Alphabet (ABC) Drinking Game

The Alphabet game, otherwise known as the ABC drinking game, tests players ability to come up with different words. You don’t need anything special to play this game and you can play it at any bar or party.

The purpose of the ABC game is to come up with a word within a category that starts with each letter of the alphabet. If you are unable to do so, you have to take a drink.

The first person to go selects a category and says something from that category that begins with A. The next player must come up with something else that starts with the letter B. Play continues around the circle until someone can no longer think of a word for their letter.

There are also a few variations to this game that we will describe below.

What You Need

Number of Players: 3 or more

• Your drink of choice
• A few people
• Nothing else, let’s get started!

Alphabet (ABC) Drinking Game Rules

• Select a player to go first. They will choose a category and then say a word from that category that starts with the letter A. For example, they may choose the category of “foods”. They could then say “apple”.
• The next player on their left must come up with another word in that category that starts with the letter B. In the “foods” category, they might say “banana”.
• Play continues around the circle until someone is unable to come up with a word that starts with their letter. If they cannot think of something, they must drink.
  • Play moves to the next person and they must try to think of a word with the same letter as the previous person.
  • If three people in a row have to drink and cannot think of a word, everyone drinks and start over with a new category.
• If you get to Z, you can choose to continue at A or choose a new game with a new category.
• If anyone repeats a word, they must drink.

ABC Drinking Game Variations

One variation of the ABC drinking game is for the first player to choose a category and say any word they want from it. For the second player, they have to say a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. For example, if the first word was “banana” in the fruits category, the second player could say “apple”. If anyone repeats, messes up, or can’t think of a word, they have to drink.

You can also choose to play by different rules based on your preferences. One option is to restart the game and choose a new category whenever someone can’t think of a word. Or, you can continue to play using the same letter until someone can think of something.

Another option is to use a knock-out format to find an ultimate winner. Start with a group of 4 or more people and play around the circle. If someone cannot think of a word, they have to drink and they are out of the game. Continue until there is only one person left and they are the winner!