Guides

Hangman Guides

Everything around the game: how to play and run it, how to win it, where it came from, and how to use it well with a class or with English learners.

• How to Play HangmanA clear walkthrough of hangman for one player or a group: how to set up, take turns, count wrong guesses, and play online with a daily word or a friend.
• Hangman Rules and VariationsThe standard hangman rules plus common variations: miss limits, free vowels, phrases, category hints, free letters, timers, teams and whole-word guesses.
• Hangman Strategy for Guessers and SettersHangman strategy built on data from 15,000 common words: which letters to guess first by word length, when to switch, and how to pick hard words as setter.
• Hangman Letter FrequencyLetter frequency for hangman from 15,000 common words: the percent of words containing each of the 26 letters, and the best first guesses by word length.
• The History of HangmanWhat is documented about hangman's origins, how it spread in classrooms, and why some teachers now choose alternatives.
• Using Hangman in the ClassroomPractical ways to use hangman in grades K to 8: CVC words, spelling review, content vocabulary, team play and five-minute routines.
• Hangman for English LearnersHow to use hangman with English learners: letter names, spelling patterns, vocabulary recall, level-by-level ideas and common pitfalls.
• Alternatives to HangmanSnowman, rocket, flower and apple tree scoring, plus ghost, word ladder and bulls-and-cows-style games, and how to adapt hangman.
• Games Like HangmanWord-guessing and spelling games to play after hangman: ghost, word ladder, twenty questions, word chain, anagrams, spelling bee and more.
• How to Draw HangmanDraw the hangman in 10 steps, or use 6 and 8 stage versions with a pre-drawn gallows. Includes a snowman alternative that many teachers prefer.