What is Hangman?

Hangman is the free word-guessing game where a hidden word appears as blanks and you guess one letter at a time. Correct letters are revealed everywhere they appear; wrong ones cost a life, and you only get six. Every word here comes with its category shown - animals, countries, food, sports and four more - which turns pure guessing into something you can actually reason about.

How to play Hangman

Controls: Tap a letter, or use your keyboard

1. 1A hidden word appears as blank spaces, with its category above.
2. 2Tap a letter on the keyboard to guess it.
3. 3Correct letters fill in every position where they appear in the word.
4. 4A wrong letter costs one life and adds a piece to the gallows.
5. 5Reveal the whole word before your six lives run out.

Hangman tips and strategy

• Open with vowels. A, E, I and O appear in almost every English word, and knowing where the vowels sit narrows the possibilities enormously.
• Follow with the common consonants: R, S, T, L and N. Between those and the vowels you cover the majority of letters in most words.
• Use the category. A nine-letter word under 'Countries' has far fewer candidates than a nine-letter word in general, so guess letters that fit the theme.
• Look at the pattern before guessing late. Once you have the vowels and a couple of consonants, most words only have one or two possible completions.

Hangman FAQ