Printable Name Place Animal Thing Sheet (PDF) & Category Ideas
A Name, Place, Animal, Thing sheet is a blank A4 page you can print and use straight away: one Letter column, five categories and one Points column. Below you can download the free PDF, find category ideas to add beside the classic five, or skip paper altogether and play the game directly on screen.
Blank Name, Place, Animal, Thing sheet: download and print
The table is laid out for an A4 landscape page. At the top there is a title and a "Player" line; below it come the Letter, Name, City, Animal, Plant, Object and Points columns, 15 blank rows, and a Total row at the bottom. A small note at the foot of the page points to the online version of the game. You will find the preview and the PDF link right below; the file is prepared in the language of the page you are reading.
📄 Download the blank Categories sheet (PDF, A4 landscape)
It is simple to use: each row is one round. Write the drawn letter in the first column, fill in the five boxes, and when the round ends, enter the points in the last column. At the end of the game, add up the points in the Total row; the highest total wins. For the Writing Time, 60 seconds is a good starting point, and it is also the online game's default.
Filling in the Points column
The online game's scoring is a good model for paper too. If nobody else wrote the same valid answer, the box scores 10 points; if another player wrote the same answer, each player who wrote it scores 5 points; an invalid or empty box scores 0. The first player to say "STOP" earns 5 extra points if at least three of their answers scored. If every box in a round is original and valid, the player who says STOP first closes it with 55 points (5 × 10 + 5). If there is a dispute over whether an answer is valid, let the table vote; as in the online game, a tie counts for the answer.
No printer? Draw the table by hand
- Turn the paper to landscape and, near the top edge, write the player's name.
- Use vertical lines to draw seven columns: Letter, Name, City, Animal, Plant, Object, Points. Keep the Letter and Points columns narrow and the category columns wide.
- Draw rows with horizontal lines. Each row is one round; five to eight rows is enough for most evenings.
- Leave a row at the bottom for the Total.
- Once you have drawn it, photocopy it so that each player has their own sheet.
The classic five categories: Name, City, Animal, Plant, Object
The classic sheet has five columns, and the reason these five hold up is that each one asks for an answer from a different corner of the mind: a person's name, a place, an animal, a plant and an object. None requires specialist knowledge, so children and adults can compete on the same sheet. Because five boxes is few enough, the round stays short and the moment of having filled them all is clear.
There is also a practical reason: as the number and variety of categories grow, not every letter has an answer in every category. The online game handles this as follows: a letter can only be drawn if the list holds at least two answers in at least three categories. On paper you can apply this rule yourselves. If you are playing with very specific categories and the drawn letter has no answer in most of the boxes, make it a table rule to skip that letter.
Category ideas: from easy to hard
Adding one or two categories beside the classic five, or in place of some of them, freshens up a round. The table below groups the ideas; all of them are short, single-answer concepts. The PDF comes with five columns ready: to swap a category, write the new one over the heading; if you need an extra column, use the table you drew by hand.
| Group | Category ideas | Where it works |
|---|---|---|
| Easy: for children | Fruit, Vegetable, Color, Body part, Clothing, Vehicle | Children just learning to read, short rounds |
| Medium: for all ages | Country, Job, Sport, Musical instrument, Dessert, Toy | Family evening, classroom |
| Hard: for adults | Capital city, Verb, Adjective, Historical figure, Author, Chemical element | Groups that want to test their knowledge |
| Themed: food | Dish, Drink, Spice, Soup, Kitchen utensil | Dinner-table chat, dinner party |
| Themed: geography | River, Mountain, Lake, Island, Historic place | Travel enthusiasts, revising for class |
| Themed: pop culture | Film, TV series, Singer, Song, Cartoon character | Get-together with friends, party |
| Themed: school | School subject, Scientist, Stationery, Book | Class activity, teachers |
Not every category has an answer for every letter. Broad categories such as Verb and Adjective make a round easier, while narrow ones such as Chemical element make it harder. If you are looking for answer ideas, see the Name, Place, Animal, Thing answers post.
Choosing by age and setting
The following are general suggestions for the paper-and-pencil game. They are not rules of the game, just starting points.
- Children: Add one or two categories from the Easy group to the classic five, and be generous with the writing time; 90 seconds is a good starting point.
- Classroom: Categories from the school group, such as School subject and Scientist, tie the round to the lesson. Teams of two or three can play on a single sheet.
- Family evening: The Medium group pits children and grown-ups against each other. Put at most one of the hard categories on the table.
- Adult party: Choose from the hard and pop culture groups and cut the time to 45 seconds; speed becomes the real thrill of the sheet.
As a rule of thumb, add at most two categories to the classic five, and lengthen the writing time a little with each extra column. With seven categories, 90 seconds is a reasonable ceiling.
On screen instead of paper: the same game, with automatic scoring
If you do not want to look for a pencil, paper and a referee, online Categories plays the same game on screen. The letter is drawn at random, everyone writes at the same time, and points are calculated automatically. 2-6 players can play with friends, or with easy, medium and hard bots. If the answer is on the game's list, it passes instantly; if it is not, the table votes within 14 seconds with 👍/👎, and a tie counts for the answer.
Let's be honest about one thing: in the online game the categories are fixed. You cannot change Name, City, Animal, Plant and Object, and you cannot add new categories. For rounds with special categories, the paper table is still the best tool. The Word Language is set in the room settings and defaults to your interface language.
For the full rules, see how to play Name, Place, Animal, Thing, and to write faster, see Name, Place, Animal, Thing tactics. If you are looking for other games to play with friends, the online games to play with friends list is a good starting point.
In short: print the PDF, play a round with the classic five, and when it starts to feel stale, pick a category or two from the table and change the headings. If you cannot find paper or your friends are far away, play Categories online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Name, Place, Animal, Thing sheet free, and how do I print it?
Yes, the PDF on this page is free. It is laid out for A4 landscape paper; in the print dialog, choose A4 as the paper size and landscape as the orientation. If you do not have a printer, you can draw the table on paper by hand.
How many categories should a Name, Place, Animal, Thing game have?
The classic game is played with five categories, and the online game keeps those same five fixed. On paper you can add one or two categories, but each extra column makes the round longer. If you go up to seven categories, it makes sense to move the writing time closer to 90 seconds.
Which categories suit children?
Concrete, easy concepts work well: Fruit, Vegetable, Color, Body part, Clothing, Vehicle. Add one or two of them beside the classic five and keep the writing time long. Leave hard categories such as Verb, Adjective or Capital city to the grown-ups.
Can I change the categories in the online game?
No. In the online game the five categories are fixed: Name, City, Animal, Plant and Object. Players cannot add or remove categories. If you want to play with special categories, use the paper table on this page.
How do I fill in the Points column on the sheet?
Each row is one round; when the round ends, add up the points for the five answers and write the total in the last column. The online game's scoring is a good model: an answer that is original and valid scores 10, one that matches someone else's scores 5, and one that is invalid or empty scores 0. The first player to say STOP adds 5 points if at least three of their answers earned points.