AURORA GAMESThe short answer
A strong clue is specific enough to reassure the players who know the word, but indirect enough that the Imposter cannot solve it immediately. The best clues create recognition—not revelation.
In the Imposter word game, most players see the same secret word. One player—the Imposter—does not. Everyone gives a spoken clue, listens for uncertainty and eventually votes. That makes every clue a balancing act: prove that you belong without giving the missing information away.
A clue can fail in two opposite directions. Say something obvious and you help the Imposter. Say something meaningless and you make yourself look like the Imposter. Good clue-giving lives in the narrow, entertaining space between those mistakes.
What makes a good Imposter clue?
The strongest clues usually do three things at once:
- They connect naturally to the secret word.
- They do not name its most obvious feature.
- They give the players who know the word an immediate ‘I see what you mean’ reaction.
Suppose the word is pizza. “Cheese” is accurate but dangerously obvious. “Food” is so broad that it proves almost nothing. “Friday,” however, can suggest takeaway night, friends, comfort food or a familiar weekly ritual. Players who know the word can follow the connection, while the Imposter still has several possibilities to consider.
Five useful ways to build a clue
Attribute
How does it look, feel, sound, taste or behave?
Context
Where, when or with whom does it appear?
Indirect association
What sits one connection away?
Experience
What does it make people feel or do?
Contrast
What opposite idea still creates recognition?
1. Describe an attribute
Think about how the word looks, feels, sounds, tastes or behaves—but avoid its defining feature. For ‘umbrella,’ ‘folding’ is safer than ‘rain.’ For ‘popcorn,’ ‘noisy’ is more interesting than ‘movie.’
2. Point to a context
Say where, when or with whom you associate the word. ‘Campfire’ can point to guitar. ‘Monday’ can point to alarm clock. Context clues feel personal and are harder for the Imposter to decode from one word alone.
3. Use an indirect association
Move one step sideways. For ‘airport,’ you might say ‘goodbye.’ For ‘birthday,’ try ‘wish.’ The connection is clear to informed players but does not simply describe the object.
4. Describe the experience
Ask what the word does to people. ‘Relief’ might suggest air conditioning. ‘Patience’ might suggest traffic. Emotional or experiential clues often create the best table discussion.
5. Use contrast carefully
A clue can point to what the word is not or what sits at the opposite end of its scale. ‘Winter’ for beach is risky but playable. Contrast works best when the relationship will be obvious to informed players after a moment’s thought.
Umbrella
ObviousRain×
attributeFolding✓
Airport
ObviousPlane×
experienceGoodbye✓
Birthday
ObviousCake×
ritualWish✓
Guitar
ObviousStrings×
contextCampfire✓
Worked examples: obvious, vague and strong clues
Compare the giveaway feature, the clue that proves almost nothing, and the stronger association that sits between them.
Pizza
A familiar ritual, not a defining ingredient.
Beach
Recognisable but leaves other outdoor possibilities.
Guitar
A setting strongly associated with the word.
Airport
Describes the experience rather than the object.
Birthday
Linked to the ritual without naming the celebration.
Coffee
An indirect reason people reach for it.
Dog
A trigger that informed players will recognise.
Cinema
Behaviour associated with the setting.
What should you say when you are the Imposter?
Your goal is not to guess the word immediately. Your first goal is to survive long enough to collect information. A calm, plausible clue is usually more valuable than an ambitious guess.
Use the category and choose a broad but natural association. If the category is ‘Food,’ a clue such as ‘weekend’ or ‘comfort’ can fit several likely words. Avoid empty clues such as ‘nice’ or ‘thing’; vagueness attracts attention.
Do not simply repeat it in different words. Ask what family of answers could explain it. If the first clue is ‘Friday,’ possible answers might include pizza, cinema, party or payday. Choose a clue that remains compatible with several of them.
You have more information, but the table expects more precision. Look for the shared idea across earlier clues and add a neighbouring association. If you hear ‘Friday,’ ‘delivery’ and ‘Italy,’ you may suspect pizza. ‘Round’ would then sound credible without saying ‘cheese.’
