Categories Game — Play Online with a Random Letter & Timer

How to play the categories game

The categories game is a classic word game for 2 or more players. Each round has a random letter and a list of categories — and everyone races to think of one answer for each category that starts with that letter.

1. Choose your settings and tap Start game: a random letter and a list of categories appear.
2. Start the timer. Everyone writes one answer per category, starting with the letter — for example, with the letter B: “Things in a kitchen” → blender, “Animals” → badger.
3. When time is up, take turns reading your answers aloud.
4. Score 1 point for every answer nobody else wrote. If two players wrote the same answer, neither scores. Play more rounds — the player with the most points wins.

Three ways to play online

• One screen — put the letter, the list, and the timer on a TV, laptop, or tablet; everyone writes on paper. Keep score with the built-in scoreboard, and print answer sheets if you like.
• Everyone’s phone — create a game code and share it. Every phone shows the same letter and categories, players type their answers (the game checks they start with the right letter), then score their own round.
• Category generator — just need a list? Generate random categories for any word game, classroom activity, or icebreaker.

Scoring and house rules

• Unique answers only: matching answers cancel each other out, so creative answers win.
• Alliteration bonus: many families give a bonus point for answers where several words start with the letter (“Big Blue Balloon”).
• Challenges: if an answer seems like a stretch, the group votes on whether it counts.
• Hard letters: very few words start with Q, U, V, X, Y, or Z, so they’re skipped unless you turn that option off.

Categories list

The game has 713 original categories in 10 packs — mix and match them, or use Kid-friendly categories only for younger players. Here are some ideas from each pack:

Same game, many names

Versions of this game are played all over the world. You might know it as Stop or Stop the Bus, Name, Place, Animal, Thing, Tutti Frutti, Stadt, Land, Fluss in Germany, Petit Bac in France, or Basta in Latin America. In those versions the categories are usually fixed (a name, a place, an animal, a thing), and the first player to finish shouts “Stop!” — you can play them here too: pick a letter, use a short list, and turn the timer off.

Tips to win

• Think of the less obvious answer. For “Fruits” with A, everyone writes apple — apricot or avocado is more likely to score.
• Use adjectives where the rules allow it: “Things that are cold” with S → snow, or the cleverer shiver-inducing sorbet.
• Skip and come back. Don’t get stuck on one category while the clock runs.

A great game for classrooms and families

The categories game builds vocabulary, spelling, and quick thinking — it’s a favorite of teachers and language learners. For more word fun, try the Random Letter Generator, a game of Hangman, or the Imposter Game.

Free and private

The game is free with no sign-up and no app. Everything runs in your browser, and game codes, answers, and scores stay on your device.