160+ Unique Scattergories Categories & Lists for the Ultimate Categories Game
Not much makes me happier than forcing roping my best friend Tama into a round of the categories game or scattergories (we call it “country game” here in Malawi). She pretends to hate it, but I know she secretly loves trying not to lose to me playing. What can I say? I’m obsessed with this classic childhood game. I loved it when I was 10 and I still love it now. I’m not alone either. Apparently JFK loved the game and played it endlessly so clearly it’s presidential-level fun. After hundreds of rounds, we got bored of the same tired topics and started inventing weird new ones—unique Scattergories categories that make you laugh, groan, or question your friends’ sanity.
Below you’ll find Scattergories lists to keep the categories game spicy and more challenging. You can jump straight to the categories (see table of contents) but if you want to know more about the game then please read on.
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What Is the Categories Game (a.k.a. Scattergories)?
Just in case you’re not familiar with it, here’s the 411: the categories game or scattergories is a word-based trivia game where players list words that fit chosen categories and start with a specific letter. It’s easy enough for kids, competitive enough for adults, and enough to ruin friendships in the best way.
What You Need to Play the Categories Game
- Paper
- Pens or pencils
- A timer (phone timers work great)
How to Play the Categories Game
- Pick Your Categories – Choose a list of categories like “Animals,” “Countries,” or “Names.”
- Set the Timer – Decide how long each round lasts. Many players use 60 seconds, but we like 45 for extra panic.
- Choose a Letter – Roll a letter dice, use a random letter generator, or do what we do: write all the letters of the alphabet on a sheet of paper, then have someone close their eyes and move a pen or pencil around randomly over the page until another player says ‘stop.’ The letter the pen lands on is the one you’ll use for that round.
- Write Like Lightning – When the timer starts, write one word for each category beginning with the chosen letter.
- Scoring – Unique answers = 10 points. Shared answers = 5. Invalid answers obviously score nada.
Variations of the Categories Game and Related Games
The Stop Version
Instead of a timer, the person who picked the letter can yell “STOP!” whenever they’re ready. They can do it because they’re done with their list, they’ve exhausted their brain and can’t think of any more words or even to sabotage other players (Tama loves to do that)
Scattergories Board Game
Many people call the basic categories game “Scattergories,” but Scattergories is actually a Hasbro board game with official Scattergories rules.
How to play Scattergories
Setup: The game is played in sets of 3 rounds. Each player takes a folder, an answer pad, and three category cards. Each answer sheet has three columns of 12 blank lines—one column per round. Category cards contain lists of 12 unique categories. In the classic version, there are 4 lists per card ( 144 total categories in the game). In newer versions, there are 2 lists per card for a total 16 lists (192 categories in the game).All players must agree on the list to use before starting.
Starting the Round: A 20-sided letter die is rolled to determine the starting letter. A timer is set. How long is the scattergories timer? Officially, 3minutes but really it’s up to the players. House rules can shorten it if you like chaos lol.
Answering: Players write one word or term for each of the 12 categories that starts with the rolled letter. Multi-word answers are allowed if the first word starts with the letter.
- Alliteration bonus (optional variation): Proper nouns using alliteration score 1 point for each word that starts with the letter (e.g., Ronald Reagan = 2 points, Hubert Horatio Humphrey = 3 points).
Scoring: 1 point for each unique, valid answer. 0 points for: duplicate answers (used by any other player) and invalid or challenged answers that fail a vote. Proper nouns with alliteration score 1 point per matching word.
- In the “Junior” version: 2 points for answers starting with the chosen letter. 1 point for answers not starting with the letter. 0 points for duplicates.
Challenges & Voting: Players may challenge any answer they believe is invalid. All players vote on the challenge. If the vote is tied, the challenged player’s vote is discarded.
Special Rules: Proper nouns count if any part of the name begins with the letter (e.g., Harry S. Truman counts for “S”). Book titles follow standard first-word rules (middle-word letters don’t count). Broad interpretations are encouraged for creative fun (e.g., “knife” or “kelp” both valid for “things in a kitchen” with K).
Winning: After three rounds, each player totals their points. The player with the highest score wins.
Playing Categories Game or Scattergories Online
Can’t gather in person? No problem. Because I’m so obsessed with the game (I’ve even tried to play with ChatGPT lol), I found a few places you can play the categories game or scattergories online or on an app:
Here are a few spots:
- Stop (App Store // Google Play Store)
- StopotS (City, Country, River style)
- ScattergoriesOnline.net
- Zoom Scattergories (or video-chat scattergories)—everything is the same except you play against friends on Zoom. Apparently, this was pretty popular during the pandemic.
- Groople (a daily solo speed version with 12 categories in 100 seconds).
160+ Unique Scattergories Categories & Lists
Below are fresh categories game/Scattergories lists grouped by theme so you never run out of ideas. Mix and match to build your ultimate round.
