Categories (game)

Categories is a word game where players attempt to list words that fit into particular categories, all starting with the same letter.^[1] Players start by deciding on a list of categories between them, such as "town" or "actor",^[2] and each writing that list on a sheet of paper. A letter of the alphabet is then chosen at random, and players have a set amount of time to write something for each category that starts with that letter.^[1]

An example sheet from a game of Categories, for the letter "N"

When the time is up, players swap sheets and score one another's attempts. An entry unique among the group is worth 2 points, whereas an entry shared with another player scores 1 point. The player with the highest total is the winner. For subsequent rounds, a different letter is chosen.^[1]

U.S. president John F. Kennedy is said to have been a fan of the game, one biography describing his family as playing it "endlessly".^[3]

Guggenheim

Partial answers in a grid for "Guggenheim"

In the variant known as "Guggenheim", players write a list of categories down one edge of the paper, and five columns across it, each column headed with a different letter so as to spell a five-letter word.^[1]

Commercial versions

Game designer Richard Onanian's commercial game Facts in Five is based on a description of Kennedy playing Categories in a 1964 edition of This Week magazine.^[4]

The 1988 Parker Brothers game Scattergories is a reimplementation of Guggenheim, with a 20-sided die being used to generate random letters.^[5]