Category Sprint is a free online word game that runs in your browser with no download and no account. You get a letter, a short sheet of categories and under a minute. An animal, something you eat, a country, a job — every answer has to start with the letter you were given, and the box turns green the moment you type one the game knows. The rounds grow from three boxes in seventy seconds to the full sheet of eight in forty-five, which is the same pressure applied from both ends. The interesting constraint is that there is no dictionary to call and no server to ask, so answers are judged against written lists — around five hundred and seventy words across eight categories. Rather than pretend otherwise, the game is built around admitting it: when the clock stops it shows you every answer it would have taken, so a word it did not know reads as a gap in the list rather than you being wrong. The letter is never picked at random either. Only letters that have an answer in every category on your sheet are offered, because a round you cannot finish is not a hard round, it is a broken one — U has an answer in one of the eight categories and X in none of them.
How to play Category Sprint
- You are given one letter. Every answer on the sheet has to start with it.
- Each row is a category — an animal, something you eat, a country — with a box to type into.
- A box turns green as soon as what you have typed counts, so you never have to wonder whether an answer landed.
- Capitals and punctuation are ignored. Only the letters matter.
- The clock runs from the moment the sheet appears. Press Done to stop it early if you have finished.
- Your score is simply how many boxes are green when the clock stops.
- When the round ends you are shown every answer the game would have accepted for each category, so you can see what you missed.
- The letter is always one that has an answer in every category on your sheet — you will never be handed a round you cannot finish.
- Rounds go from three boxes in seventy seconds up to eight boxes in forty-five.
- Fill a whole sheet to unlock the next round. Progress is kept in your own browser.
Tips
- Go down the sheet once quickly and fill in anything obvious before you start thinking hard about any single box.
- Skip the box that is fighting you. Thirty seconds spent on one country is three easy answers you did not write.
- Short words are your friend under time pressure. Bat, bean, bear — you are not being scored on how clever they are.
- Watch the green. If a word you are sure about does not turn the box green, it is not on the list — try another rather than arguing with it.
- Read the round-up at the end. It is the fastest way to learn which words this game knows for each letter.
- On the longer rounds, start with the categories you are best at. The clock is the same for everybody but the order is yours.
FAQ
Is Category Sprint free to play?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no download, no plugin, no sign-up and nothing to buy. The first round is open straight away and the rest unlock as you fill sheets.
Why was my answer not accepted?
Because it is not on the list. There is no dictionary to call and no server to ask, so answers are judged against written word lists — about five hundred and seventy words across eight categories. It is a real limit, which is why the end of every round shows you exactly what would have been accepted.
How do I know if an answer counted?
The box turns green the moment it does. You never have to submit anything or wonder whether it landed, and the running count is shown under the sheet.
Why do I never get X or U?
Because a round has to be finishable. Only letters that have an answer in every category on your sheet are offered — U has an answer in one of the eight categories and X in none of them, so a sheet built on either would be impossible before you started.
Can I stop the clock early?
Yes. Press Done and the round is scored where it stands. There is no bonus for finishing early — it just saves you waiting.
How do the rounds get harder?
More boxes and less time: three in seventy seconds up to eight in forty-five. It is the same pressure from both ends, and unlike most difficulty ladders it needs no measuring to know it goes the right way.
Does spelling matter?
Only the letters. Capitals, spaces and punctuation are ignored, so a stray apostrophe will never cost you a box.