Hangman

How to play

A word is hidden and you know only its category and how many letters it has. Pick a letter and every place it appears is revealed. A letter that is not in the word costs one of your six lives and draws another piece of the gallows. Reveal the whole word to win and extend your streak, or lose a life too many and the word is shown. Use a keyboard or tap the letters below.

Tips

• Open with the vowels E, A and O. Almost every English word contains at least one of them.
• Then try R, S, T, L and N. Those five appear in more words than the rest of the alphabet combined.
• Use the category. The same pattern means very different things for an animal and for a country.
• Count the gaps rather than guessing wildly. A short word rules out most of the long letter groups.
• Once you see a common ending like ING or TION, spend a guess confirming it rather than on a rare letter.

Letter frequency, the only strategy

Hangman is a game about the statistics of English. Some letters appear in far more words than others, and a guess of a common letter reveals more on average than a guess of a rare one. E is the most common letter in English, followed by T, A, O, I and N. Vowels are especially valuable early because almost every word contains at least one, and knowing where the vowels sit usually exposes the word's shape.

The category is the other half. The same pattern of blanks and letters means very different things if the word is an animal or a country, and using that constraint is what separates a good player from a lucky one. Six wrong guesses lose the word; a win extends your streak.

Guessing in the right order

• Vowels first: E, A, O, then I. Nearly every word has one, and they reveal the skeleton.
• Then R, S, T, L, N. Those five consonants appear in more words than the rest of the alphabet combined.
• Use the word length. A four letter word rules out most of the long endings before you guess a thing.
• Once you see a fragment like ING or TION, confirm the rest of it rather than spending a guess on a rare letter.
• The category is a clue, not decoration. Think of words in that category that fit the pattern before guessing blind.

Common questions

Which letters should I guess first?

The vowels E, A, O and I, then R, S, T, L and N. Those appear in more English words than any others.

How many wrong guesses am I allowed?

Six. The gallows is drawn one part at a time, so the drawing is the life counter.

Can I type letters?

Yes. A keyboard works, or tap the letters on screen.