English Spy

English Spy is a speaking game dressed up as a detective story. When a round starts, every phone shows the same English word, say library, with a picture and the Azerbaijani translation. One phone shows something else: “You are the SPY.” The spy has no idea what the word is.

Players take turns saying one sentence about the word without saying it. Too obvious and the spy works it out; too vague and the class starts looking at you. After the clues the class talks it over and votes on their phones. Not even the teacher knows who the spy is, so the reveal is a surprise for you too.

How a round works

1. Flip the card

   Students tap their card to see the secret word, its emoji and, if you want, the translation. The spy sees “You are the SPY” and, if you allow it, the topic.

2. Clues

   In a random order (the spy never goes first) each player gives one English sentence about the word. Clues are said out loud or typed and shown on the projector.

3. Discuss

   The class talks about who sounded suspicious. Run it on a timer or end it yourself.

4. Vote

   Everyone votes in secret on their phone. A tie leads to one runoff; a second tie and the spy escapes.

5. Last chance

   A caught spy can still score by picking the secret word out of 8 words from the same topic.

Scoring

• +100 for every player who votes for the spy.
• +200 for the spy if they escape.
• +100 for a caught spy who guesses the word.
• Every round has a new word and a new spy, and everyone is the spy once before anyone gets it twice.

Settings you can change

Rounds

1 to 20, 5 by default. Every round has a new word and a new spy.

Topic

Places, food & drink, jobs, animals, at home, sports & hobbies, nature & weather, transport, school & tech, clothes, or all of them.

Word level

Any, easy (A1–A2) or challenging (B1 and up).

Clues

Said out loud, or typed on phones. A typed clue that contains the word or its translation is rejected (except the spy’s, so the spy can’t fish for the word).

Time per clue

Up to 2 minutes, or no limit. 30 seconds by default.

Discussion before the vote

Up to 5 minutes, or no limit. 60 seconds by default.

Show the Azerbaijani translation

On by default. The spy never sees it.

Tell the spy the topic

On by default, so the spy has a fair chance.

Last chance for a caught spy

On by default.

You can hold a button to peek at the word, give everyone a new word with the same spy, move to the next speaker, add another round of clues, open or close the vote and add 30 seconds. N on the keyboard starts the next round.

Tips for the classroom

• Model a good clue before the first round. For library, “It has a lot of books” hands the word to the spy; “I was there yesterday and had to be very quiet” is just right.
• Typed clues suit shy classes and practise spelling. Spoken clues are better for fluency.
• Ask students to justify their vote in one sentence: “I think it’s Kamran, because his clue was too general.” That’s where most of the speaking happens.
• Start with easy words from one topic, like Animals. Mix topics once everyone knows the rules.

Questions teachers ask