How to detect a liar over the phone

What are the signs that tell you that someone is lying on the phone? Without seeing the expressions of the person talking, it can be difficult to tell if they are telling the truth or lying. Fortunately, whether it’s your partner, your friend or a stranger, you can spot a liar by listening for important clues and their mannerisms while speaking. We have collected a list of reliable signs to help you spot a liar over the phone and find out the truth.

Table of Contents

Throat clearing

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The throat muscles will spasm when one is tense. If the liar feels pressured, they often clear their throat as a way to relieve muscle tension. You may also notice that their voice is a little more cracked or raspy than usual. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Note that clearing your throat can also be caused by stress or anxiety, especially if the two of you are having an uncomfortable conversation.

Loud voice or high timbre

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A high-pitched voice is also a sign of stress (and often insincerity). A liar may speak in a higher-than-usual voice due to the strain in his throat. ^{[2] X Research Source} If you know the person well, try comparing with their usual voice. ^{[3] X Research Sources} If they are people you don’t know very well, listen to them to see if they are speaking too loudly, as liars often want to appear assertive and persuasive. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Pause and pause

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When it comes to lying about something complicated, it takes time to make up a story. As a result, they will hesitate before answering questions and may pause when interpreting facts that are not true. ^{[5] X Research Source} Did the person pause for a moment before answering your question? Do they speak slower than usual?

A complex lie consists of a lengthy explanation of why something happened or a description of a sequence of events.
A simple lie (which usually doesn’t give the liar much of a pause) can be just a lie about someone’s looks or someone’s food.
Conversations between two collaborators often fall into a pleasant rhythm. ^{[6] X Research Source} Trust your intuition if you feel like the other person is waiting for more than a beat or two to respond – they may be lying!

Middle words like “um” or “ah”

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Liars often feel the need to fill in awkward pauses. Look out for filler words that show restlessness in your speech. Almost everyone uses filler words when talking, but people hum more often when stressed. Liars can use this to pause as they concentrate on thinking about what to say next. ^{[7] X Research Source The} average person uses 5 filler words per minute, so count how many they say ^{[8] X Trusted Source Harvard Business Review Go to the source} to compare them say too much.

Middle words can also include” “so,” “know,” “ah,” and “like.”
Don’t forget that some people have a habit of using more filler words than others. Please keep this in mind when comparing.

Phrases like “probably” and “maybe”

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Watch out for indirect, ambiguous language. Some people use a lot of non-affirmations to avoid blatant lies. This is a way for them to avoid responsibility for giving false information. ^{[9] X Trusted Source Association for Psychpogical Science Go to source}

Notice the overuse of conjectures like “I think,” “probably,” “likely” instead of affirmative words.
For example, saying, “Well, I think I just forgot that Kim and I had a plan” sounds less honest than saying, “I forgot that Kim and I had a plan.”

Ambiguous sayings

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Liars often use “simple” tactics when they answer questions. Honest people have nothing to hide, so they often talk in more detail. ^{[10] X Research Source} Notice if the person is comfortable mentioning the person’s name, description of activities, and chronology. Liars can be so vague that they avoid using personal pronouns like “I.” ^{[11] X Trusted Source Association for Psychpogical Science Go to source}

For example, if you ask your partner, “What did you do last Friday night?” and they say “We’re going out,” so this is a surprisingly short answer.
If an employee at your company says “Most shipments cleared,” but cannot estimate the number of shipments that have passed or say when they did, he or she is probably not honest.

Their behavior is out of character

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Trust your gut if the other person’s behavior seems a bit strange. The person who is lying may change their behavior habits to try to appear trustworthy. In particular, they may appear overly optimistic. When trying to be honest, they usually don’t use a lot of negative words. ^{[12] X Trusted Source Association for Psychpogical Science Go to Source}

If your friend is always talking and jumping but now is quiet, then there is probably something wrong.
If a member of your family is usually comfortable talking to you but suddenly uses serious words with you, they may be lying.

Defensive attitude

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Liars are often resentful or aggressive when they feel discovered. Does the person you’re talking to seem calm, or do they react when you ask questions? If the person is in denial about something and insists that they are exaggerating the truth, then it is very likely that they are trying to deceive you. Here are a few examples of ways a liar is on the defensive: ^{[13] X Research Source}

They can play the role of the victim. For example, they might say things like, “You make crazy accusations about me doing this and that after work!”
They may insist that you are too sensitive. Be wary of people who say things like “I’m just paranoid.”
They mitigate or justify their bad behavior. For example, a manager might lie with statements like, “I won’t give you credit for closing that order, because it’s a team effort, and you wouldn’t be able to do it without the company’s new software. .”

Change theme

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Liars may try to end the conversation or “buy time” with phrases like “I’ll discuss this later.” If you see the other person trying to move on to another topic or making excuses for having to do something else, that’s usually dishonest behavior. Let’s take a step back and take a closer look. Is the person really busy? Or are they hiding something? To force the person to continue talking about the topic, say something like:

“Can we focus on this story? Do you really want to know where I’ve been?”
“I’ve been waiting for this talk for a long time, can we settle it now?”
“I feel very stressed about this. Can we come to a conclusion?”

Smiling

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Joking can also be a sign of stress or avoidance. Pay attention to the sarcastic or joking responses the other person gives you. If the other person downplays the matter, they may downplay their role in the matter and avoid responsibility because of the lie.

The best way to deal with sarcasm is to ignore it and respond with a serious statement. ^{[14] X Research Source}
If someone laughs while you’re talking, you can say, “I know it’s weird to say this, but I really want an answer.”

Avoid “yes” or “no” questions

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Ask simple questions to force the liar to respond directly. When someone can’t answer a simple yes or no question, they’re probably trying to find a way to avoid having to answer. That’s a sign that they’re not being honest! Also, if the other person tries to turn the stick back at you or they make you feel like you’re being too much of a question, that’s also a sign that they’re lying.

For example, if you suspect your boyfriend is cheating, you could ask, “Did you go out with Mai last Friday night?”
If you suspect a friend is lying about letting you out, say, “Did you and your group go to the movies last Saturday?”

Dialogue about the problems behind the lie

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Some people lie because they feel they can’t tell you the truth. Be open and ask questions to understand what the other person is thinking. While it would be easy to assume that a liar is a bad person, it may not be the case! Use a calm, patient voice to ask the other person for an explanation. Maybe they lied because they didn’t feel comfortable expressing their opinions to you. You can improve your communication to understand the source of the lie by asking these questions:

“I feel that you and I don’t understand each other when we talk. What do you think is the cause?”
“Can you tell me what happened on Friday morning that you came home early? The text you sent me sounded angry even though you said everything was fine.”
“Hey man, your time card doesn’t seem right. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

Steps