Name Place Animal category ideas
Name, place, animal, thing and plant are the classic five, but any category works whose answers are words. Here are a few sets for different tables; each opens a game with its categories in one tap.
With children
Things a child sees every day, so that every letter finds an answer.
- Name
- Animal
- Fruit
- Vegetable
- Toy
- Colour
Travel and geography
For the table that knows its map: a round goes round the world.
- Place
- Country
- Capital city
- River
- Mountain
- Island
In the kitchen
Food and drink only, best played before dinner, never during it.
- Food
- Fruit
- Vegetable
- Dessert
- Drink
- Spice
Films, music and books
For friends who quote films at each other: answers bring their stories with them.
- Film or series
- Song
- Singer
- Cartoon character
- Book
- Sportsperson
In the classroom
A warm-up with a lesson in it, each category one a class has seen.
- Animal
- Country
- Job
- Thing in a classroom
- Sport
- Body part
A harder game
Narrow categories that leave some letters empty: for a table that has played the classic one to death.
- Bird
- Flower
- Fish
- Musical instrument
- Fabric
Choosing your own
- A wide category gives every letter an answer; a narrow one leaves some letters empty. Mix one or two narrow ones with wide ones, or switch the hard letters off.
- Choose categories the table agrees on: the game checks only an answer's first letter, so whether it fits the category is for the players to say.
- A game takes three to eight categories, up to 24 characters each. Five suit a round of a minute and a half; with eight, give the rounds more time.
- Make one up for your table: a category of things only you share, such as a place you've been together, is often the funniest.