The quick version
Use six categories and one letter per round. Write one answer per category in two minutes. A valid answer scores one point only if no other player wrote the same answer there. Play three rounds; highest total wins and tied players share the win.
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Prepare the list and letters
Choose a host who also plays. Everyone copies the same six numbered categories: an animal, a food, a city, a job, something in a kitchen, and something you can wear. Give each person space for three columns of answers, one column per round. Agree to use the same language for the game.
Write A, B, C, D, F, G, H, L, M, P, R, S and T on identical folded slips, one letter each. Mix them in a cup. These letters and categories are suggested house choices for a manageable first game; you can choose a fresh list before another game.
Set two minutes for writing each round and use one-point scoring throughout, with no bonus for several words starting with the letter. Every player answers the same list. The main version ends after three different letters and shares a tied total. This is a homemade format, not the full Scattergories rule set.
Write, compare and total
Draw a letter
The host draws and announces one letter, sets it aside and starts two minutes. Write one answer beside each category. Keep your sheet hidden and do not confer or use reference material while writing. You can revise answers until the alarm; stop writing immediately then.
Apply the answer rules
An answer must fit the category and begin with the round's letter. Ignore an initial 'a', 'an' or 'the'. Do not add an invented adjective just to make the letter work. Proper names are allowed where they fit. Use each exact answer only once on your own round sheet; if repeated, only its lowest-numbered category is eligible.
Compare category by category
Read everyone's answer for category one, then two, and so on. First check eligibility under the answer rules. An eligible answer earns one point only when no other eligible answer matches it in that category. Matching eligible answers all score zero there. Singular/plural forms and obvious spelling differences count as a match; merely related things do not.
Resolve and finish
If an answer is challenged, its writer briefly explains how it fits. Everyone votes on acceptance; accept only with more yes than no votes, so a tied vote rejects it. A factual name or spelling can be checked now, after writing has stopped. Apply the result equally to matching answers. Record the round total, draw a new letter and repeat. After round three, highest combined total wins; share ties. Reset with a new list and return all letter slips for another game.
Show how duplicates work
Give an unscored example before drawing: if two people write the same animal, neither scores that category, even if the animal is valid. The goal is a fitting answer the rest of the table missed, rather than an obscure claim nobody can check.
Score one category fully before moving to the next. That avoids losing duplicate answers in several simultaneous conversations. Keep the original written answer visible during discussion; do not let a player quietly substitute another after hearing the table.
Already know the game?
Ideas & Twists
Choose a variation together before you start.
Categories · See main rules
Suggested house variationPairs confer
Make two to four pairs and give each pair one sheet. Partners may discuss quietly during writing. Compare answers between pairs, not between individuals; duplicated answers still score zero and each pair casts one acceptance vote. After the same three rounds, the highest pair total wins; share ties.
Categories · See main rules
Suggested house variationThree answers, one category
Choose one of the six categories for the whole game. Each two-minute round uses a new letter and asks for up to three different answers in that category. Each valid answer earns one only if no other player lists it anywhere in their three answers. Use three rounds, then compare totals and share ties. This favors depth in a topic over racing through a broad list.
About this guide
A simplified paper house format based on the familiar category-and-letter idea. Hasbro's virtual Scattergories rules support category fit, initial letters and distinct answers, but use a different list size, answer count, clock, bonus scheme and finish. Those commercial settings are not the rules of this guide.
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