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
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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. 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]
    • The host must know how to spell the words they choose for each round.
  2. 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]
    • 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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  3. 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]
  4. 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]
    • A lot of players like to start by guessing common letters, like vowels, or “s,” “t,” and “n.”
  5. 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]
    • 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 _ ).
  6. 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] 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.
  7. 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]
    • 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.
  8. 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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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Variations

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  1. 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]
  2. 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]
    • 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.
  3. 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]
    • List all of the potential vocabulary words to make the game go faster.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Is there a time limit on how long you can spend to guess a letter?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    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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  • Question
    How many vowels do you get for free in hangman?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    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.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    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.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      References

      1. ↑ https://parade.com/1021595/stephanieosmanski/virtual-games-to-play-over-zoom/
      2. ↑ https://sites.harding.edu/dsteil/170/class%20resources/labs/hangman.pdf
      3. ↑ https://parade.com/1021595/stephanieosmanski/virtual-games-to-play-over-zoom/
      4. ↑ https://sites.harding.edu/dsteil/170/class%20resources/labs/hangman.pdf
      5. ↑ https://parade.com/1021595/stephanieosmanski/virtual-games-to-play-over-zoom/
      6. ↑ https://sites.harding.edu/dsteil/170/class%20resources/labs/hangman.pdf
      7. ↑ https://parade.com/1021595/stephanieosmanski/virtual-games-to-play-over-zoom/
      8. ↑ https://parade.com/1021595/stephanieosmanski/virtual-games-to-play-over-zoom/
      9. ↑ http://www.lessonplanet.com/article/teacher-education/a-politically-correct-version-of-hangman
      1. ↑ https://www.theproblemsite.com/lesson-plans/general/games/hangman-variation-in-and-out
      2. ↑ https://education.jlab.org/vocabhangman/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To play Hangman, you’ll need at least 2 players. First, one player comes up with a word or phrase for the puzzle. That player draws a dash for each letter in the puzzle, leaving a space between words, then draws the gallows above the dashes. Now, the other player guesses letters one at a time that they think are in the secret word or phrase. If they guess right, the player who made the puzzle writes in the letter over any corresponding dashes. If they guess wrong, the player who made the puzzle draws a head hanging off of the gallows and writes down the incorrect letter for the guessing player to use as a reference. Each time the guessing player chooses a wrong letter, a new body part is added to the hangman. The hangman should consist of a head, a body, 2 arms, and 2 legs. If the guessing player correctly guesses the puzzle or fills in all of the letters before the hangman is complete, they win. If they don’t, the player who came up with the puzzle wins. Once a player wins, switch roles so that the guessing player from the previous round is now the player coming up with the puzzle. To learn how to play variations of basic Hangman, read on!

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