Random letter generator
Press New letter to draw a random letter, and the card gives you 12 categories and a two minute timer. Everyone writes one answer per category that starts with the letter, and only answers nobody else wrote score a point.
- A boy's name
- A girl's name
- Something in a kitchen
- A colour
- An animal
- Something you wear
- A job
- A piece of furniture
- Something in a bathroom
- A vegetable
- A fruit
- A sport
Categories are drawn from the 120 listed below, and you won't see the same one twice until the list runs out. The timer vibrates when time is up on phones that support it.
The hard letters Q, U, V, X, Y and Z are left out unless you switch them on, and the generator never repeats one of your last eight letters.
- Players
- 2 or more
- Round
- 2 minutes
- You need
- Paper and a pen each
How to play with the generator
This is the classic categories game, known as Scattergories in the US, Stadt Land Fluss in Germany and Name, Place, Animal, Thing in a lot of school playgrounds. One phone runs the round for the whole table.
- Everyone numbers a sheet from 1 to 12One line per category. Paper works best, because nobody can peek at a screen.
- Draw a letter and the categoriesOne player presses New letter and reads the letter and the 12 categories out loud, then starts the timer.
- Write one answer per categoryEvery answer has to start with the letter. A band for B could be Blur, a fruit could be banana. Leave a line blank rather than guess wildly.
- Stop when the timer runs outPens down the second the card says time's up. Answers written after the buzzer don't count.
- Read out and scoreGo through the categories one at a time. Each answer that nobody else wrote scores a point. Play three rounds and add up.
| Situation | Points | Example with the letter B |
|---|---|---|
| Unique answer | 1 | You wrote Blur as a band, nobody else did |
| Same answer as someone else | 0 for both | Two players wrote banana as a fruit |
| Answer doesn't start with the letter | 0 | Writing apple for a fruit on B |
| The table thinks it's a stretch | Vote | Majority decides, the writer can't vote |
| House rule: alliteration bonus | +1 per extra word | Big Brown Bear for an animal |
120 categories for random letter games
These are the categories the generator draws from. They are written to work with most letters of the alphabet, so a round rarely has a dead line.
Everyday
24- A boy's name
- A girl's name
- Something in a kitchen
- A colour
- An animal
- Something you wear
- A job
- A piece of furniture
- Something in a bathroom
- A vegetable
- A fruit
- A sport
- A school subject
- A body part
- Something with wheels
- A tool
- Something in a garden
- A musical instrument
- Something you find in a bag
- A hobby
- Something soft
- Something cold
- A word ending in -ing
- Something you can open
Party and nights out
24- An excuse to leave a party early
- A cocktail
- Something you find at a bar
- A party game
- A song you can't help singing along to
- A dance move
- Something you'd say to a bouncer
- A hangover cure
- Something you lose on a night out
- A pickup line topic
- A reason to text your ex
- A snack at 3 am
- A festival
- Something in a club toilet
- A famous DJ
- Something you shout at karaoke
- A theme for a party
- A drink without alcohol
- Something you regret the morning after
- A word you'd say when toasting
- A board game
- A card game
- Something you bring to a pre-party
- A reason to be late
Pop culture
24- A TV show
- A film
- A band
- A singer
- A famous athlete
- A cartoon character
- A superhero
- A video game
- A reality TV star
- A song title
- A Disney film
- A famous couple
- An app
- A brand
- A celebrity with one name
- A movie villain
- A TV presenter
- A fictional place
- A podcast
- A meme
- A Netflix series
- A famous YouTuber
- A character from Friends
- A Harry Potter character
Food and drink
24- A pizza topping
- A dessert
- A breakfast food
- A sandwich filling
- A spice or herb
- A type of cheese
- A fast food chain
- A sweet or candy
- A soft drink
- A type of pasta
- A soup
- A dish from another country
- A crisp or chip flavour
- Something you put on toast
- An ice cream flavour
- A beer brand
- A coffee drink
- A sauce
- A cake
- A type of bread
- A barbecue food
- A food you hate
- A fruit you can't eat whole
- Something on a cheese board
Travel and places
24- A country
- A capital city
- A city in the US
- A river
- A holiday destination
- Something you pack for a holiday
- An island
- A tourist attraction
- A language
- A currency
- An airline
- A car brand
- A mountain or mountain range
- Something at the beach
- A street name
- A famous building
- A shop
- A hotel chain
- Something in an airport
- A national dish
- A US state
- A European city
- A ski resort
- Something you buy as a souvenir
The same idea, against the clock
In Dronk's The Bomb, the phone shows a category, you shout an answer and pass the phone on before the hidden fuse runs out. Seven packs and 350 categories, from a pizza topping to a famous rap beef. One phone, any number of players.
Get Dronk free on iPhone
Which letters are hardest
Six letters cause most of the blank lines in a round. The original Scattergories die leaves out Q, U, V, X, Y and Z for exactly that reason, which is why the generator skips them by default.
| Letter | Why it's hard | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Q | Almost every word needs a U after it | Allow words like Qatar, quiche and Queen |
| X | Very few starting words | Allow words that start with an X sound, like Xbox and X-ray |
| Z | Few names, foods and places | Double the points for any valid answer |
| Y | Few nouns outside names | Allow names: Yasmin, Yoda, Yale |
| U | Many words start with un-, which rarely fits a category | Use it in a bonus round only |
| V | Fewer everyday nouns than most letters | Pair it with easy categories like food and places |
Other games you can play with a random letter
- Name, Place, Animal, Thing. The school version: four fixed columns, a new letter each round, and the first person to fill every column shouts stop.
- Stadt Land Fluss. The German classic with city, country and river as fixed columns. Add your own columns, like a band or a film.
- Alphabet run. Pick one category and go around the table with the generated letter. Anyone who hesitates for more than three seconds is out.
- Word chain. Start with a word on the drawn letter. The next player says a word that starts with the last letter of the previous one.
- Letter charades. Act out a film or a song that starts with the letter. The team that guesses it gets the point.
Questions people ask
How does the random letter generator work?
It draws a letter at random, leaves out Q, U, V, X, Y and Z unless you switch them on, and never repeats one of your last eight letters. It also deals 12 categories and runs a two minute timer.
What letters are not used in Scattergories?
The 20-sided Scattergories die leaves out Q, U, V, X, Y and Z, because they are too hard to find answers for. This generator does the same by default.
How do you play Scattergories without the board game?
You need paper, a pen each and something to give you a letter and categories. Draw a letter here, write one answer per category in two minutes, and score a point for every answer nobody else wrote.
How many categories should a round have?
Twelve is the classic number for a two minute round. Use six to eight categories for a quicker game or with younger players.
Do brand names and proper nouns count?
That's a house rule, so agree on it before the first round. Most groups allow them, because it makes the hard letters playable.
Keep the night going
Updated