Scattergories

About this board game

Scattergories is a word game for 2–6 players that takes about 30 minutes to play. In each round, players fill out a category list with answers that all begin with the same letter.

The challenge is not simply to find an answer that fits. If no other player matches your answer, you score points, making original responses especially valuable. Each round invites players to think across the categories while working within the same-letter restriction.

• Fill out a category list with answers beginning with one letter.
• Score points when other players do not match your answers.
• Play through three rounds before declaring a winner.

Scattergories is played over three rounds, after which a winner is declared. Once the game ends, a new game can be begun, making the format suitable for repeated sessions with the same group.

Published by Milton Bradley in 1988, Scattergories is a commercial version of an older parlor game known as Categories or Guggenheim. Its central idea also makes it similar to Facts in Five.

With its combination of category knowledge, letter-based constraints, and the possibility of scoring for answers that no one else gives, Scattergories creates a simple framework for competitive word play. Players can compare their lists each round and see which responses stand apart.