About Hangman
Classic Hangman with six misses allowed and a snowman in place of the gallows. Choose Any word or one of more than twenty categories, pick Easy or Hard, and build your win streak.
Hangman is the classic letter-guessing game: work out the hidden word one letter at a time before you run out of tries. Our version is a kinder one: every wrong guess adds a piece to a snowman instead of a gallows, and six misses finish him. Pick a category, choose Easy or Hard, and see how long you can keep your win streak going.
Also called: guess the word, hangman game.
How to play Hangman
- The dashes show how many letters the hidden word has. The category above the drawing gives you a clue.
- Guess a letter by tapping it on the on-screen keyboard or typing it on your own keyboard.
- If the letter is in the word, every copy of it appears in its place and the key turns green.
- If it isn't, the key turns grey and the snowman gets another piece: base, body, head, arms, face, then hat and scarf.
- Fill in every letter before the sixth miss to win. After six misses the snowman is finished and the word is revealed.
- Press Next word (or Enter) to play again.
Rules
- You can make up to six wrong guesses. The sixth miss ends the round.
- Guessing a letter reveals every place it appears in the word. Guessing the same letter twice costs nothing.
- Words are single English words with no spaces, hyphens or capital-letter names.
- Easy words are common and short: 4 to 8 letters in Any word, or up to 6 letters in a themed category.
- Hard words are longer or rarer: up to 12 letters in Any word, and 7 letters or more in a themed category.
- Category and difficulty changes start straight away on a fresh board; if you are partway through a word, they apply from the next word.
- Give up reveals the word and counts as a loss, which resets your win streak.
Hangman tips and strategy
- Start with vowels. E, A, O and I appear in most English words, and finding them shows you the shape of the word.
- Then try the common consonants. R, S, T, N and L are the most frequent; C, D, H and M come next.
- Use the pattern. Once a few letters show, think of words that fit: _ A _ _ E _ with a double letter might be BANNER or BATTER. Common endings like -ING, -ED, -ER and -TION are worth testing.
- Mind the category. In Fruit, a six-letter word ending in -ANA is probably BANANA; in Space, a word with two Us could be URANUS.
- Save rare letters for last. J, Q, X and Z rarely appear, so only guess them when the pattern calls for them.
Hangman questions
Is this Hangman game free?
Yes. Hangman is free to play in any browser, on phone, tablet or computer, with no download or sign-up. Your statistics and the word you are on are saved in your own browser.
Why is there a snowman instead of a hangman?
The rules are exactly the same as classic hangman, but a snowman being built is friendlier to look at than a gallows, especially for younger players. Each wrong guess adds one piece, and six misses finish the snowman.
How many wrong guesses do I get?
Six. The snowman is built from six pieces (base, body, head, arms, face, and hat and scarf), one per miss. You can still win with five misses.
What is the difference between Easy and Hard?
Easy words are short and common, the kind everyone knows. Hard words are longer or less common, so there are more letters to find and fewer familiar patterns. Both are drawn from the SCOWL English word lists, or from our hand-written category lists when you pick a category.
Can I play with a friend?
Yes: take turns guessing letters, or have one person call out guesses while the other taps. After each round, Share result copies a spoiler-free summary of your game to paste into a chat.
Do I need to download Hangman?
No. It opens instantly in your browser and saves your progress on your device, so there is nothing to install and no sign-up.
Can I play Hangman on my phone?
Yes. The game fits your screen and works with touch as well as a mouse and keyboard, on iPhone, Android, tablets and computers.