You found our collection of fun Scattergories lists for categories to play.
Scattergories is a game that challenges players to come up with answers that fit within categories. All answers must begin with the letter chosen for the round, and players have a few minutes to respond.
Scattergories is an example of a vocabulary game and question game, as well as a team building board game.
This post includes:
- how to play Scattergories
- rules for Scattergories
- Scattergories generator
- Scattergories lists
- Scattegories categories
- tapple categories
- Scattegories topics
Here we go!
How to play Scattergories
Here are basic instructions for the game Scattergories.
- Give each player a list of categories.
- Roll an alphabet die or use a generator to choose a letter for the round.
- Set a timer for three minutes. (Note, if playing with twelve categories in a list, use three minutes. For five categories, do one minute.)
- Have each player share their answers at the end of the round.
- Players receive one point for each unique answer.
- Participants who answered the same as other players must cross out that answer, and neither player receives points for that response.
- The player with the most points at the end of the game or round is the winner.
You can play Scattergories on paper or on Zoom.
Rules for Scattergories
Here are basic rules of Scattergories
- The first word of the answer must begin with the round’s letter.
- Articles like “a” and “the” do not count.
- The same answer cannot appear twice in one round. For instance, “Margarita” as both a girl’s name and a drink.
- Only one answer per category per round.
- Answers that appear on other players’ lists must be crossed out and do not earn any points.
- Alliteration can earn players extra points. For instance, Mickey Mouse is two points, and Tic Tac Toe is three points.
- For proper names, the answer can use the first name or last name. For example, Abraham Lincoln and Adams, John are both acceptable answers for presidents with “A.”
- Players can challenge questionable answers.
These are the basic rules of the game, however feel free to tweak the rules or add your own conditions to make the game more interesting.
Scattergories generator
Traditionally, players roll an alphabet die to choose a letter for each round. We created a handy Scattergories letter generator to make it easy to play the game online.
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Scattergories lists
Here are lists of Scattergories categories to use in each round. These topics are a mix of classic categories and brand new prompts.
- A girl’s name
- A boy’s name
- Capital cities
- Countries
- Animals
- Musical Instruments
- Flowers
- Gemstones
- Cartoon Characters
- Four letter words
- Brands
- Things on a beach
- Websites
- Cars
- Things that are sticky
- Things that you shout
- Excuses for being late
- Pet peeves
- Ice cream flavors
- Fried foods
- Bodies of water
- Halloween costumes
- Places to go on a date
- Nicknames
- Job titles
- College majors
- Languages
- Historical figures
- Celebrities
- Holidays
- Items in a gift shop
- Things on a map
- Relatives
- Things in an office
- Software
- Fears
- Apps
- Electronic devices
- Movie titles
- Book titles
- Pets
- Musical instruments
- Types of music
- Aquatic animals
- Animals in a zoo
- Things you get in the mail
- Song title
- Vacation destination
- Famous animals
- Drinks
- Hobbies
- Things in space
- Types of candy
- Ways to get from here to there
- Furniture
- Plants
- Things in a museum
- Sports teams
- Extreme sports
- Colors
- Tools
- Dangerous activities
- Things you might go viral for
- Item within eyesight
- Things that are blue
- Body parts
- Expensive items
- Snack foods
- Healthy foods
- Animals in a zoo
- Something people hate doing
- Something that surprises you
- A common lie
- Something to strive for
- Awards/ceremonies
- Fireable offenses
- Random acts of kindness
- Four letter word (in a foreign language)
- TV shows
- Crimes
- Office supplies
- Things on your work desk
- Things associated with Xmas
- Game shows
- Board games
- Video games
- Superheroes
- Pizza toppings
- World cuisine
- Things that make you laugh
- Something you keep secret
- Things you say at work
- Mythical creatures
- “Adulting” activities
- Topics you like to talk about
- Breakfast foods
- Annoying movie tropes
- Things you see on a road trip
- Things you see in the news
- Things you find in nature
- Things in the sky
- Things on people’s bucket lists
- Things in an airport
- Villains
- Four syllable words
- Words with two meanings
- Good qualities for a friend
- Guilty pleasures
- Clothing
- Words associated with self-care
- Art projects
- Weather
- Things associated with summer
- Musicals
- Things you look forward to
- Presidents
Final Thoughts
Scattergories is a quick and simple game that works great for team bonding. You can play in person or on Zoom, and the challenge makes a fun team building exercise or way to start a meeting. Feel free to add your own categories onto this list, too.
Next, check out more online team building games and online board games to play with friends.
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FAQ: Scattergories
Here are answers to common questions about Scattergories.
What is Scattergories?
Scattergories is a timed language game that asks players to think up words that start with a certain letter for each category in the list. At the end of each round, players read responses aloud. Players receive one point for each unique answer, and players who list the same answer as other participants do not receive points for those answers.
How do you play Scattergories on Zoom?
To play Scattergories on Zoom, gather players together on a Zoom call. First, use an alphabet generator to choose a letter for the round. Next, display the list of categories for the round, either by sharing the screen, or dropping the list into the chat. The original version of the game has twelve categories per round, however you can shorten that amount to play a quicker game. Give players one to three minutes to respond. At the end of time, ask players to share answers aloud or in the chat. Players must cross out duplicate answers. Participants receive one point per unique answer. At the end of the round, have players count up their points and post the number in the chat.
Is Scattergories a good team game?
Scattergories is a good team game. Since the rules state that players receive no points for answers that other players have listed, the game becomes more challenging with more participants. This game can highlight the ways teammates think similarly or differently. Also, the game is quick and easy to play on Zoom, making it an efficient icebreaker, meeting energizer, or team building activity.
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