How to play Hangman

Hangman is a classic word game that’s been around for over a century. All you need to play is a pen and paper, or you can play it online. Chances are, you’ve played hangman before at some point in your life. But just in case you need a refresher, here’s how to play hangman.

How to Play Hangman

To play the traditional version of hangman, all you need is a pen or pencil and a piece of paper.

Step 1: Choose a Word

One player secretly thinks of a word and then draws a blank space for each letter in the word. Now the game can begin.

Step 2: Guess One Letter at a Time

The other player then guesses one letter at a time. If they guess a letter that is in the word, it is filled in on the correct blank space.

Step 3: Draw the Hanging Man

For each incorrect guess, one part of the hangman drawing is added. It usually starts with the base of the gallows, followed by a vertical post, a horizontal beam, and a short hanging line. After that, the stick figure is drawn in stages: head, body, arms, and legs.

Step 4: Continue Until Win or Lose

The game continues until either the full word is guessed correctly, in which case the guesser wins, or the hangman drawing is completed, in which case the guesser loses.

How to Play Hearts Hangman

Now you know how the traditional hangman game is played, here’s how to play hangman online on HeartsHangman.com. The core idea is the same: guess the word before you run out of lives. But instead of drawing a stick figure, you start with a set number of hearts. Each incorrect guess removes one heart. If you lose all your hearts, the game ends.

There are three ways to play hangman on HeartsHangman.com:

1. Custom Game

Create your own hangman game by entering any word or phrase you like. This is a great option if you’re a teacher and want to review specific keywords or phrases with your students. It’s also useful for practicing spelling on your own or challenging friends with custom words.
Create your own custom hangman game.

2. Play by Topic

Choose a game from one of our themed categories, like vocabulary, movies, geography, music, or sports. Each game includes a full set of words related to the topic. Just pick one and start guessing.
View all topics.

3. Play With Random Words

If you want to play without entering your own words or choosing a topic, you can try a game with a randomly selected word. A word or phrase will be chosen from any of our categories. It could be anything from a movie title to a country name. Be careful, this one can be quite a challenge.
Play with a random word.