# Trivial Pursuit: Did they spell "Genius" wrong? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2004, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-did-they-spell-genius-wrong/228553 "2004-02-11T00:33:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-did-they-spell-genius-wrong/228553/1 "2004-02-11T00:33:25Z")
Why is the original version of Trivial Pursuit called the Genus edition? This term, used here, has no meaning. Was it a typo they let slide? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-did-they-spell-genius-wrong/228553/2 "2004-02-11T00:48:10Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > Why is the original version of Trivial Pursuit called the Genus edition? This term, used here, has no meaning. Was it a typo they let slide? - Jinx Defined (from [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com)) Genus - (Logic) A class of objects divided into several subordinate species; a class more extensive than a species; a precisely defined and exactly divided class; one of the five predicable conceptions, or sorts of terms. Would not the original game by a class of objects divided into several subordinates? ---
**Author:** ![nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f475e1/32.png) [@nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nerd)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-did-they-spell-genius-wrong/228553/3 "2004-02-11T01:02:59Z")
Wow. I actually rememberd something from Jr. High biology: Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family **Genus** Species ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-did-they-spell-genius-wrong/228553/4 "2004-02-11T01:21:26Z")
Corporations can be pretty cheap and stupid, but I can’t imagine that a fledgling game trying to hit it big put out by a major manufacturer would let a typo, especially one in the game name itself, get out into the mass market, ESPECIALLY a trivia game. (“Gee, lookit that; the title of this game’s spelled all wrong! How good or smart can the questions possibly be?”) I’m going with **ShibbOleth’s** theory. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-did-they-spell-genius-wrong/228553/5 "2004-02-11T18:12:34Z")
It’s not a theory. Genus ~ general – Trivial Pursuit (in particular, the Genus editions) span a wide range of general knowledge. Unlike, say, the Babay Boom or Silver Screen editions, which were sets concentrated on more specialized fields of knowledge. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-did-they-spell-genius-wrong/228553/6 "2004-02-12T05:02:22Z")
[ten character minimum]FFS[/ten character minimum] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-did-they-spell-genius-wrong/228553/7 "2004-02-12T06:41:14Z")
I always thought that the name “Genus” was based on the same root word that gave us “genesis”. In other words the “first” edition. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-did-they-spell-genius-wrong/228553/8 "2004-02-12T06:57:56Z")
> [@grienspace](#): > > I always thought that the name “Genus” was based on the same root word that gave us “genesis”. In other words the “first” edition. Doesn’t make sense with the Genus II edition, and “genus” and “genesis” aren’t from the same root. “Genus” and “general” are from the same root. **Cliffy’s** explanation is correct. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-did-they-spell-genius-wrong/228553/9 "2004-02-12T12:29:21Z")
Yeah, but is it _Moors_ or _Moops_ ? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-did-they-spell-genius-wrong/228553/10 "2004-02-12T14:17:09Z")
This makes me feel a little better, I guess. I thought my students were the only ones thinking it says (or means to say) “Genius Edition.” Of course **ShibbOleth** is right: it has to do with the many genera of categories. This is opposed to, say, the All-Sports Edition or the Silver Screen (all movies) edition. If it were a mistake, I doubt they’d have come out with Genus II through Genus VI. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-did-they-spell-genius-wrong/228553/11 "2004-02-12T14:19:07Z")
> [@radar ralf](#): > > [ten character minimum]FFS[/ten character minimum] 😕😕😕😕😕😕