What is Hangman?
Hangman is a word-guessing game I often used to play as a child. In the game, one player thinks of a word, and the other player tries to guess it by suggesting letters. The word is initially represented by dashes, and incorrect guesses result in the gradual drawing of a stick figure.
Learn how to play this game in just a few simple steps.
| Number of players | 2 |
| Game length | 5 minutes |
| Game difficulty | Easy |
| What you need to play | Pen and paper |
Object of the Game
The objective of Hangman is, I think, about as straightforward as it gets. Guess the mystery word letter by letter before the stick figure drawing is completed. Each incorrect guess brings the player one step closer to losing the game.
Setting up the Game
- Have one player select a word for the other to guess. This person can be referred to as the “word setter.”
- Draw a simple gallows with a noose at the top. This will serve as a visual representation of the hangman’s progress. Leave space for the head, body, arms, and legs of the stick figure. If the idea of hanging someone is not too your taste, perhaps try drawing a praying man instead.
- Draw a series of underscores on the paper to represent the letters of the word. For example, if the word is “Classic,” draw seven underscores: “_ _ _ _ _ _ _”.
Playing Hangman
The player who goes first guesses a letter of the alphabet that they think might be in the word.
If the guessed letter is in the word, the word setter will reveal all instances of that letter in the word. For example, if the letter is “A,” and the word is “Classic,” the word setter will reveal the letter “A” in the third positions: “_ _ A _ _ _ _”.
If the guessed letter is not in the word, the word setter starts drawing the hangman. For each incorrect guess, they add a body part to the gallows until the hangman is complete.
The game continues with each player taking turns guessing letters until the word is completely revealed (usually, this requires 8 steps), or the hangman is fully drawn.
Winning the game
If the players guess the word before the hangman is drawn, they win! Otherwise, if the entire hangman is drawn (usually, 8 steps are required to complete the drawing), the game is lost.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, players can choose any word they like to play Hangman. However, it’s important to agree on a set of rules or categories to ensure that the word chosen is fair and not too difficult for the guessing player.
Good strategies involve starting with common letters (like vowels) and gradually working through the alphabet. Players often keep track of guessed and missed letters to make educated guesses.
If you want to make it difficult for your opponent to guess your word, choose a word that is uncommon or which has many less common letters in it. Perhaps something like “Quizzical”!
Yes, it can be adapted to different languages by selecting words or phrases from the chosen language’s vocabulary.
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