Play the Categories Game: Letter, Timer and Scores
Draw a letter, show the categories and start the countdown: all that's left is to write. Mark each player's answers and the total adds up by itself, round after round.
- Random letter
- Editable categories
- Automatic scoring
- Printable sheet
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How to play the categories game
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Set up the game
Add the players, choose a list of categories (kids or adults) and edit it if you like.
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Draw a letter and play
The letter appears and the countdown starts: everyone fills in their sheet. The first to finish can shout "Stop!".
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Add up the points
For each answer, mark whether it's unique, shared or blank: the table adds 10, 5 or 0 points.
Everything you need to run a categories game
No repeated letters
Each letter comes up only once per game. Option to leave out the hard letters K, Q, U, V, Y and Z.
Ready-made or custom categories
Name, country, city, animal, job, brand, movie or TV show… Kids and adult lists, all editable.
Timer and "Stop!" button
1, 2 or 3-minute countdown, or no time limit, with rounds that follow one after another.
Scoreboard
10 points for a unique answer, 5 if someone else has it too, 0 if blank or wrong, with an automatic total.
Categories game rules
Each player gets a sheet with one column per category. A letter is drawn, then everyone looks for a word starting with that letter for each category: with the letter M, you could write Mary, Mexico, Miami, moose, melon, mechanic. The round ends when the countdown runs out or when a player has filled everything in and calls "Stop!". Then you read the answers out category by category. Classic scoring: 10 points for an answer nobody else gave, 5 points if another player wrote the same word, 0 if the box is blank or the answer is rejected. After several rounds, the player with the highest total wins. It's the same idea as Scattergories or the pen-and-paper game Name, Place, Animal, Thing.
Which categories should you pick?
Classic categories are first name, country, city, animal, fruit or vegetable, job, object, color, brand, sport, celebrity and movie or TV show. For kids, stick to simple categories (animal, name, color, fruit) and leave out hard letters like K, Q, U, V, Y and Z: the game stays fun as long as everyone can come up with something. X never comes up in the draw. With adults, you can add trickier or funnier categories by editing the list. Five to eight categories per round is a good balance: any more and two minutes quickly feels too short. Before you start, agree on the gray areas, for example whether proper nouns or foreign words count.
Play with family, friends or on a video call
Around a table, one screen is enough: it shows the letter and the timer to everyone, and each player writes on paper. To save drawing columns by hand, print a blank A4 sheet for each player. With no paper, you can also play out loud, taking turns to answer. On a video call, the host shares their screen so everyone sees the same letter and the same countdown, then enters the points in the scoreboard. To break a tie, play one last round with a hard letter or without a timer: the first to fill in the whole sheet wins.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you score the categories game?
Under the classic rules, an answer only you gave is worth 10 points, an answer identical to another player's is worth 5 points, and a blank box or a rejected answer scores 0.
What are good categories for the categories game?
The most common are first name, country, city, animal, fruit or vegetable, job, object, color, brand, sport, celebrity and movie or TV show. You can add or remove any of them.
Which letters should you avoid?
In English, K, Q, U, V, Y and Z are the hardest, and X is left out entirely. An option removes the hard letters from the draw, which is a good idea with kids.
How long is a round?
Usually 1 to 3 minutes depending on the number of categories and the players' ages. You can also play without a timer and end the round with the "Stop!" button.
Can you play the categories game remotely?
Yes: on a video call, one person shares their screen to show the letter and the timer, everyone writes their answers at home, then you add up the points together.