Hangman Online

The classic letter-guessing word game with a friendly twist: instead of the traditional drawing, every wrong guess lets one balloon float away. Find the answer before the last one is gone.

How to play Hangman Online

• A hidden word or phrase is shown as blank spaces, one per letter. The category tells you what kind of answer to look for.
• Pick a letter. If it is in the answer, every copy of it is filled in. If not, one balloon drifts away.
• Fill in the whole answer to win. If all your balloons float away first, the round is over and the answer is revealed.
• Stuck? Press Hint to reveal one hidden letter. Each hint costs one balloon, so hints are only available while you have at least two left.
• Choose a category (or Random mix) and how many balloons you start with: 10, 8 or 6. Fewer balloons earn a bigger score bonus.

Controls

• Tap or click the letter buttons below the word.
• On a keyboard, type any letter A–Z to guess it. Press ? to use a hint.
• Use New word to skip to a fresh answer at any time.

Tips

• Start with common vowels like E, A and O, then try frequent consonants such as T, N, S and R.
• In phrases, short words are often easy wins: a two-letter gap is frequently "of", "in" or "to".
• Save hints for the end, when one letter can unlock the rest of the answer.

FAQ

Why balloons instead of the usual drawing?

We wanted a calm, family-friendly look, so this version counts your remaining guesses with a bunch of balloons. The rules are the same as the classic pencil-and-paper game.

What are good hangman words?

Short words with rare letters and few vowels are the hardest to guess, such as JAZZ, QUIZ, LYNX, FJORD or RHYTHM. Long words full of common letters like E, T, A and S are easier. This game picks the words for you from 12 categories, so everyone can play.

How is the score worked out?

Winning scores points for each different letter in the answer, plus a bonus for every balloon left. Hints reduce the score a little, and starting with fewer balloons adds a bonus.

Will I see the same word again soon?

The game remembers the answers you played recently in this browser and avoids repeating them until you have worked through much of the list.