<p>TL;DR.  'I'm' is fine as a clue.  Others may disagree but they are 'looking for trouble'!</p>
<p>The rules to Codenames <a href="https://czechgames.com/files/rules/codenames-rules-en.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a> give lots of rules on what is or isn't a valid clue.  I think the most important is this heading</p>
<blockquote>
<p>DON'T BE TOO STRICT</p>
</blockquote>
<p>They also say</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Sometimes you have to make judgment calls about what is valid and what
is not. Different groups may prefer to play the game differently.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and</p>
<blockquote>
<p>anybody who says you can't say sparrow when ROW is on the table is just trying to cause trouble.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I think the rules are weirdly clear that this is a game where rule lawyering is NOT encouraged.  They say if you're not sure they to asked your fellow spymaster but I think the insinuation is to keep the game light and fun unless its a very clear rules break.   This is a light party game after all and should be kept that way.  To reiterate  &quot;DON'T BE TOO STRICT&quot;.</p>
<p>Saying &quot;I'm&quot; is something that is very common usage and a clue people will know.  It's not like you've invented something &quot;OKIsland&quot; to indicate 'Fine', 'Good' and 'Lost'. or nonsense like &quot;Penal'TV&quot;.  Yes it might be a contraction of two words but it's common usage is said as one word.</p>
<p>I'd argue that a clue like &quot;'Twas'&quot; is valid for &quot;Night&quot; and &quot;Christmas&quot; as it is said out loud as a single word</p>
<p>You might also to want look at <a href="https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/80635/counting-contractions-as-one-or-two-words">this English StackExchange</a> question which debates if &quot;It's&quot; is one word or two. If you type &quot;It's&quot; into a word processor and do a word count then it counts as one word.  &quot;I'm&quot; does the same.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-17T23:06:16.580Z
The other aspect is that if you're ever not sure whether a clue is valid, you can ask the opposing Spymaster. As long as they're ok with it, it should be fine.
ConMan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-01T15:23:15.280Z
"this is not a game where rule lawyering is NOT encouraged" - I think the double negative here is unintentional. Don't you mean this *is* a game where rule laywering is not encouraged?
Will
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-01T20:15:44.757Z
@Will.  yes that was unintentional.  edit made thanks.
StartPlayer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-17T07:35:30.713Z
2020-07-01T20:15:28.650Z
2020-07-01T20:15:28.650Z
StartPlayer
<p>There are some words on the board, "fine", "good", and "lost". I'd like to use "I'm 3" to hit those words as spymaster. Would that be against the rules?</p>

<p>This is the closest rule I could find in the official rules for the standard edition of Codenames.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>Compound Words</strong>
  English has three ways to write a compound
  word. Greenhouse is one word. Pack rat is two
  words. Mother-in-law is hyphenated. Technically,
  only greenhouse can be a one-word clue.
  You can decide to allow any compound words.
  However, in no case should a player be allowed
  to invent compound words. Lunar squid is not
  a valid clue for MOON and OCTOPUS</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I'm not sure if contractions are considered compound words though.</p>

<codenames>
Are contractions like "I'm" legal according to the rules of Codenames?
CreativiTimothy
# Are contractions like "I'm" legal according to the rules of Codenames?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-06-16)

There are some words on the board, "fine", "good", and "lost". I'd like to use "I'm 3" to hit those words as spymaster. Would that be against the rules?

This is the closest rule I could find in the official rules for the standard edition of Codenames.

> **Compound Words**
> English has three ways to write a compound
> word. Greenhouse is one word. Pack rat is two
> words. Mother-in-law is hyphenated. Technically,
> only greenhouse can be a one-word clue.
> You can decide to allow any compound words.
> However, in no case should a player be allowed
> to invent compound words. Lunar squid is not
> a valid clue for MOON and OCTOPUS

I'm not sure if contractions are considered compound words though.

**Tags:** codenames


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-06-17. Score: 11 | Accepted answer

TL;DR. 'I'm' is fine as a clue. Others may disagree but they are 'looking for trouble'!

The rules to Codenames [here](https://czechgames.com/files/rules/codenames-rules-en.pdf) give lots of rules on what is or isn't a valid clue. I think the most important is this heading

> DON'T BE TOO STRICT

They also say

> Sometimes you have to make judgment calls about what is valid and what
> is not. Different groups may prefer to play the game differently.

and

> anybody who says you can't say sparrow when ROW is on the table is just trying to cause trouble.

I think the rules are weirdly clear that this is a game where rule lawyering is NOT encouraged. They say if you're not sure they to asked your fellow spymaster but I think the insinuation is to keep the game light and fun unless its a very clear rules break. This is a light party game after all and should be kept that way. To reiterate "DON'T BE TOO STRICT".

Saying "I'm" is something that is very common usage and a clue people username_3 know. It's not like you've invented something "OKIsland" to indicate 'Fine', 'Good' and 'Lost'. or nonsense like "Penal'TV". Yes it might be a contraction of two words but it's common usage is said as one word.

I'd argue that a clue like "'Twas'" is valid for "Night" and "Christmas" as it is said out loud as a single word

You might also to want look at [this English StackExchange](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/80635/counting-contractions-as-one-or-two-words) question which debates if "It's" is one word or two. If you type "It's" into a word processor and do a word count then it counts as one word. "I'm" does the same.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: The other aspect is that if you're ever not sure whether a clue is valid, you can ask the opposing Spymaster. As long as they're ok with it, it should be fine.  
> **username_3**: "this is not a game where rule lawyering is NOT encouraged" - I think the double negative here is unintentional. Don't you mean this *is* a game where rule laywering is not encouraged?  
> **username_1**: @username_3.  yes that was unintentional.  edit made thanks.  

---

