Hangman

How to play Hangman

A hidden word is chosen and shown as a row of blanks — one per letter. Pick letters one at a time: correct guesses fill in every matching blank, while wrong guesses draw one more part of the stick figure. Reveal the whole word before the drawing is complete (six wrong guesses) to win. Each round shows the word's category as a hint.

Winning strategy

• Start with vowels. Nearly every English word contains E, A, O or I — clear those first to expose the word's skeleton.
• Follow letter frequency. After vowels, the most common consonants are T, N, S, R, H and L. Working down this list beats random guessing.
• Use patterns. A blank ending in "_NG" is probably ING; "Q" is almost always followed by U; a three-letter word starting with T is often THE.
• Mind the category. The hint dramatically narrows the possibilities — a 6-letter ANIMAL beginning with M invites MONKEY before anything else.

A classic with history

Paper-and-pencil versions of Hangman date back to Victorian England. It has survived every technology shift since — from chalkboards to smartphones — because the core loop of deduction under pressure never gets old. It's also a sneaky-good vocabulary builder for students and language learners.