Hangman is the classic word-guessing game where you reveal a hidden word one letter at a time. Each wrong guess adds a body part to the figure; each correct guess reveals every instance of that letter in the word. You win by guessing the word before the figure is complete (six wrong letters in our version). The mechanic is simple, but the skill is in choosing letters that test the most unknowns at once. Free in your browser, no sign-up. Works offline once the page has loaded.
Goal: guess the hidden word before six wrong letters complete the figure.
Difficulty controls the word length and obscurity, not the number of guesses.
| Level | Word length | Vocabulary | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 3–5 letters | Common words | Kids, first-timers |
| Medium | 5–7 letters | Everyday vocabulary | The standard round |
| Hard | 7+ letters | Less common words | Players testing letter-frequency strategy |
Hangman appears in print in Victorian England — the earliest documented version is in Alice Bertha Gomme's Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1894), where she calls it Birds, Beasts, and Fishes. The figure-on-gallows visual that gave the modern game its name appears in various forms throughout the 20th century, becoming standardised through schoolyard play. Most digital versions, including ours, use a six-wrong-guess limit and the standard stick-figure progression.
This Hangman runs in your browser — free, no download, no sign-up. Three difficulty levels with separate word lists. Install as an app on your phone or computer; once installed it works offline. Statistics track your win rate per difficulty.
Six. Each wrong letter adds a body part to the figure (head, body, two arms, two legs). Six wrong letters complete the figure and end the round. The word-length and difficulty don't change the wrong-guess limit.
E — it is the most common letter in English. After E, the strongest openers are A, R, I, O, T, N, S, L. Hitting four of these vowels and consonants typically reveals enough of the word to guess the rest. Save Q, J, X, Z for late in the round, only when the pattern strongly suggests them.
Yes. If a word contains two of the same letter, both are revealed when you guess that letter once. So guessing L when the word is LITTLE reveals both Ls in one move.
Word length and vocabulary obscurity change, but the six-wrong-guess limit stays the same. Easy uses common 3–5 letter words; Medium uses 5–7 letter everyday vocabulary; Hard uses 7+ letter less-common words. The harder lists reward letter-frequency strategy more than the easier ones.
The game appears in print in Victorian England — the earliest documented version is in Alice Bertha Gomme's Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1894), under the name Birds, Beasts, and Fishes. The gallows-figure visual that gave the modern game its name became standard through 20th-century schoolyard play.