Play Name Place Animal Thing Online With Friends, Free
You can play Name Place Animal Thing online for free with no account: open the game, make a room, send the link, and everyone writes five answers to the same letter at the same time. The site checks the words, scores the round and runs the STOP clock, so nobody has to count points or argue over a pen.
How to start a table and send the link
Open the game page and create a room. Guests can play every game here, so nobody needs to sign up. If you only want friends at the table, switch the room to Link only. A Link only room is hidden from the lists, and only people who have the link can join.
Pick your options before you send it. You choose the number of rounds (3, 5 or 8, default 5), the writing time (45, 60 or 90 seconds, default 60) and the word language. The word language is separate from the language of the site, so a mixed group can agree on one list.
If you want to try it alone first, a one-tap quick match seats you with two bots. A player who has never finished a match of this game gets a shorter 3-round first match.
What the site does that paper cannot
On paper, someone is always the judge and someone always feels cheated. Online, the engine does the boring parts the same way every time.
- It draws the letter. Letters never repeat inside a match, even in an 8-round game.
- It checks every answer. The word must start with the round letter, and it is compared against a word list for the category.
- It scores the round and shows everyone's sheet side by side.
- It runs the clock. Nobody can quietly keep writing after STOP.
Rivals never see your words while the writing phase is open. They only see how many of your five fields are filled and whether you pressed STOP. Spelling is forgiving: capitals, spaces and hyphens do not matter, and in English accents are ignored too.
Scoring: 10, 5 or 0
| Answer | Points |
|---|---|
| Valid, and nobody else wrote it in that category | 10 |
| Valid, and someone else wrote it too | 5 each, however many shared it |
| Empty, wrong letter, or voted down | 0 |
| STOP bonus: first to press STOP, with at least 3 scoring answers | +5 |
The same word in two different categories does not count as shared. A perfect round is 5 x 10 + 5 = 55, so a 5-round match tops out at 275. Highest total after the last round wins.
STOP and the table vote
With the default rule, the first STOP gives the table at most 10 seconds. It is a cap: if you press STOP with 5 seconds left on the clock, the table gets 5. Anyone can press STOP, but only the first one earns the bonus. The round also ends when the writing clock hits zero or when every player has pressed STOP.
If you want no cutting off, choose the other rule, "Until time runs out". STOP then does not touch the clock, and the round ends at the clock or when everyone has stopped. The first person to press it still gets the +5.
Words that start with the right letter but are not on the list go to a vote. Every other seat votes for up to 14 seconds, and an answer is accepted if yes votes are at least no votes, so a tie passes. If nobody votes on an answer, it passes when it has two or more letters and starts with the round letter. A passed answer scores exactly like a listed one.
Paper vs online
| Paper | Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Letter | Someone recites the alphabet | Drawn for you, never repeated in a match |
| Judging | Arguments | Word list, then a table vote |
| Scoring | By hand | 10, 5 or 0, plus the STOP bonus |
| Calling STOP | Shout it | One button, a 10 second cap |
| Players | Whoever is in the room | 2 to 6, from anywhere |
If you still love the pen, there is a printable sheet: download the printable sheet. The rules are the same as in our guide to how to play Name Place Animal Thing.
How many can play
A table seats 2 to 6 players. A room owned by a guest holds at most 4 seats, and the 5th and 6th seat need a registered room owner. Bots can fill empty seats, in three levels. In bot-only test matches (30 matches of 4 seats, run by the engine simulator) the average points per round were 18.6 for easy, 34.2 for medium and 44.2 for hard. Those are bot numbers, not human results.
Bots only write words from the list, so they rarely start a vote. If you write something off the list, the bots judge it by the same two-letters-and-right-first-letter rule.
Playing with just two people
Two players is a fine table. The headers read "You" and "Rival", and a shared word still gives 5 each. The one change is the vote: your rival is the only voter on your off-list words, and a tie passes. Add a bot if you want a third sheet to compete for the 10-point answers.
For better answers, read answers from A to Z, and tips to win for how to use the STOP clock. When you are ready, make a Link only room on the game page, send the link, and pick 5 rounds at 60 seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play Name Place Animal Thing online with friends for free?
Yes. Every game is free for guests with no signup. Create a room, switch it to Link only so it is hidden from the lists, and send the link to your friends.
How many players can join?
A table seats 2 to 6 players. A room owned by a guest holds up to 4 seats, and the 5th and 6th seat need a registered room owner. Bots can fill any empty seat.
How does STOP work online?
By default the first STOP gives the table at most 10 seconds to finish, or whatever is left on the clock if that is less. Anyone can press STOP, and the first to press it gets +5 if at least 3 of their answers scored. You can choose "Until time runs out" in the room options, where STOP does not shorten the clock.
What happens if I write a word that is not on the list?
If it starts with the round letter, the other players vote on it for up to 14 seconds. It is accepted if yes votes are at least no votes, so a tie passes. If nobody votes, it passes when it has at least 2 letters and starts with the right letter.
How are points counted?
A valid answer nobody else wrote scores 10. A valid answer someone else also wrote scores 5 for each of them. Empty, wrong-letter and voted-down answers score 0, and the first to press STOP with 3 or more scoring answers gets a +5 bonus.
Can I print a paper sheet instead?
Yes, there is a printable sheet you can download from this page. The online game uses the same five categories: Name, City, Animal, Plant and Object.