How to Play Guggenheim

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Guggenheim is a pen-and-paper word game in which players fill a grid matching categories against the letters of a chosen keyword. Every cell needs a word that fits the category and begins with the correct letter. Simple to explain in under a minute, it rewards broad general knowledge, a wide vocabulary, and the nerve to commit to an unusual answer that nobody else will think of.

It needs nothing more than paper, pens, and at least two willing players, which makes it a perennial favourite at kitchen tables, on long journeys, and at family gatherings. The scoring system rewards originality over speed, so slower thinkers can hold their own against quick ones, and the game scales comfortably from two players to a full table of six.

A little history

Guggenheim's origins are unclear. It is widely described as a twentieth-century parlour and social game, and it circulated under several names, including "Categories" and "Scattergories" in various forms, before pen-and-paper versions became standardised. The name Guggenheim is traditionally associated with the game in British usage, though why that name attached itself is not well documented. It was a staple of informal social play throughout the mid-twentieth century in the UK and the United States and remains popular wherever paper and pens are to hand.

Setting up

1. Each player draws a grid on their sheet of paper.
2. Agree on the number of categories to use, typically five. Write one category as a row label along the left side of the grid: for example, Animals, Countries, Foods, Rivers, Famous People.
3. Agree on a keyword of four to six letters with no repeated letters. Write one letter as a column heading across the top of the grid. A five-letter word such as PLANT gives five columns.
4. The completed grid will have one cell for every combination of category and letter. With five categories and five letters you have a 5x5 grid of 25 cells to fill.
5. Set a timer if desired, typically five to ten minutes, or agree to play until the first player calls time by completing their grid.

How to play

1. When all players are ready, someone says 'Go' and every player begins filling their own grid simultaneously and in silence.
2. For each cell, write one word that belongs to the stated category AND begins with the letter heading that column. For example, if the category is Animals and the letter is P, you might write Panther.
3. You may fill cells in any order. You are not required to complete a row or column before moving to another.
4. Each player works independently. Looking at another player's sheet is not permitted.
5. Play continues until the agreed time limit runs out, or until one player announces they have filled every cell. When that happens, all players must stop writing immediately.
6. Once play stops, players take turns reading out their answers one category row at a time.
7. Score each cell: if your answer is valid and no other player wrote the same answer, score two points. If your answer is valid but one or more other players wrote exactly the same answer, all matching players score one point each. A blank cell or an invalid answer scores zero.
8. Disputed answers are put to a majority vote of all players. If the vote is tied, the answer is disallowed.
9. Total each player's score for the round. Play as many rounds as agreed, choosing a new keyword each time, and add scores across rounds to find the overall winner.

Winning and scoring

The player with the highest total score across all agreed rounds wins the game. Within a round, unique valid answers score two points each, shared valid answers score one point each per player who gave that answer, and blanks or invalid answers score zero. There is no bonus for finishing first, so it is always worth filling every cell rather than calling time early just to stop opponents, unless you are confident your total is unbeatable. In the event of a tie at the end of the final round, play one sudden-death round on a fresh keyword to determine the winner, or accept the tie by mutual agreement.

The fine points

The most common dispute is whether an answer genuinely fits the category. The standard ruling is a majority vote of all players, with the answering player excluded from the vote if you prefer a stricter approach, though most groups include everyone. Proper nouns are usually permitted unless the group has agreed to exclude them before play begins, so establish this at the start. Answers must begin with the exact letter shown: an answer beginning with a phonetically similar letter (writing "Psychology" for the letter P when the intent is clearly a P-sound hack on a silent letter) is generally accepted, but writing "Knife" for K is a grey area that groups should agree on in advance.

If a player calls time but is found on inspection to have one or more invalid answers in their grid, play does not resume. Invalid cells simply score zero. It is also worth agreeing before the first round whether abbreviations and very obscure proper nouns are acceptable, as these are the categories most likely to cause repeated arguments mid-game.

How to win more often

• Choose unusual but clearly valid answers rather than the obvious ones. Common answers such as 'Apple' for Fruit and A will be shared by most players, earning only one point each instead of two.
• Fill the difficult letter-category combinations first while your mind is fresh, then return to the easier cells. Leaving hard cells until the last minute often means leaving them blank.
• Pay attention to which categories tend to produce shared answers at your table and deliberately go for the second or third thing that comes to mind rather than the first.
• If you are close to finishing and another player looks near completion too, prioritise filling blanks over reconsidering existing answers. A one-point shared answer beats zero every time.
• When choosing a keyword at the start, avoid words containing very common letters such as S, T, and R if you want a tougher game, or favour them if newer players are at the table.

Variations

Single Letter

Instead of a keyword grid, players agree on a single letter and a list of ten to fifteen categories. Every answer must begin with that letter. This version plays faster and is better suited to younger players or shorter sessions, since there is no grid to draw and the rules reduce to one simple constraint per answer.

Alphabet Guggenheim

Use all 26 letters of the alphabet as column headings rather than a short keyword, and agree on three or four categories as rows. Players are unlikely to complete the full grid in the time allowed, so scoring is purely on points earned rather than on completion. This variant suits experienced players who want a longer, more demanding game.

Themed Categories

All categories are drawn from a single theme, such as sport, film, or history. This narrows the knowledge domain and can make the game either easier or harder depending on the players, but it rewards specialists and works well when a group shares a particular interest. Agree the theme before drawing the grid.

Team Play

Divide players into two or three teams, each producing one shared grid per round. Teams discuss answers quietly and must agree before writing. This variant works well with larger groups of up to ten or twelve players split evenly, removes the silence requirement in favour of hushed negotiation, and gives less confident players the support of a partner.

Guggenheim: frequently asked questions