Hangman
The classic pencil-and-paper word game: guess the hidden word one letter at a time before you run out of lives.
At a glance
- Guess the hidden word one letter at a time — tap the on-screen keyboard or type on your own. Right letters fill in every place they appear.
- Each wrong letter adds a line to the drawing. Normal gives 6 lives, Easy 10 (the gallows is drawn too) and Hard just 4.
- Pick a category — Animals, Countries, Fruit and vegetables, Sports, Jobs or Food (with Indian dishes) — or Any word from thousands of common English words.
- Know it already? Guess the whole word (a wrong guess costs a life), or reveal the most common hidden letter for a life when you’re stuck.
- Two players: one types a secret word (hidden as they type) with an optional clue, the other guesses. A gentler Balloons picture suits younger players.
- Hangman is an old pencil-and-paper game; Alice Gomme’s 1894 book of traditional children’s games describes it as “Birds, Beasts and Fishes”. Free, no sign-up.
Step by step
How to play Hangman
- 1
Choose a category
Pick a category and a level. The word appears as a row of blanks, one per letter.
- 2
Guess a letter
Tap or type a letter. If it’s in the word, it fills in everywhere it appears.
- 3
Watch the drawing
A wrong letter adds a part to the drawing and costs one life.
- 4
Solve it
Fill in every letter, or type the whole word if you know it, before your lives run out.
- 5
Play again
Press Next word (or Enter) for a new word — your streak carries on while you keep winning.
Features
Everything you need, nothing you don’t
Six word categories
Animals, countries, fruit and vegetables, sports, jobs and food — or any common English word.
Three levels
Easy (10 lives), Normal (6) and Hard (4). The drawing adapts to the number of lives.
Two-player mode
Type a secret word and a clue for a friend to guess on the same device.
Keyboard friendly
Tap the letters or type them; tried letters turn green or are crossed out.
Hints and whole-word guesses
Reveal a letter or guess the full word, each for one life.
Your record
Games won, win rate and your best winning streak are kept on your device.
Levels at a glance
| Level | Lives | Drawing |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 10 | Base, pole, beam and rope are drawn first, then head, body, two arms and two legs |
| Normal | 6 | The gallows is already there; head, body, arms and legs one at a time |
| Hard | 4 | Head, body, then both arms and both legs together |
Hangman tips
- Start with vowels — E, A, O and I appear in most words.
- Then try common consonants such as T, N, S, R and L. English letter frequency runs roughly E, T, A, O, I, N, S, H, R.
- Look at the length and the gaps. A word ending in _ _ _ might be -ING or -ION.
- Use the category. In Countries, think of endings like -IA and -LAND.
- Save the whole-word guess until you’re fairly sure — a wrong one costs a life.
About Hangman
Hangman is a guessing game for two or more players, usually played with pencil and paper: one player thinks of a word and draws a blank for each letter, and the others guess letters until they solve it or the drawing is finished. Its origins are unclear, but Alice Gomme’s Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1894) describes a version called “Birds, Beasts and Fishes”.
Word list credits
The “Any word” list uses common words from the English Speller Database (SCOWL), which draws on Alan Beale’s public-domain 12dicts lists, checked to leave out rude and offensive words.
Copyright 2000–2026 by Kevin Atkinson. Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell any part of the English Speller Database (ESDB, previously known as SCOWLv2), or word lists created from it, is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appears in all copies and that both the above copyright notice and this notice appear in supporting documentation. Kevin Atkinson makes no representations about the suitability of this database for any purpose. It is provided “as is” without express or implied warranty.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Hangman?
How many wrong guesses do you get?
Can two people play Hangman here?
Is there a version for kids?
What are good letters to guess first?
Is it free?
Keep going
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