How to Spot a Liar: The Words That Reveal Deception

Lying is hard work.

To tell a convincing lie, a deceptive person works hard to keep all the details of their story straight, sell it with appropriate body language, and avoid leaking emotional clues that might give them away. With so much to juggle, it’s no surprise that liars often slip up—not just through body language, but through the very words they use. What someone says, how they say it, and the linguistic patterns they rely on can reveal hidden dishonesty.

While facial expressions and gestures can provide valuable insights, the words people choose often offer the clearest indicators of deceit. Pamela Meyer, author of Liespotting and one of the world’s leading deception detection experts, has spent years studying verbal deception. By recognizing key linguistic red flags, you can better detect dishonesty in personal conversations, workplace interactions, and high-stakes negotiations.

How Can You Spot a Liar Using Their Words?

Liars often give themselves away in subtle ways. Sometimes it’s what they don’t say—like avoiding direct denials. Other times, it’s how they phrase things, using overly formal speech, unnecessary details, or rehearsed-sounding responses. Instead of saying, “I didn’t do it,” a deceptive person might shift the focus with a protest statement like “Why would I do something like that?” or “You know me, I would never.” Others might repeat a question verbatim, buying themselves time while crafting a response. Rather than answering a simple “Did you take the money?” with a direct “No,” they may pause and question the question, “Did I take the money?” before continuing with a carefully worded explanation.

What Are the Key Phrases and Speech Patterns Liars Use?

Liars will repeat a question verbatim Hey Charles, did you send the email to Jackie? Did I send the email to Jackie? If this is Charles’s response, you have your answer—he didn’t send it yet. Repeating a question in full is a common stalling tactic used by people looking for an extra moment to prepare their deceptive reply. In natural conversation, people will sometimes repeat part of a question, but restating the entire question is highly awkward and unnecessary—they clearly heard you the first time.

Liars will take a guarded tone If Charles had replied to the direct question by lowering his voice and asking,  What do you mean?, a lie may well have been in the works. A suspicious or guarded approach isn’t usually called for, and may indicate that he’s concealing something—whether it’s the truthful answer or his attitude toward you for asking the question in the first place.

Liars won’t use contractions in their denials Bill Clinton provides the classic example of what interrogators call a “non-contracted denial” when he said “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” The extra emphasis in the denial is unnecessary if someone is telling the truth. I didn’t have sex with her is how the honest person is likely to phrase his claim of innocence. Clinton said a lot more than he realized with his words.

Liars tell stories in strict chronology To keep their stories straight, liars tend to stick to chronological accounts when relating an event. They don’t want to get tripped up by an out-of-place detail—there’s enough to think about already. But this isn’t how we talk when being truthful. We relate stories in the way we remember them, not in strict chronological order. That’s because memorable events carry an emotional component too. Often we’ll lead with the most searing emotional moment and jump around in time.

Liars love euphemisms It’s human nature not to implicate ourselves in wrongdoing. This holds true even for liars, who will shy away from dwelling on their deception if possible. One way they do this is opting for softer language—instead of saying “I didn’t steal the purse” they may say “I didn’t take the purse.” If you ask someone a direct question about their involvement in an incident and they change your words to something softer, raise your deception antennae.

Liars overemphasize their truthfulness “To tell you the truth…” “Honestly…” “I swear to you…”Oh, if only it were so! When people use these bolstering statements to emphasize their honesty, there’s a good chance they are hiding something. Learning to baseline someone’s normal behavior is important in situations such as this:  You want to listen for normal or harmless use of such phrases. There’s no need to add them if you really are telling the truth, so be on guard.

Liars avoid or confuse pronouns We use a fair amount of pronouns in normal conversation. They are a sign of comfortable speech, and they may disappear or be misused by someone who is trying to be extra careful with his words. A liar may say “You don’t bill hours that you didn’t work” instead of making the clear first- person statement: “I don’t bill hours I didn’t work.”

