That Lose Rounds
Narrowing too fast
Questions about the sky, shoes, or uniforms eliminate large groups of locations at once, which helps you and helps the spy equally. Save them until you already have a shortlist, or until the round is nearly over.
Accusing on a single odd answer
A failed accusation costs your side badly, and people give strange answers because they are distracted or trying too hard to be careful. Wait for two answers that contradict each other rather than one that sounds unusual.
Questioning the same player repeatedly
Piling on one suspect leaves the rest of the table unexamined and tells the spy exactly who they are safe from. Spread your questions until the evidence is real.
Being too clever with your own answers
Elaborate misdirection from an innocent player usually reads as guilt. Plain, slightly boring answers with one concrete detail are the most convincing thing you can offer.