First published by Parker Brothers in 1988, Scattergories is a word game for parties that challenges players to think creatively to find answers matching each of the given categories within 3 rounds. Due to its style of play it can be a fun game for family and friends to play, with both frustration and laughter guaranteed!
How to play Scattergories
As a multiplayer game, the goal of Scattergories is to score more points than all of the other players by correctly answering the provided topics with words that start with the given letter on the die. If a player provides an incorrect answer or the same answer as any other player, no points will be given for that answer.
1. To prepare the game, each player will need to set up their own folder by sliding an answer sheet/pad into the designated slot. Before the first round, all players must decide upon a list to answer. Once this has been decided, each player should display this same list facing them for when the timer begins.
2. Next, it is time to set the timer. To do this correctly, press the stop side of the timer switch, before turning the knob clockwise to one of three notches (longer time, medium time or shorter time). Be careful not to turn it beyond this point, as this can damage the timer.
3. Following this, one player should roll the 20-sided die to determine the key letter which will be used for the round. The die is heavy, so make sure to not to throw it too hard and to land it on an appropriate surface.
4. Once a letter has been landed on, one player needs to press down the start side of the time to begin the round. At this point, all players should simultaneously begin filling in their answer sheet in the corresponding column for the round.
5. Each answer given must begin with the letter shown on the die. Players are encouraged to include bad answers rather than leaving blanks, as bad answers may still be accepted by the group. All answers given must correspond with the following rules:
- The articles “A”, “An” and “The” are not allowed to be used as key letters and as such, the key letter of the word that follows an article will count instead. For example, if answering “musical groups”, “B” should be counted as the first letter of “The Beatles”.
- The same answer cannot score points twice in the same round. For example, “Oranges” should not be given as an answer to both “fruits” and “things that are round”. In this case, points will only be given for the first unique answer.
- If the answer given is a proper name, the key letter can be applied to whichever word is used first. For example, the key letter “D” could apply for both Damon, Matt or Drew Barrymore.
- Creative answers may also be accepted but it will be judged based upon how the rest of the players in the group feel about the answer. For example, when answering “things that are sticky”, a player could give the non-literal answer “situations”.
6. When the timer ends, each player should stop writing immediately and take turns to read through each answer to a category out loud. Points are given to each unique answer given by a player that is accepted by the group. Correct answers should be circled on the pad and are worth 1 point each. However, if a player’s answer to a category has been played by other players, the answer should be crossed off for all players that included it, with no points awarded for the term.
Note: To play the extra points variation of the game, players that answer using a proper noun can score extra points for using a key letter as a first letter in multiple words within a term. For example, using “Herbert Hoover” as an answer for the “presidents” category would score 2 points, as both parts of the name start with the letter “H”.
7. Any player can challenge the acceptability of another player’s answer. If this happens, all players in the game will partake in a vote. Players can either respond by giving a thumbs up to indicate an answer should be allowed, or a thumbs down to reject the answer. The majority vote will determine whether the term is permitted and in the event of a tie, the term will not count.
8. Before the next round begins, each player should tally up their score and write it down at the top of the corresponding column.
9. For the second and third rounds, follow the process from steps 2 – 8 with the same category list and if the same letter is rolled again that has been used in previous rounds, the die should be thrown again. After the 3rd round has ended, all points should be tallied and the player with the highest points total will win the game. In the event of a tie, an additional round will be played. The tied player with the highest round from the additional round will win.
When playing Scattergories, the most important thing is to answer as many categories as you can within the time limit. Remember, bad answers might be accepted by the other players and they can still act as great placeholders until you think of an alternative.
As with other popular word games, getting good at Scattergories requires consistent practice, so don’t be put off if your first few rounds result in a low score. You will be surprised at how with just a little time and effort, you will be able to go from beginner to pro!
Scattergories lists
Scattergories can be played using official and unofficial lists of 12 different topics which must be answered using the letter given on the game’s special die. Players should try to answer as many topics as possible per round to give themselves the best possibility of getting a high score.