Liars use long introductions but skip over main events When a liar wants to build credibility, she will pad her story with as much factual content as possible. The Israeli researcher Avinoam Sapir found that deceptive individuals will add more detail around the prologue of a story, but gloss over the main event where the deception comes into play. Careful listeners can pick up on this lopsided storytelling style and use the BASIC method to zero in on the missing details with specific questions.

Liars give very specific denials We’ve already discussed the human impulse to avoid implicating ourselves. So we can expect liars to be very particular in what they say and don’t say. Truth-tellers have no problem issuing categorical denials—I never cheated anyone in my whole life—whereas the liar will choose his words ever so carefully.

Liars hedge their statements We hear them in court testimony, political hearings and TV confessional interviews all the time: qualifying statements that leave an out for the person on the hot seat. “As far as I recall…” “If you really think about it…” “What I remember is…” Hedged statements aren’t an absolute indicator of deception, but an overuse of such qualifying phrases certainly should raise suspicion that a person isn’t being totally up front with what he or she knows.

Inappropriate Detail Another telltale sign is the level of detail a liar provides. Deceptive people tend to go to one of two extremes: either they offer vague, evasive responses or they overload their story with unnecessary details. Someone telling the truth usually recounts events naturally, jumping from one moment to another as memory recalls them. Liars, on the other hand, may stick to a strict chronological order, rehearsing their version of events in a way that feels too structured. If a story sounds too perfect or if a person adds irrelevant specifics—like what time they left the house, what color shirt they were wearing, and what they ate for breakfast—it could be an attempt to make their lie seem more believable.

Distancing Language One of the biggest verbal red flags of deception is distancing language—a technique liars use to avoid direct ownership of their actions. Instead of saying, “I broke the glass,” they might say, “The glass broke,” subtly removing themselves from the equation. Politicians and corporate spokespeople use this tactic frequently, opting for vague, impersonal statements like “Mistakes were made” instead of acknowledging responsibility. Similarly, liars often avoid contractions in denials, saying “I did not take the money” instead of “I didn’t take it.” This overly formal structure can be an unconscious attempt to sound more convincing.

Why Do Liars Use These Verbal Tricks?

Lying is a mentally exhausting task. A liar must not only construct a believable story but also monitor their own behavior and predict how they are being perceived—all while suppressing their natural emotional responses. This cognitive overload leads to speech that sounds unnatural. A deceptive person might pause longer than usual before answering, use vague language to avoid being pinned down, or repeat questions to stall for time. They may also shift their vocal tone, either speaking unnaturally slowly to control their response or too quickly to rush past a potential lie. When a liar is confronted, their verbal response often reveals just as much as their body language. Instead of addressing the question directly, they may deflect with another question, such as “Why would I do that?” or “Do I really seem like the kind of person who would lie?” Some will try to redirect blame, saying, “I can’t believe you’re accusing me of this,” while others attempt to over-explain or change the subject entirely. When someone is telling the truth, they usually answer directly and confidently. When they’re lying, they work harder to convince rather than simply stating the facts.

How to Detect a Liar Through Their Words

Spotting deception isn’t about catching one slip-up—it’s about recognizing patterns. The key to detecting a lie is to stay observant and listen carefully for inconsistencies. Ask open-ended questions that require detailed responses, and notice whether their story remains consistent over time. A truthful person may struggle to recall minor details, but their core narrative won’t shift. A liar, on the other hand, might adjust their wording or add new details that contradict earlier statements. Understanding how people use words to manipulate, mislead, or evade is an essential skill in both personal and professional interactions. Whether you’re negotiating a deal, interviewing a job candidate, or navigating a difficult conversation, the ability to recognize verbal deception gives you the upper hand. Pamela Meyer’s science-backed deception detection techniques have helped law enforcement officials, corporate leaders, and intelligence professionals uncover dishonesty more effectively. The next time you suspect someone isn’t telling the truth, don’t just watch their face—listen to their words.