Scattergories

1 Overview

Scattergories is a creative-thinking category game for 2 to 6 players (or teams) published by Hasbro. On each round, players roll a 20-sided letter die, then race against a timer to fill in answers for 12 different categories -- all starting with the rolled letter. Duplicate answers score nothing. Unique answers score points. The player or team with the most unique answers wins.

It plays in about 30 to 45 minutes and works brilliantly as a party game because it rewards creative lateral thinking over pure knowledge. Anyone who can spell can compete.

2 Components

• 1 large 20-sided letter die
• 1 sand timer (approximately 3 minutes)
• 6 answer pads (one per player)
• 6 card holders
• 3 category list cards (12 categories each side, for 6 total lists)
• 6 clipboards

The 20-sided die has 20 letters -- it excludes Q, U, V, X, Y, and Z for obvious reasons.

3 Setup

1. Each player takes an answer pad, a clipboard, and a card holder.
2. All players insert the same category list card (same numbered list) into their card holders. Use List 1 for the first game.
3. Choose a starting player. They will roll the letter die.
4. Everyone agrees on how many rounds to play (typically 3 rounds).

4 Gameplay

1. The starting player rolls the letter die and announces the letter.
2. Flip the sand timer. All players simultaneously write answers for all 12 categories -- every answer must begin with the rolled letter.
3. When time runs out, all players stop writing immediately (no finishing words mid-thought).
4. Players take turns reading their answers aloud for each category.
5. Challenge any answer you think is invalid or too much of a stretch. The group votes; majority rules.
6. Cross out any duplicate answers (same answer given by more than one player for the same category).
7. Score your remaining unique answers (see Scoring).
8. Rotate who rolls the die. Play continues for the agreed number of rounds.

5 Scoring

The 2-point rule: If the category is "Things in a Kitchen" and the letter is B, "Bread Box" scores 2 points because both words start with B. This rewards players who can find multi-word answers where every word starts with the letter.

6 Strategy

Go Obscure on High-Collision Categories

For common categories like "Boy's Names" or "Countries," everyone will write the obvious answer. If the letter is M and everyone writes "Michael" for Boy's Names, nobody scores. Think one step beyond the obvious: "Montgomery" or "Marshall" will get you the point.

Work Fast on Easy Categories, Spend Time on Hard Ones

Blast through your easiest categories first (the ones where answers come immediately) so you can spend the remaining time on the tough ones. Don't spend 30 seconds on "Things in a Garage" when you could fill three other categories in that time.

Hunt for 2-Point Answers

For categories that allow multi-word answers, think for an extra second about whether you can find a two-word answer where both start with the letter. "Pb" (Peanut Butter) for Things in a Kitchen beats just "Pasta." The 2-point answers often make the difference in close games.

Challenge Aggressively (But Fairly)

Challenges are free. If someone writes "Klaxon" for Musical Instruments, challenge it. You have nothing to lose, and bad challenges build goodwill when you need to make a stretch of your own later.

7 Variants

Team Play

With large groups, split into teams of 2 to 3. One answer pad per team. Teams discuss quietly and write one shared answer per category. Works well for 8+ players.

Speed Round

Cut the timer to 90 seconds. Forces quick instinctive answers and reduces the advantage of slow, deliberate thinkers. Results in more collisions but faster games.

Roll Twice

Roll the die twice and use the second roll. This increases letter variety and reduces repetition across multiple game sessions.

Digital Scattergories

Numerous free browser-based versions allow you to play with remote friends. Search for "Scattergories online" to find them.

8 FAQ

9 Common Mistakes & Disputes

• Alliterative answer misapplication: An alliterative answer scores 2 points only if both words begin with the letter AND the full answer genuinely answers the category. "Peter Parker" for a superhero starting with P scores 2. But "Purple Pepper" for a vegetable starting with P scores 1 — only the first word is the vegetable answer; the modifier is decoration.
• Accepting invalid proper nouns: "Krypton" for a country starting with K should be challenged — it is a fictional planet, not a country. Challenge answers that do not fit the category even if they start with the right letter. The rule is category relevance first, letter second.
• Illegible handwriting: If your answer cannot be read when time is called, you cannot argue for points after the fact. Write quickly but legibly — indecipherable answers score zero by default in most groups.
• Hyphenated word disputes: Whether hyphenated words must have both parts start with the letter is a common source of disagreement. Agree on this rule before starting — most standard rules require only the first word to begin with the letter.
• Challenging too aggressively on obvious answers: Challenging costs you goodwill and can slow the game significantly. Reserve challenges for genuinely dubious answers, not just to annoy opponents. In competitive play, frivolous challenges can draw social penalties.

10 Tournament & Competitive Play

Challenge Protocol

In organized Scattergories, challenges are resolved by group vote. The player whose answer is being challenged may not vote on their own answer. Tie votes resolve in favor of the challenged answer (benefit of the doubt). In highly competitive settings, a designated judge or arbiter makes final rulings without player vote.

Official Answer Standards

Competitive play typically uses these standards: answers must be real and commonly recognizable items; proper nouns are only permitted when the category explicitly invites names or people; compound words count only if the primary descriptor starts with the letter; brand names are acceptable for categories that involve products or companies.

Tournament Format

Standard tournament Scattergories plays 3 rounds per game (3 different list cards, 3 different rolled letters). The player with the highest cumulative score after 3 rounds wins the game. Multi-game tournaments accumulate scores across 5 games, rewarding consistency over single-game fortunate letter draws. Easy letters (S, C, B) and hard letters (X, Z, Q) are equally likely from the 20-sided die — adaptability to any letter is the defining competitive skill.