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Letter Rush is a free letter game you can play online, inspired by Scattergories. Spin a wheel to get a letter, then think of an answer for each of 5 categories that starts with that letter, all within 90 seconds.
Categories are things like An animal, Something in a kitchen or A country. With the letter B you might answer bear, bowl and Brazil. Play alone to beat your best score, or pass one phone or laptop around with 2 to 6 players. It runs in your browser with no sign-up.
How to play Letter Rush
Spin for a letter, type one answer per category, and score when the 90 seconds are up. A round takes about two minutes.
1. Spin the letter wheel
Tap SPIN and the wheel picks the letter for the round. Q, X and Z are left out by default because so few words start with them; turn on the toggle if you want to include them.
2. Read the 5 categories
Five categories are drawn for the round, each with its own answer box.
3. Beat the timer
You have 90 seconds to type an answer in each box. If you finish early, press Done.
4. Check your score
When time runs out or you press Done, the game scores your answers and shows the result.
How scoring works
You get 1 point for each answer that starts with the round's letter and is not blank or repeated, so the top score is 5 out of 5.
The game cannot check whether a word is real or fits its category, so scoring uses the honor system: you can untick any answer you think should not count. If you typed blanket for An animal, untick it and keep the score honest.
- A blank box scores 0.
- A repeated answer does not earn another point.
- Your best score is saved in your browser, along with badges such as Word Smith (finish a round) and Full House (5 out of 5).
Pass-and-play for 2 to 6 players
To play with others, add 2 to 6 player names. Everyone plays the same letter and the same categories, one after another, and a final scoreboard ranks the players.
Hand the device to the next player when their turn starts and ask everyone else not to peek. Because the letter and categories are shared, the scoreboard is a fair comparison. It is a simple way to play a categories game at the dinner table or in a classroom without pencils, paper or a box of cards.
Agree on house rules before the first turn, such as whether plurals, brand names or made-up words count. The untick option makes it easy to apply those rules as a group when scores are shown.
Daily Letter Rush challenge
The Daily Challenge gives everyone the same letter and the same 5 categories today. A new one starts every day at midnight UTC.
When you finish, you can share a short result line with the challenge number, the letter and your score, such as Letter Rush #N · B · 4/5. Friends can play the same round and compare lines without seeing each other's answers first.
Ideas for classrooms, families and parties
Letter Rush fits into a few spare minutes almost anywhere.
- Classrooms: a five-minute vocabulary warm-up. Spin the letter on the board and let pairs race the timer together.
- Language learners: practice nouns in a new language using the same rules.
- Families: pass-and-play after dinner, with Q, X and Z left out so younger kids can keep up.
- Road trips and waiting rooms: play quick solo rounds on a phone.
- Parties and game nights: run the Daily Challenge as a group and compare result lines.
Tips for a higher score, and why it is fair
Speed comes from not getting stuck. These habits help most players add a point or two.
- Fill the easy categories first, then go back to the hard ones.
- Do not spend the whole timer on one box. A blank costs one point, not the round.
- Say the letter sound out loud in your head and let words come to you, then pick the one that fits.
- Think of specific names, like a city, a brand of cereal or a cartoon character, when a category allows them.
- Turn on Q, X and Z once regular rounds feel easy.
The letter wheel uses WheelPlay's crypto-random wheel engine, so each letter is a random pick and earlier rounds have no effect on the next one. In pass-and-play every player gets the same letter and categories, and the Daily Challenge is identical for everyone that day, so scores are always compared on equal terms.