Categories game (Scattergories) rules: how to play, scoring, example round

How do you play Categories game?

A letter is drawn. Everybody writes words starting with that letter into a table as fast as they can, one for each category. Whoever finishes first shouts STOP. A word that somebody else wrote too is worth 0, an original word 1 and the only answer in a category 1 points. Whoever has the most points after the last round wins.

Step-by-step rules

Prepare the game sheetEvery player gets a table with the categories and a pencil. You can download ready-made templates for free.
Agree on the categories and the number of roundsThe classic categories are name, city, animal and thing. You can add a country, food or a profession.
Draw a letterOne player silently recites the alphabet, another stops them at any time by saying STOP.
Say the letter out loudThe letter where the alphabet stopped is used for the whole round.
WriteEverybody fills in one row as fast as they can, one word starting with the letter for each category.
Shout STOPWhoever fills in all the fields first shouts STOP and the others put their pencils down. A round can also end by agreement or by a time limit.
Check the words and count the pointsGo through the answers together and vote on the disputed words. Then give out the points as described in the scoring below.
Find the winnerAfter the agreed number of rounds, the player with the most points wins.

Scoring

The most important rule of the game: it is not about who writes fastest, but about who thinks of something the others didn't.

0
Empty field

You wrote nothing.
0
Same word

Somebody else wrote the same word.
1
Your own word

Nobody else wrote it.
1
The only one to answer

Only one player answered in the category.

Example of one round

Letter P, three players and four categories. See how the points are counted in practice.

Scoring example of one round
Category	Anna	Ben	Cyril
Name	– 0	Peter 0	Peter 0
City	Prague 1	Paris 0	Paris 0
Animal	penguin 1	pig 0	pig 0
Thing	pen 1	pig 0	– 0
Total	3	0	0

Choosing categories

The classic four are name, city, animal and thing. But a good game comes from categories that suit your group.

name
city
animal
thing
country
river
plant
profession
food
movie
sport
body part
car brand
music band
fairy tale character
school subject
fruit
vegetable
disease
song

Hard letters: what to write

A round with the letter Q, X or Z can be tricky. This is what players wrote most often (words from a dictionary based on past games).

Q
Name: Quinn, Quentin
City: Quebec, Quito
Animal: quail, quokka
Thing: quilt, quiz
X
Name: Xavier, Xena
City: Xi'an, Xalapa
Animal: xerus, x-ray tetra
Thing: xylophone, x-ray
Z
Name: Zoe, Zack
City: Zurich, Zagreb
Animal: zebra, zebu
Thing: zipper, zero
Y
Name: Yasmine, Yusuf
City: York, Yokohama
Animal: yak, yellowjacket
Thing: yacht, yoga mat

How to win

Originality wins. Everybody writes Paris. Nobody writes Perpignan.
Speed is only half of the game. The first to shout STOP hasn't won yet.
Know the categories. If you know “country” is being played, think of a few less obvious countries in advance.

What the game is called around the world

The same game under a different name. You can play it in 48 languages, each language has its own version of the website.

Frequently asked questions

How many players do you need?

Two or more. The game is best with 3 to 8 players.

What if we are not sure a word is valid?

Decide by voting. A word that doesn't belong in the category is not accepted. In the online game, a doubtful answer is marked by most of the players and the word doesn't count.

Can an answer be a proper name?

Yes, if it fits the category and starts with the drawn letter.

How do you score when two players write the same word?

Both get 0 points. The online game counts it automatically; for the paper game, agree on the scoring beforehand.

How many categories are ideal?

Four to start with (name, city, animal, thing), 8 to 12 for a longer game. More than twelve only makes the round drag on.

Can you play without paper?

Yes, a phone is all you need online.