Official list
The official Scattergories list has 12 different cards, each containing 12 different topics (144 topics in total). Each player may find a topic easier or difficult based upon their level of knowledge in respect to the subject area.
| List number | Entry number | Topic |
| #1 | #1 | A boy’s name |
| #1 | #2 | US cities |
| #1 | #3 | Things that are cold |
| #1 | #4 | School supplies |
| #1 | #5 | Pro sports teams |
| #1 | #6 | Insects |
| #1 | #7 | Breakfast Foods |
| #1 | #8 | Furniture |
| #1 | #9 | TV Shows |
| #1 | #10 | Things found in the ocean |
| #1 | #11 | Presidents |
| #1 | #12 | Product names |
| #2 | #1 | Vegetables |
| #2 | #2 | States |
| #2 | #3 | Things you throw away |
| #2 | #4 | Occupations |
| #2 | #5 | Appliances |
| #2 | #6 | Cartoon Characters |
| #2 | #7 | Types of Drink |
| #2 | #8 | Musical Groups |
| #2 | #9 | Store Names |
| #2 | #10 | Things at a football game |
| #2 | #11 | Trees |
| #2 | #12 | Personality Traits |
| #3 | #1 | Articles of Clothing |
| #3 | #2 | Desserts |
| #3 | #3 | Car Parts |
| #3 | #4 | Things found on a map |
| #3 | #5 | Athletes |
| #3 | #6 | 4-letter words |
| #3 | #7 | Items in a refrigerator |
| #3 | #8 | Farm animals |
| #3 | #9 | Street Names |
| #3 | #10 | Things at the beach |
| #3 | #11 | Colors |
| #3 | #12 | Tools |
| #4 | #1 | Sports |
| #4 | #2 | Song Titles |
| #4 | #3 | Parts of the body |
| #4 | #4 | Ethnic foods |
| #4 | #5 | Things you shout |
| #4 | #6 | Birds |
| #4 | #7 | A girl’s name |
| #4 | #8 | Ways to get there from here |
| #4 | #9 | Items in a kitchen |
| #4 | #10 | Villians/monsters |
| #4 | #11 | Flowers |
| #4 | #12 | Things you replace |
| #5 | #1 | Sandwiches |
| #5 | #2 | Items in a catalog |
| #5 | #3 | World Leaders/politicians |
| #5 | #4 | School subjects |
| #5 | #5 | Excuses for being late |
| #5 | #6 | Ice cream flavors |
| #5 | #7 | Things that jump/bounce |
| #5 | #8 | Television stars |
| #5 | #9 | Things in a park |
| #5 | #10 | Foreign cities |
| #5 | #11 | Stones/gems |
| #5 | #12 | Musical instruments |
| #6 | #1 | Things that are sticky |
| #6 | #2 | Awards/ceremonies |
| #6 | #3 | Cars |
| #6 | #4 | Spices/herbs |
| #6 | #5 | Bad habits |
| #6 | #6 | Cosmetics/toiletries |
| #6 | #7 | Celebrities |
| #6 | #8 | Cooking Utensils |
| #6 | #9 | Reptiles/amphibians |
| #6 | #10 | Parks |
| #6 | #11 | Leisure activities |
| #6 | #12 | Things you are allergic to |
| #7 | #1 | Fictional characters |
| #7 | #2 | Menu items |
| #7 | #3 | Magazines |
| #7 | #4 | Capitals |
| #7 | #5 | Kinds of candy |
| #7 | #6 | Items you save up to buy |
| #7 | #7 | Footwear |
| #7 | #8 | Something you keep hidden |
| #7 | #9 | Items in a suitcase |
| #7 | #10 | Things with tails |
| #7 | #11 | Sports equipment |
| #7 | #12 | Crimes |
| #8 | #1 | Nicknames |
| #8 | #2 | Things in the sky |
| #8 | #3 | Pizza toppings |
| #8 | #4 | Colleges/universities |
| #8 | #5 | Fish |
| #8 | #6 | Countries |
| #8 | #7 | Things that have spots |
| #8 | #8 | Historical Figures |
| #8 | #9 | Something you’re afraid of |
| #8 | #10 | Terms of measurement |
| #8 | #11 | Items in this room |
| #8 | #12 | Book titles |
| #9 | #1 | Restaurants |
| #9 | #2 | Notorious people |
| #9 | #3 | Fruits |
| #9 | #4 | Things in the medicine cabinet |
| #9 | #5 | Toys |
| #9 | #6 | Household chores |
| #9 | #7 | Bodies of water |
| #9 | #8 | Authors |
| #9 | #9 | Halloween costumes |
| #9 | #10 | Weapons |
| #9 | #11 | Things that are round |
| #9 | #12 | Words associated with exercise |
| #10 | #1 | Heroes |
| #10 | #2 | Gifts/presents |
| #10 | #3 | Terms of endearment |
| #10 | #4 | Kinds of dances |
| #10 | #5 | Things that are black |
| #10 | #6 | Vehicles |
| #10 | #7 | Tropical locations |
