Categories — Scattergories-style rules and how to play
Categories is a Scattergories-style writing game for 2–12 players in which a random letter and six categories are dealt, players have 90 seconds to write one answer per category starting with that letter, and only answers nobody else wrote score a point.
- Players
- 2–12 players
- Length
- ~20 minutes
- Type
- Relaxed
- Type
- Brain game
Runs in your browser · no download · no account
Categories is the game where being clever is the only way to score. A letter comes up, six categories appear, and you have ninety seconds to fill them all in. The catch is that matching anybody else scores zero — so the answer that leaps to mind is almost always the wrong one to write down.
That single rule does an enormous amount of work. Under "A country" with the letter B, everyone writes Brazil, and everyone gets nothing. The point goes to whoever calmly wrote Belize.
The phone runs the letter draw, the six categories, and the clock, then walks you through scoring one category at a time so nobody has to referee. There are 1,500+ category prompts, including a deliberately challenging tier and a Dubai set. Everyone needs a pen and paper — or their Notes app.
Categories is part of
What you need
- One phone in the middle, running the clock
- A pen and paper for every player, or their phone's notes app
- 2 to 12 players
- About 20 minutes
How to play Categories
Everyone grabs a pen & paper (or their Notes app). The phone stays in the middle and runs the show.
Each round the app rolls a letter and deals 6 categories.
When the clock starts, write ONE answer per category beginning with that letter. Real answers only — the group is the judge.
When time's up, go category by category: everyone reads their answer out loud.
Scoring: a unique answer = +1 point. Same answer as someone else = 0. Blank = 0. Tap each player in the app to mark it — tap again to change your mind.
Mis-marked someone? The round recap has a "fix the scoring" button that reopens the walk with every mark where you left it.
Highest total after all the rounds is crowned the Categories Champion. 👑
Scoring and winning
- A unique answer — one nobody else wrote — scores +1.
- The same answer as anyone else scores 0, no matter how many people matched.
- A blank scores 0.
- You read answers out loud category by category, tapping each player in the app to mark their result.
- Highest total after all rounds is crowned Categories Champion.
Categories strategy and tips
- Never write the first answer you think of. If it arrived instantly, it arrived instantly for everyone else too.
- Fill every box before you start improving any of them. A rushed unique answer beats a beautiful blank.
- Go second-most-obvious rather than most-obscure. Something so unusual the group rejects it scores exactly as much as a duplicate.
- Agree on proper-noun rules before round one. Whether "Brad Pitt" counts under B or P has ended more games than the timer has.
- On hard letters, work the categories in the order they are listed rather than jumping. Skipping around is how you finish with two blanks.
- Read out in a different order each round. Whoever reads first is at a real disadvantage, because everyone after them can quietly discover they matched.
Variants and house rules
Double letters
House rule: both words of a two-word answer must start with the letter. "Blue Bicycle" scores; "Blue Car" does not.
Steal round
After scoring, anyone may challenge a duplicate as invalid. If the group agrees the answer was wrong, the other player scores after all.
Challenging tier
Lock the category pool to the hard prompts. Ninety seconds stops feeling generous almost immediately.
Speed round
Drop to sixty seconds for the final round. It produces far more duplicates, which makes the last round genuinely swingy.
Categories FAQ
How do you play Categories?
The app rolls a letter and deals six categories. Everyone has ninety seconds to write one answer per category starting with that letter. Then you read answers aloud category by category — unique answers score a point, duplicates and blanks score nothing.
Is Categories the same as Scattergories?
It is the same core game. This version runs the letter, the categories, the timer and the scoring on one phone, and ships 1,500+ category prompts including a hard tier and a Dubai set.
Do you need pen and paper?
Yes — this is the one game here that needs something to write on. A phone notes app works just as well.
Why do matching answers score zero?
Because it is what forces creativity. If obvious answers scored, everyone would write the same six words and every round would tie.
How many players can play?
Two to twelve. More players means more duplicates, which makes unique answers harder and the game better.
Who decides if an answer is valid?
The group. The app runs the structure and the scoring, but real answers only — and the table is the judge.