How Do You Play Hangman? Tips, Tricks, and More

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The ultimate guide on how to play the world’s most popular word game

Co-authored by Eric McClure Reviewed by Ashton Wu

Last Updated: September 11, 2023 Fact Checked

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Hangman Rules

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Variations

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Video

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Q&A

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Can you beat the clock to guess the hidden word before the poor stick figure meets its doom? Hangman is a quick and easy game that’s perfect if you’re trying to kill some time, prove your vocab superiority, or turn a boring old study session into something more exhilarating. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about playing this classic game.

Things You Should Know

The object of hangman is to guess the secret word before the stick figure is hung. Players take turns selecting letters to narrow the word down.
Players can take turns or work together. Gameplay continues until the players guess the word or they run out of guesses and the stick figure is hung.
If you want to play with younger kids, use a snowman instead of a hangman to avoid scaring or offending anyone.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Hangman Rules

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1
Choose one person to be the “host” and make the puzzle. One person will choose the word and draw the hangman. Other players will guess letters to try and identify the word the host picked. Every player can take turns being the host, or you can play multiple rounds with the same host.^{[1]
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- The host must know how to spell the words they choose for each round.
2
Pick the secret word if you’re the host. The other players will need to guess your word letter by letter, so choose a word you think will be difficult to guess if you want to make things harder on them. Difficult words usually have uncommon letters, like “z,” or “j,” and only a few vowels.^{[2]
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- For longer games, you can also choose phrases if everyone agrees it’s okay.
- If you’re playing with younger students, don’t choose a word they may not know.
- The host can give a hint or category like animal, vegetable, or movie star to make the game easier.
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As the host, you’re the “executioner” in charge. So, let’s say you choose the word “zipper.” You’d draw 6 blanks with 1 spot for each letter ( _ _ _ _ _ _ ). Don’t tell anyone the secret word!^{[3]
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Start guessing letters if you are the player. You can have each player take turns or have the players work together and choose letters as a group. Once the word has been chosen and the players know how many letters in the secret word, players begin guessing which letters are in the word. For example, you might begin by asking, “Is there an 'e' in your word?”^{[4]
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- A lot of players like to start by guessing common letters, like vowels, or “s,” “t,” and “n.”
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Fill the letter in the blanks if the players guess correctly. Whenever a player guesses a letter that is in the secret word, the host fills in the relevant blank. For example, if the word is “zipper” and the players guess “e,” then the host will fill in the 5th blank with an “e:” (_ _ _ _ e _).^{[5]
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- If the players guess a letter that repeats, fill in both letters. If they guess “p,” you would have to fill in both “p”s. ( _ _ p p e _ ).
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Draw part of the hangman when the players guess wrong. Whenever a player guesses a letter that is not in the secret word, they get a strike that brings them closer to losing. To show this, the host draws a simple stick figure of a man being hung, adding a new part to the drawing with every wrong answer. This is also where you can adjust the difficulty of the game; the more marks you make, the more wrong guesses the players have.^{[6]
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Research source} The traditional order is:
- First wrong answer: Draw and upside-down "L." This is the post the man hangs from.
- Second: Draw a circle for the “head” under the horizontal line of the “L.”
- Third: Draw a line down from the bottom of the head for the “body.”
- Fourth: Draw one arm out from the middle of his body for the “arm.”
- Fifth: Draw the other arm.
- Sixth: Draw one diagonal line from the bottom of the body for the first “leg.”
- Seventh: Draw the other leg.
- Eighth: Connect the head to the post with a “rope.” Once you draw the rope the players have lost the game.
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The players win when they guess the correct word. If the players get every letter of the word before the host finishes drawing then they win. At any point a player can try to guess the entire word instead of a single letter, but if they guess the wrong word then the host should treat it as if they guessed a wrong letter.^{[7]
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- If the host ends up drawing the entire hangman, the players lose and the game is over.
- To make the game harder, make a rule saying that the players can only guess the secret word once before they lose.
- To make it easier, the host can reveal the first letter of the word, as well as any letters similar to the first one.
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Play online or on an app to practice by yourself. We like this version of online hangman, but there are plenty of options out there if you search! Many games use online dictionaries to choose words, allowing you to practice building your vocabulary while you play. You can even play games against opponents from all over the world with some apps and sites.^{[8]
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- Looking for a challenge? Try Cheater Hangman or specific hangman lists, like movie quote hangman.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Variations

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If you are worried about exposing younger children to images of violence, use a snowman instead of a hanging. Start with three circles for the body, then add eyes, nose, and buttons for each wrong answer. The rest of the rules remain the same.^{[9]
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Play “In & Out” Hangman for a more challenging game. This game works best with longer words or phrases. The rules are the same with one big exception: every other letter you guess should not be in the secret word. The player needs to alternate guessing letters that are in the word (the "in" round) and letters that are not in the word (the “out” round) until they win or lose.^{[10]
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- If the player says a letter that is in the secret word the host writes it in regardless of the round the player is in. If they guess a letter that is in the word while on the “out” round, they still get a strike, however.
- To make this easier, the host can write out every letter of the alphabet and cross them out as they are eliminated.
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Use vocabulary words to turn hangman into a classroom game. Hangman can be a great tool for teachers to get their students engaged in learning new words. To make it truly effective, however, add an additional rule: when the students guess the secret word, they have to know the definition of it to win.^{[11]
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- List all of the potential vocabulary words to make the game go faster.

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Is there a time limit on how long you can spend to guess a letter?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

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No, not officially. But if you want to increase the stakes in the game you can 100% come up with a time limit! It could be as short as 15-30 seconds if you'd like!

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How many vowels do you get for free in hangman?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

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You might be thinking about Jeopardy, where you have to buy vowels. There are no rules around vowels in hangman; you can choose as many as you'd like.

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How can I pick a word?

Community Answer

It is completely up to you. As the "host" you may want to try and outwit the players. Pick words low on vowels, or with unusual letter combinations for a bigger challenge. Experience in playing the game brings new ideas.

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