Category Countdown
WordFree to playName unique answers in a category before time out.
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How to Play
Category Countdown names a category and a starting letter and asks you to type words that fit both. Each accepted word scores ten, and the requirement grows from three answers to six as the rounds go on. A word that does not fit costs one of five strikes, and the run is fourteen rounds inside a 120-second clock that gets eight seconds back for every round cleared.
Controls
- Type — Tap the answer box under the board and type, or just type on a keyboard
- Submit — The Answer button, or Enter
- Delete — Backspace
- Pause — Escape, because p is a letter you may need to type
Tips & Tricks
- 1The requirement per round is three, four, five, then six from there on, which makes seventy-eight answers across the fourteen rounds. Early rounds are the cheap ground; the last eleven are six apiece.
- 2Ten points an answer and nothing else — no streak, no speed bonus. The score ceiling is fixed by the rounds rather than by how well you play them, so the only thing to protect is the clock and the strikes.
- 3Only the answer box's own pool is accepted. A real word in the category that starts with the wrong letter is rejected, a real word starting with the right letter but outside the category is rejected, and both count as strikes.
- 4Five strikes end the run wherever it is, so a round you cannot finish is worth abandoning by guessing nothing rather than by guessing badly. The clock adds eight seconds a round and never resets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many rounds is a run?
Fourteen, each needing between three and six valid answers, with five strikes and 120 seconds to start. Clearing a round adds eight seconds back to the clock.
What counts as a wrong answer?
Anything not in that round's accepted list: a word with the wrong starting letter, a word outside the category, or a word that does not exist. Repeating a word you have already given is free and only prints a message.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. The answer box under the board is a real text field, so tapping it raises the phone keyboard and the Answer button submits. Answers are capped at twenty characters, which is far longer than any category word the round accepts.
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