Alphabet Game: Difference between revisions

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The Alphabet Game is a car game played to amuse travelers on long car rides. Two or more players can compete. The basic rules are:

Each player attempts to find the letters of the alphabet, in order, on road signs or nearby buildings.
When a player spots the letter, they must call out the letter and the word it is found in, such as "B in Ashtabula!"
Only one player can use a letter found on a sign, but other players may use other letters on that same sign. (A variation to this is: once a letter has been found on a sign, no player may use that sign for any other letters.)
Letters on movable vehicles (e.g. trucks or license plates) cannot be used.
If the driver is playing, signs cannot be used once they have been passed for safety reasons.
The first player to find all the letters of the alphabet is the winner.

The game is suitable for all ages, and there are two great equalizers: the letters J and Q. More skillful players will often race ahead, but with limited instances of the letters "J" and, particularly "Q", leading players often get stuck, giving others time to catch up. This keeps the game interesting for players of different levels.

On car rides lasting several hours, variations may be introduced, such as playing in reverse (from Z-A), giving slower players a handicap (e.g. starting at "H") or disallowing proper names or requiring the letter to be the first in the word (Z in Zebra would be acceptable, Z in Buzz would not). Other variations include the Hawaiian Alphabet Game, played using only the 12 letters of the Hawaiian language.

The Alphabet Game is not easily adapted to other modes of transportation, such as ocean liners, or airplanes because of the lack of surrounding letters.

Game Tips

As mentioned, the letters "J" and "Q" are often the stumbling blocks. The letter J is somewhat more common and random in occurrence. The best places to look for some other letters include:

Q: Antiques, Liquor, Quality, Quick (convenience stores), Liquified (check Hazmat signs near bridges and tunnels) and Sq. Ft. (commercial buildings for rent). The Q107 billboard on the New Jersey Turnpike. La Quinta inns.
X: Exit and Next (X is one of the easiest letters for playing on the freeway, because an exit sign is bound to come up)
Z: Pizza, Toll Plaza and E-ZPass

External links

http://www.momsminivan.com/bigkids.html - List of travel games for children.
http://www.parentsconnect.com/do/play_the_alphabet_game.jhtml - Alphabet Game Information
http://www.beachnet.com/~jeanettem/car.html#ALPHABET

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 {{Notability|date=April 2009}}
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-The '''Alphabet Game''' is a [[car game]] played to amuse travelers on long car rides.  Two or more players can compete.  The basic rules are:<ul><li>Each player attempts to find the letters of the alphabet, in order, on road signs or nearby buildings.<li>When a player spots the letter, they must call out the letter and the word it is found in, such as "B in Ashtabula!"<li>Only one player can use a particular letter, but other players may use other letters on the same sign. (A variation to this is: once a letter has been seen on a sign, all other letters on that sign are unavailable to other players)<li>Letters on movable vehicles (e.g. trucks or license plates) cannot be used.<li>If the driver is playing, signs cannot be used once they have been passed for safety reasons.<li>The first player to find all the letters of the alphabet is the winner.</ul>
+The '''Alphabet Game''' is a [[car game]] played to amuse travelers on long car rides.  Two or more players can compete.  The basic rules are:<ul><li>Each player attempts to find the letters of the alphabet, in order, on road signs or nearby buildings.<li>When a player spots the letter, they must call out the letter and the word it is found in, such as "B in Ashtabula!"<li>Only one player can use a letter found on a sign, but other players may use other letters on that same sign. (A variation to this is: once a letter has been found on a sign, no player may use that sign for any other letters.)<li>Letters on movable vehicles (e.g. trucks or license plates) cannot be used.<li>If the driver is playing, signs cannot be used once they have been passed for safety reasons.<li>The first player to find all the letters of the alphabet is the winner.</ul>
 The game is suitable for all ages, and there are two great equalizers: the letters J and Q.  More skillful players will often race ahead, but with limited instances of the letters "J" and, particularly "Q", leading players often get stuck, giving others time to catch up.  This keeps the game interesting for players of different levels.