Flexi Noun: the letter game with categories you choose

What is Flexi Noun?

Flexi Noun is a mode of NOUN, Ping44's version of the classic letter-and-categories game. The letter, the timer, the secret review and the scoring all work the same way. Only the categories change, and that changes everything.

The classic four (Name, Animal, Place, Thing) are great for a first game, but after a few rounds regular players start to know their go-to answers. Choosing the categories yourself keeps the game fresh. You can build a theme around a movie night or a trip, make it harder for word lovers, keep it easy for a mixed group, or add an in-joke only your friends will get.

Choosing your categories

The host picks the categories in Game settings before the game starts. You need at least 4 and can have up to 6, in any mix of preset and custom categories.

The 15 preset categories

Name, Animal, Place, Thing, Food, Color, Country, Movie, Brand, Sport, Job, Song, City, Body part and Clothing. Each preset shows in the player's own language, so a mixed group playing in English, French or Vietnamese all read their own labels.

Your own categories

• Type a category name of up to 20 characters, using letters and spaces. Letters from any language work, accents included; digits and punctuation don't.
• Every category must be different: two categories with the same name aren't allowed.
• Custom categories are shown exactly as the host typed them.

Category ideas for themed games

• Food night: Food, Fruit, Vegetable, Dessert, Drink, Kitchen item.
• Travel: Country, City, Capital city, River, Language, Landmark.
• Movie night: Movie, Song, Actor, TV show, Cartoon, Superhero.
• Nature: Animal, Bird, Fish, Insect, Flower, Tree.
• Sports fans: Sport, Athlete, Team, Country, Brand, Body part.
• Getting to know a group: Name, Job, Hobby, Food, Song, Place.

What makes a good set of categories

• Mix easy and hard. Broad categories like Food or Thing give everyone a chance; narrow ones like Superhero reward the experts. Two or three of each feels fair.
• Avoid categories with almost no answers. A category like Planet has nothing for most letters, so it turns into a free blank for everyone.
• Keep it clear. Does Song mean the title or the singer? Do brands count as Food? The players review each other's answers, so a category everyone reads the same way avoids arguments.
• Think about the clock. Six categories take longer to fill than four. If your group is new to them, set the round timer to 30 seconds.

How to play Flexi Noun

1. The host sets the categories: 4 to 6, preset or custom, in Game settings.
2. A letter is picked. Each round, one player chooses a letter not used yet in the game; the job passes to the next player each round. If they run out of time, a random letter is picked.
3. Everyone answers at once. Fill each category with a word starting with that letter before the timer runs out. Blanks are allowed.
4. Review in secret. Each player checks one other player's answers and ticks the ones that fit. Blank and wrong-letter answers are rejected automatically.
5. See the results, with every answer, the unique ones marked, and the points.
6. Win. After the last round, the most points wins.

Flexi Noun settings

Flexi Noun has the same settings as Classic NOUN, plus the categories:

• Categories: 4 to 6, from the presets or typed by the host.
• Total number of rounds: 1 to 26 (each letter is used once per game).
• Round timer: 10 to 30 seconds to fill in the answers.
• Letter pick timer: 5 to 10 seconds to choose the letter.
• Auto-start next round: the next round begins 30 seconds after the results; the host can pause the countdown.
• No timer for first round: a relaxed first round for players who are new to your categories.

During the review the host can add a minute, up to five times, and after each round the host can fix the scores once.

Scoring on Ping44

Scoring is the same as Classic NOUN, counted by the server:

• 10 points for an accepted answer nobody else wrote.
• 5 points for an accepted answer someone else also wrote (capitals and accents don't make an answer different).
• 0 points for a blank, rejected or wrong-letter answer.
• 10-point speed bonus for the player who sent their answers first, if they also have the round's top score.

With six categories a round is worth up to 70 points: 60 for six unique answers and 10 for the bonus. Your stats keep Flexi Noun separate from Classic NOUN, so your points and wins in each are counted on their own.

Tips and strategy

• Read the categories as soon as the letter appears. Custom categories can be unusual, and the first few seconds are the best time to plan.
• Unique answers matter even more. In narrow categories everyone reaches for the same famous answer. If the letter is T and the category is Superhero, you won't be the only one writing Thor.
• Use the theme. When the categories share a theme, one idea can fill several boxes. With travel categories and the letter P, one train of thought gives you Portugal for Country, Porto for City and Portuguese for Language.
• As host, test your list. Try a couple of letters in your head before starting. If a category is empty for most letters, swap it.

How to start a game of Flexi Noun on Ping44

1. Go to ping44.com, sign in with email or Google (free) and create a room. Friends can join as guests by just picking a name.
2. Share the invite link, the 6-character room code or the QR code.
3. In the lobby, choose NOUN as the game, then pick Flexi-Noun as the mode in Game settings.
4. Choose 4 to 6 categories, set the rounds and timers, and start once at least 2 players are in.

Why play Flexi Noun on Ping44

• Your categories, your language. Type categories in any language's letters, and accented letters count by their base letter, so "Éclair" works for E.
• A fair referee. The server checks every letter, spots the unique answers and adds up the scores; reviews stay secret until the results.
• Big groups welcome. Up to 100 players in one game, with spectators for anyone who'd rather watch.
• Talk while you play. Built-in voice chat (the host turns it on when creating the room) and text chat with emote reactions.
• Free, no ads, no download. It runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers.
• More word games in the same room, like Word Chain, or Trivia when you need a change. See all our word games.

Frequently asked questions