Scattergories list #1 – Lexical (Related to Words)
1. Collective nouns
2. Superlative adjectives
3. Alliterative words
4. [Number]-letter words
5. Words with silent letters
6. Rhyming words
7. Words with double letters
8. Onomatopoeia (words that sound like what they mean)
9. Words that rhyme with your name
10. Idioms
11. Compound words
12. Words ending in [insert suffix e.g. -ism, -ist, -fy, -ion, -ly, -ment, -ness, etc]
13. Words that rhyme with [insert word]
14. Swear words
15. Homonyms (Words with multiple meanings)
16. Words associated with [an emotion e.g. happiness, fear, sadness, etc]
17. Words that start and end with the same letter
18. Slang words
19. Words invented in the last 25 years
20. Loanwords (Words borrowed from another language)
Scattergories list #2 – Movies & TV
21. Songs/TV shows/movies with one-word titles
22. Movies where the protagonist dies
23. Movies/TV shows set in high school
24. One-hit wonders
25. Movies/TV shows from the 2000s (2000–2009)
26. [Genre e.g. horror, romance/rom-coms, comedy, sci-fi etc] movies
27. Movies from before 2000
28. Film directors
29. Oscar-nominated movies
30. Sitcoms
31. Reality TV shows
32. Book-to-movie adaptations
33. Movie remakes
34. Animated movies
35. Cult classic films
36. Songs with a color/number/name in the title
37. Movie sequels
38. Movies/TV shows/books with numbers in the title
39. Famous catchphrases
40. Songs about love/money
Scattergories list #3 –Books & Literature
41. Characters that Shakespeare wrote
42. Banned books
43. Book tropes
44. Books written by women
45. Authors who used a pen name
46. Books people pretend to have read
47. Books/movies that start with “The” or “A”
48. Names in the Bible
49. Words Coined by Authors
50. Authors from [continent]
Scattergories list #4 – People & Characters
51. World leaders
52. Dead celebrities
53. Notorious people
54. Female historical figures
55. Philosophers
56. Famous criminals
57. Cartoon heroes/villains
58. Fictional sidekicks
59. Famous duos
60. Characters with super strength
61. Characters who can fly
62. Villains who turn good
63. Heroes who turn bad
64. Celebrities known by one name
65. People who were canceled
66. Celebrities with famous kids
67. Greek gods
68. Characters who are aliens
69. Characters who wear glasses
70. Characters that are talking animals
Scattergories list #5 –Geography & Culture
71. Countries in [continent]
72. Capitals of [continent]
73. Countries with red in their flag
74. Countries north/south of the equator
75. Countries once ruled by the British Empire
76. Fictional places
77. Famous landmarks/monuments
78. Bodies of water
79. Districts/states/cities in the country
80. Languages
81. Currencies
82. Types of dance
83. Types of art
84. Fashion trends
85. Gemstones
Scattergories list #6 – Cuisine
86. Herbs and spices
87. Street foods
88. Alcoholic drinks
89. Non-alcoholic drinks
90. Foods eaten raw
91. Foods made with eggs
92. Foods made with rice
93. Foods you deep fry
94. Foreign foods
95. Things you shouldn’t eat
Scattergories list #7 – Nature & Animals (not all real)
96. Animals that can fly
97. Animals in the ocean
98. Land animals
99. Mythical creatures
100. Cartoon pets
101. Types of fish
102. Types of mammals
103. Flowers that are also girls’ names
104. Fictional pets
105. Predators/prey
Scattergories list #8 – Everyday Things
106. Objects in the room
107. Things found in a [place e.g. hospital, school, office, kitchen, garage, etc]
108. Things you put in your pocket/handbag/backpack
109. Things you don’t throw away
110. Things that come in pairs/twos
111. Things that can break
112. Things you replace
113. Things you shout
114. Things that are soft
115. Things that are sticky
116. Things that are hot/cold
117. Things you borrow
118. Things that float
119. Types of cars
120. Articles of clothing
121. Musical instruments
122. Things made of [material e.g. metal, glass, wood, plastic, paper, etc]
123. Things that are [insert color]
124. Things that are [shape e.g. round/circular, square, flat]
125. Things associated with [a season i.e. spring, summer, fall/autumn, winter]
126. Things that stretch
127. Things you only buy once
128. Things that expire
129. Things found underwater
130. Things that melt
131. Things found underground
132. Things people collect
133. Types of fabric
134. Things smaller than a coin
135. Things bigger than your house
Scattergories list #9 – Science & Knowledge
136. Scientific theories
137. Science terminology
138. Fallacies
139. Anatomy (parts of the body)
140. Elements on the periodic table
141. Personality disorders and mental illnesses
142. Things related to mathematics
143. Types of measurement
144. Things related to space
145. Phobias
146. Parts of a computer
147. Numbers with special mathematical properties (e.g., primes, Fibonacci, etc)
Scattergories list #10 – Wildcard
148. Jobs that won’t exist in 50 years
149. Useless talents
150. Excuses for being late
151. Conspiracy theories
152. Places you’d never want to get stuck
153. Superpowers
154. Things that grow without water
155. Things that smell good/bad
156. Things you can’t see/touch
157. Things that are addictive
158. Hard things to tell someone
159. Things you can’t do alone
160. Things you keep a secret
161. Things you don’t say at a funeral
162. Things you only see at night
There you are. 160+ Unique Scattergories Lists.
Whether you call it the categories game, scattergories, or “country game” like we do, this fun word challenge never gets old. Grab a timer, pick a letter, and dive into these Scattergories categories for hours of clever chaos.
