Stop game rules
Everything you need to know to play a game, from setting up a room to understanding how disputes get resolved.
Setting up a game
- Create room: pick categories, time per round, number of rounds and which letters are in play. A 5-character code is generated that you can share as a code or a link — whoever opens the link jumps straight into the room.
- Join room: ask whoever created the room for the code and you'll play with the setup that person chose.
- Random room: matches you with whoever is looking for a game right now, with fixed categories and rules. If no one shows up in a few seconds, you can keep waiting or cancel the search.
How a round works
When the round starts, a letter is drawn from the ones enabled for that room. All players fill in the chosen categories at the same time (for example Name, Animal, Food, Color) with words starting with that letter. As soon as someone finishes, they tap Stop! and the round ends for every player at once.
Review and challenges
Before the score is calculated there's a brief review window where answers can be challenged:
- A word that doesn't start with the round's letter is worth 0 automatically, no challenge needed.
- If someone challenges an answer, it becomes "disputed." The author can tap "I accept it" and the word is worth 0 right away.
- In rooms of 3 or more players, if everyone else (besides the author) challenges the same word, it's worth 0 without anything further needed.
- If the dispute is still open when the review closes, an AI judge decides: it checks whether the word starts with the correct letter and reasonably belongs to the category, accepting regional terms and minor spelling mistakes.
- If the judge decides the word is valid, every player who challenged it without reason loses 5 points. If it decides it's invalid, the word is worth 0 and no one is penalized.
- If the judge doesn't respond in time, all disputed words for that round are treated as valid and no penalty is applied — the game never gets stuck waiting.
Scoring per category
| Points | Situation |
|---|---|
| 0 | You left the category empty, or the word was invalidated. |
| 5 | Another player wrote the same word (compared ignoring accents and capitalization). |
| 10 | Your answer was unique — no one else wrote that word. |
| 20 | You were the only person who filled in that category. |
Whoever racks up the most points after the chosen number of rounds wins.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to create an account?
No. You just pick a name for that game; no sign-up or password needed.
Can I play from my phone only?
Yes, the game works the same on phone and computer, adapting to the screen.
What happens if I lose internet mid-game?
The room stays active for the rest of the players; you can rejoin with the same code while the game is still going.
Can two people play?
Yes. A private room works with two to six players: create the room, send the code or link to the other person and start. If you have no one to play with, a random room matches you with someone who is looking for a game.
Is this the same as the Categories game?
Yes. Stop, Categories and Tutti Frutti are different names for the same classic word game: everyone gets the same letter and fills in categories with words that start with it. The name changes from country to country, but the rules are practically the same.