What is Petit Bac?
Petit Bac — le jeu du Baccalauréat — is the French family word game: one letter, seven categories (pays, animal, aliment, métier, film, objet, personnage célèbre — country, animal, food, job, film, object, famous person), a timer, and points only for answers nobody else found. This page runs it with the classic seven, in English or French as you like, with the letter drawn by the phone and the scoring done for you.
It is the version played in French classrooms and at family tables from Lille to Lyon; the Categories page is the same idea with changeable categories.
Petit Bac rules and variations as played in France
- Scoring: 2 points for a unique answer, 1 point if someone else has the same, 0 for blank or wrong — on the compare screen, tap a player once for unique, twice for shared
- Stop!: the first player to finish all seven shouts “Stop” and everyone puts pens down
- Difficult letters: Q, U, V, X, Y and Z are never drawn — the phone leaves them out, and a letter is not repeated until the others have been used
- French class: play in French for vocabulary — pays, animal, aliment, métier
- Thematic Bac: replace the seven with a theme (cinema: actor, director, film, character, soundtrack, quote, location)
- Lightning Bac: 60 seconds, three letters in a row
- Team Bac: pairs share a sheet and must agree
- Reverse Bac: the answers must END with the letter
Game setup
How to play Petit Bac
- Everyone draws the categories on their paper.
- Tap Draw a letter, then Start writing.
- Fill every category with a word starting with that letter before time is up.
- Compare answers: tap the players whose answer was unique.
- Tap Add points & next letter.
What the screen does for you
Petit Bac on AllPartyGames.com is the referee, not the whole game: it gives the host Draw a letter, Start / stop the timer, Award points, Finish game, while you bring paper and a pen for each player and this screen for the letter and timer. Tap the ? button inside the game for these rules at any time, or 📺 for TV mode on a big screen.
How many players?
Petit Bac works with 2–10 players and a typical round takes about 15–30 min. Recommended age: 8+.
Best occasions
Tips
- The default is 90 seconds for the seven categories; choose 2 minutes for younger players, 60 for a frantic round.
- Decide whether proper nouns count for “objet” before someone writes “Eiffel Tower”.
- Keep a dictionary (or a phone) for challenges; the game is nicer when challenges are quick.
- Landscape mode gives the biggest text when the phone is passed around.
- Turn sound on: the countdown ticks and buzzers keep everyone honest.
Petit Bac FAQ
What are the categories in Petit Bac?
The classic seven: country, animal, food, job, film, object and famous person. The page plays them in that order.
How do you score Petit Bac?
Traditionally 2 points for an answer nobody else wrote, 1 point for a shared answer, 0 for none. On the compare screen you tap a player once for 2 points, twice for 1, a third time to clear.
Can I play it in French?
Yes — switch the category labels to Français in the setup, write your answers in French and judge them together.
How is Petit Bac scored?
Traditionally a unique correct answer scores 2, an answer someone else also wrote scores 1, and a blank scores 0. The compare screen lets you award those points.
Which letters are used?
Common letters only — no Q, U, V, X, Y or Z — so every category stays answerable.
How many prompts does Petit Bac have?
Hundreds, hand-written and shuffled so replays feel new. Every category is family-safe unless labelled otherwise.