Gather

Letter Hunt

The classic word game without pen and paper: one letter, several categories, and whoever finishes first calls “Stop!”. You score together – dodgy answers can be challenged and the majority decides.

  • 2–10 players
  • 10–25 min
  • ages 9+
  • needs a TV

For each category, find a word starting with the drawn letter – ideally one nobody else thinks of.

How it works

  1. The TV draws a letter. Everyone fills in the categories on their phone.
  2. Whoever is done calls “Stop!”. Everyone then has 10 more seconds. After 3 minutes at the latest, time is up.
  3. Then you go through the answers category by category. Anyone can challenge an answer – if the majority agrees, it's struck out.
  4. Points: only answer in the category 20, an answer nobody else has 10, same answer as someone else 5.

Good to know

  • Answers that don't start with the letter don't count.
  • Unusual answers score more points.

On the TV and on your phone

What you see and tap, where and when – step by step:

  1. Open a room and join
  2. Choose categories and rounds
  3. Draw a letter
  4. Fill in your answers

How to play Letter Hunt with Gather

What makes Letter Hunt work

  • No paper, no adding up: the app does the scoring.
  • Four category sets and 1 to 10 letters per game.
  • Challenging answers sparks the best arguments of the evening.

Pick Letter Hunt when you enjoy playing with words and don’t mind a friendly argument.

Skip it when some players can’t write confidently yet.

Frequently asked questions

Which letters come up in Letter Hunt?

All except Q, X and Y, and a letter only comes up again once all the others have been used. Accented letters aren’t drawn, but in answers they count as their base letter – “Österreich” counts for O.

Which categories are there?

Four sets: Classic (City, Country, River, Name, Animal, Job, Plant, Thing), Short (City, Country, River, Name, Animal), Family (with Food) and Outdoors (with Sport). You can’t create your own categories.

When do two answers count as the same?

Gather compares generously: capitals, hyphens and small typos in longer words don’t matter. Matching answers score 5 points each.

Who decides whether an answer counts?

Gather only checks that it starts with the right letter. Everything else is up to you: anyone can challenge someone else’s answer, and if more than half of the others agree, it’s struck out.

Can you call “Stop!” while a box is still empty?

No, “Stop!” only works once every category is filled in. Everyone else then gets 10 more seconds.

Do you need paper or a TV for Letter Hunt?

No paper – everyone writes on their phone and answers are saved as you type. You do need a game table (Apple TV, iPad or Mac), because it draws the letter and shows the scoring; you play 1 to 10 rounds, 5 by default.

Variants and house rules

Gather plays by the rules above. Anything you can set in the app is marked – the rest are agreements you make at the table.

Different categories setting in Gather

Before you start, pick one of four sets on the TV: the classic set with eight categories, a short one with five, a family set with food and objects, or an outdoor set with sports and plants. The short set works well for kids and quick games.

More or fewer letters setting in Gather

Also before the start, set how many letters you’ll play, from 1 to 10. The default is five; take more for a long evening, two will do for a short break.

Strict scoring table agreement

Agree in advance what counts when you challenge – real places only for city and river, for example, no made-up names. Whoever challenges has to give a quick reason. Voting works as usual in the app; you set the criteria at the table.

Good for

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