Scattergories lists for work: 24 free lists and a play board

How to play Scattergories

Two or more players, a list, a letter and a timer. A game takes about 15 minutes.

1. 1Everyone gets the same list. Twelve categories, on screen or on paper, plus a pen.
2. 2Draw a letter. The board above picks one at random and skips the hard ones.
3. 3Start the timer. Two minutes is right for most groups. Write one answer per category, all starting with the letter.
4. 4Pens down at the buzzer. No finishing a word after time is up.
5. 5Read answers out, one category at a time. Go around the group so everyone hears every answer.
6. 6Score and play again. Three rounds make a game. Use a new list and a new letter each round.

Scattergories scoring and house rules

The whole game rests on one rule: only answers nobody else thought of score. Settle the rest before round one.

• Unique answers score 1. If anyone else wrote the same answer, both score 0.
• Blanks and misses score 0. So do answers that don't start with the letter.
• Articles don't count. "The Lion King" is an L answer, not a T.
• Challenges go to a vote. If an answer is a stretch, the group votes and a tie goes to the writer.
• Optional bonus for alliteration. Some groups give a point per word that starts with the letter, so "Lemon Lime Lollipop" scores 3.

How to play Scattergories online with a remote team

It works on Zoom, Teams or Google Meet with nothing to install. Plan 15 minutes for three rounds.

1. 1Share your screen. Open this page, share the tab and press Start round. Everyone sees the same list, letter and clock.
2. 2Answer on paper or in a private note. Not in the group chat: answers stay hidden until the reveal.
3. 3Reveal one category at a time. Go around in the order people appear on screen. The host strikes duplicates.
4. 4Keep score in a shared doc. One column per player or team, one row per round.
5. 5Big group? Play in teams. Put three to five people in each breakout room; each team agrees on one answer per category.

Five ways to mix it up

• Team mode. Pairs or small teams write one shared answer sheet. Great for new hires.
• Speed round. Set 1:30 and play only the first six categories.
• Company edition. Swap in categories about your work: products, clients, tools, office spots.
• Same letter, three lists. Keep the letter and change the list each round. Harder than it sounds.
• Reverse it. Read out an answer and let the group guess which category it was for.

More quick games for meetings: our team meeting games, a free online escape room and games to play over text.