| #10 | #8 | College majors |
| #10 | #9 | Dairy Products |
| #10 | #10 | Things in a souvenir shop |
| #10 | #11 | Items in a purse/wallet |
| #10 | #12 | World records |
| #11 | #1 | Baby foods |
| #11 | #2 | Famous duos and trios |
| #11 | #3 | Things found in a desk |
| #11 | #4 | Vacation spots |
| #11 | #5 | Diseases |
| #11 | #6 | Words associated with money |
| #11 | #7 | Items in a vending machine |
| #11 | #8 | Movie titles |
| #11 | #9 | Games |
| #11 | #10 | Things that you wear |
| #11 | #11 | Beverages |
| #11 | #12 | Things at a circus |
| #12 | #1 | Famous females |
| #12 | #2 | Medicine |
| #12 | #3 | Things made of metal |
| #12 | #4 | Hobbies |
| #12 | #5 | People in uniform |
| #12 | #6 | Things you plug in |
| #12 | #7 | Animals |
| #12 | #8 | Languages |
| #12 | #9 | Names |
| #12 | #10 | Junk food |
| #12 | #11 | Things that grow |
| #12 | #12 | Companies |
Scattergories dice
Scattergories comes with a game-specific die that allows players to land on 1 of 20 different letters. The letters available on the die are selected as they are more common and easily used than the letters excluded.
- The letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, and W are included.
- However, the letters Q, U, V, X, Y, and Z are excluded.
Is there a Scattergories for Kids?
Scattergories Junior is the official variant of the game aimed at younger players aged 8 – 11. The game is designed to be slightly easier and acts as an introduction into the game.
- Scattergories Junior contains 12 different cards, each containing 6 topics.
- Categories are designed to be more generalized, allowing for a greater number of possible answers from players.
- The game die also contains wild star characters, allowing the roller of the die to choose any key letter as long as it hasn’t already been used in a previous round.
How long is the timer in Scattergories?
The timer in Scattergories can be set to three time lengths in order to make the game easier or more difficult. The three time settings are as follows.
- 3.0 minutes: Standard game mode giving players 15.00 seconds per answer.
- 2.5 minutes: Harder game mode giving players 12.50 seconds per answer.
- 2.0 minutes: Hardest game mode giving players 10.00 seconds per answer.
Those new to the game are encouraged to begin using the standard 3 minute timer, before testing themselves further by reducing the total time needed.
Games like Scattergories
Although the concept for Scattergories is unique, fans of the game may also enjoy other word games. The following list of games has been selected due to sharing similar gameplay elements and/or for requiring outside the box thinking to complete each challenge:
- Connections – Split 16 jumbled terms into 4 groups of 4 based upon an unknown topic that links them all together. Each group has a different difficulty level, which is shown by its final color when matched.
- The Mini – A daily mini crossword which players compete to complete as quickly as possible. Encourages players to develop and recall their general knowledge.
- Scrabble – Score more points than your opponents by creating high scoring words on the game’s famous letter grid. Each letter tile has a corresponding score, and players can earn bonus points by landing on premium squares.
- Strands – A wordsearch style game in which players need to identify numerous hidden words associated with the given theme, including the day’s spangram (special term). Identifying 3 non-themed words will reveal the letters of a themed word to descramble.
- Wordle – Players have a maximum of 6 attempts to find a hidden 5-letter word from the game’s dictionary of 2,309 words. New levels are released each day and no word is ever repeated.