Hangman
Six wrong guesses and it's over. Choose your letters wisely.
How to play hangman
Hangman is the classic guess-the-word game. A hidden word is shown as blanks; you guess one letter at a time. Correct letters fill in their spots, and each wrong guess draws another part of the figure. Solve the word before six wrong guesses end the game.
Hangman strategy: how to win more often
With only six wrong guesses, every letter counts — so spend them on the letters most likely to appear. In English, the vowel E shows up more than any other letter, followed by A, O, I, and U. Because almost every word contains at least one vowel, opening with two or three vowels is a low-risk way to reveal the word's skeleton before you commit guesses to consonants.
Once a few letters are showing, switch from frequency to pattern reading. The length of the word and the position of the blanks usually narrow it to a small set of candidates. A reliable consonant order to try next is R, S, T, N, L, then D, C, M. Watch for structural clues that give away letters cheaply: a final letter is very often E, S, D, or Y; double letters near the end are usually -LL, -SS, -EE, or -OO; and a letter right after Q is almost always U.
A few habits that save guesses:
- Lead with vowels to map the shape of the word, then attack consonants.
- Choose each new guess from the revealed pattern, not a fixed letter list.
- Think about word endings (
-ING,-ED,-TION,-LY) once the tail appears. - Hold rare letters (J, Q, X, Z) until the pattern really points to them.
This hangman also adapts to you: solve words comfortably and the difficulty rises, serving longer, less common words; miss a few and it eases back, so you're always practicing at the right level.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play hangman?
A secret word is hidden as a row of blanks. You guess letters one at a time: right guesses reveal where that letter appears, and wrong guesses count against you. You win by revealing the whole word before the drawing is complete.
How many wrong guesses do you get in hangman?
Six. Each wrong letter adds one part to the figure — head, body, two arms, and two legs — and the sixth wrong guess ends the game.
What is a good strategy for hangman?
Start with common vowels (E, A, O) and frequent consonants (R, S, T, N, L), then use the revealed letters and the word length to narrow down likely words.
Is hangman free to play here?
Yes. It's free and runs in your browser with no account or download.