Do not become suddenly over-specific. A dramatic jump from vagueness to certainty can reveal that you solved it from other people’s clues. Move closer gradually and match the level of precision already used at the table.
How to spot the Imposter from their clue
A weak clue is evidence, not proof. Genuine players can misunderstand the word, make unusual associations or deliberately choose something obscure. Look for patterns rather than treating one strange answer as a conviction.
- Meaningless safety
- The clue could apply to almost anything: ‘good,’ ‘big,’ ‘fun,’ ‘place.’
- Borrowed language
- The player repeats the idea of an earlier clue instead of contributing a new connection.
- Late precision
- After several broad clues, the player suddenly gives an exact answer that sounds reverse-engineered.
- Defensive explanation
- The player gives a long justification before anyone has questioned the clue.
- Reaction watching
- The player studies faces immediately after speaking, looking for confirmation that the guess landed.
- Inconsistent discussion
- Their interpretation of earlier clues changes as other players reveal more information.
The strongest accusation combines the clue with behaviour across the round. Ask: Did the clue add information? Did it fit naturally? Did the player’s explanation remain consistent? One odd association can be creative. A sequence of evasive choices is more revealing.
How clues should change across multiple cycles
In Aurora’s Clue Stakes format, the group can request another clue cycle before voting. Each additional cycle changes what a good clue needs to do.
Establish
Less information makes inference harder for the Imposter—but gives the group less evidence.
Add a new angle
More evidence for the group, balanced against more of the secret leaking through the table.
Compare the story
Highest evidence—but the Imposter has now heard the most clues and must give another one.
After cycles one and two, Aurora players privately choose whether to vote now or request one more clue cycle. Cycle three always ends in voting.
Your job: Establish that you plausibly know the word.
Useful approach: Use context or association; avoid the defining feature.
Your job: Add fresh information without repeating yourself.
Useful approach: Approach the word from a different angle—experience instead of appearance, for example.
Your job: Help the group separate unusual thinkers from genuine bluffers.
Useful approach: Be more precise, then compare whether everyone’s three clues form one coherent story.
For the Imposter, later cycles are both a gift and a danger. You hear more information, but you must also produce another clue. Keep track of the possible words still consistent with the table; do not lock onto the first answer that seems plausible.
Twenty quick clue examples
These are not the only good answers. Their purpose is to show the distance a clue can travel while remaining understandable.
Avoid these clue traps
Naming the giveaway feature
Banana → yellow may end the mystery.
Choosing a clue only you understand
A private memory cannot reassure the rest of the table.
Trying too hard to sound clever
Elaboration can attract more suspicion than a simple association.
Repeating another player
Holiday → vacation adds little independent evidence.
Explaining before being asked
Give the clue cleanly; let discussion test it.
Treating unusual as guilty
Test whether the connection is coherent before voting.
Frequently asked questions
Should an Imposter clue be one word?
One word keeps the round quick and limits accidental explanations. If your group allows short phrases, apply the same principle: reveal a connection, not the answer.
What is the best first clue?
A context or experience clue is often strongest because it sounds meaningful without naming the word’s defining feature. The exact clue depends on the word and your group.
What should the Imposter say when going first?
Use the category to choose a broad but intentional association. Avoid words so empty that they could describe every answer in the category.
Can you repeat someone else’s clue?
You can, but it usually makes you look less credible. A new angle provides stronger evidence that you knew the word independently.
How many clue cycles should you play?
One cycle creates a faster, sharper game. Additional cycles create more evidence and give the Imposter more opportunity to infer the word. Aurora’s Clue Stakes lets the group decide whether the extra information is worth the risk.
Does a strange clue mean someone is the Imposter?
No. Ask the player to explain the connection after everyone has spoken. A surprising but coherent answer may be a very good clue; repeated evasiveness is more suspicious.
Ready to test your clues?
Recognition without revelation.
The best clue is rarely the first word that comes to mind. Move one step sideways: from the object to the moment, the feature to the feeling, or the answer to the association. Give your friends enough to recognise that you belong—then watch who is working a little too hard to do the same.
Play Aurora Imposter — create a private room, let everyone join from their own phone and find out whose clue survives the vote.