How to play Categories
Score the most points with answers no one else writes — duplicates score nothing.
Also called Stop, Name-Place-Animal-Thing
Plays like Scattergories®
In 90 seconds
- Everyone needs a sheet of paper and a pencil. One phone sits in the middle of the table — that's the host. It shows the category list, rolls the letter, and runs the timer. Nobody's hiding a screen from anyone else.
- The app deals twelve categories onto the phone. Roll the letter die. Start the timer (three minutes is the default).
- Write one answer per category, each starting with the rolled letter. Fill as many as you can before the buzzer.
- When time's up, read answers aloud category by category. Unique answers score; if two people wrote the same thing, those cancel.
- Tallies go on paper — the app keeps no score. Roll again for the next round, or flip to a fresh list of twelve and keep going.
- Agree a round count up front, or just play until someone suggests dessert. Fifteen minutes is a short session; half an hour is a comfortable one.
The trick is the letter. A friendly roll and the page fills itself; a stingy one and half the table is staring at Things That Fly with nothing but a blank line and a grudge.
What you need
A sheet of paper and a pencil for each player.
How it works
Choose a list. Roll the letter die, start the timer, and write one answer per category. The answer must begin with the rolled letter.
Scoring
Unique answers only: 1 point per answer no one else wrote, duplicates score no points.
A worked round
Ana, Bo, Cass and Dev each have a pad. The phone in the middle shows twelve categories — Animals, Foods, Countries, Things You Can Throw, and the rest — and Ana taps to roll.
M.
Three minutes. Pens go down hard. Ana writes moose, muffin, Mexico, marble… Bo has mosquito for Animals and is already stuck on Countries. Cass fills the whole page. Dev leaves two blank on purpose because he'd rather have clean uniques than desperate guesses.
The buzzer goes. They read down the list.
Animals: Ana said moose, Bo said mosquito, Cass said moth, Dev said moose. Ana and Dev cancel — one point each for Bo and Cass.
Foods: everyone wrote muffin. All cancel. Zeroes around the table, and a small groan.
Countries: Ana's Mexico is alone; Bo left it blank; Cass has Madagascar; Dev has Malta. Three points on the table, none shared.
They finish the twelve, pencil the totals in the margin, and Ana rolls again. No app scoreboard to check — the pads are the record.
Rulings
Does my answer have to be a single word?
No. A short phrase is fine if it clearly fits the category and starts with the letter — mountain bike for Things You Can Ride on a B is honest. The room is the judge when someone gets clever.
What counts as "the same answer"?
Same idea, not just same spelling. NYC and New York City cancel; cat and kitten probably don't. When the table disagrees, take a quick vote and move on — don't litigate a muffin.
Can I use a proper name? A brand?
If the category allows it and the room accepts it, yes. McDonald's for Foods on an M is fair in most living rooms and fight-bait in others — agree the house rule once, not every round.
The letter die never shows Q, U, V, X, Y, or Z
That's deliberate. The die is twenty faces of the letters that actually fill a page. You're not unlucky; those letters aren't on it.
Does the app keep score?
No. It deals the lists, rolls the letter, and runs the timer. Scoring is the folk part — unique answers score a point each, duplicates score no points. Write the running total on the pad.
Do we need a new list every round?
No. Same twelve categories with a new letter is the usual rhythm. Flip to the next list when the current one gets stale or you want a different mix.
Can we play without the timer?
Yes — that's Stop. First person finished yells "Stop!" and everyone drops their pen. Faster, meaner, and a gift to whoever fills a page in ninety seconds.
What if only two people are playing?
Still works. Uniques are easier when the table is small, so the race is really against the letter, not the crowd.
Ways to Play
- Quick List Recommended — Roll a letter, fill all 12 categories before the timer, then score the answers. The straight-ahead game. Duplicates with another player score no points.
- Stop — No timer: the first player to finish yells "Stop!" and everyone drops their pen. Rewards speed as much as wit. Same scoring rules apply.
Quick List is the straight-ahead game — roll, fill twelve, score, repeat. Start here unless the room already has a house ruleset it loves.
Stop drops the timer. First to finish freezes the table. Play it when the group is competitive enough that a buzzer feels too gentle.
What's inside
Everyday, Travel, Food & Drink, Pop culture, Holidays
No sign-up is required to play.
Scattergories® is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc. Spraoi is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Hasbro, Inc.