Hangman facts for kids

A game of Hangman being played; the answer is Wikipedia.

Hangman is a fun guessing game you can play with friends using just paper and a pencil! It's a game where one person thinks of a secret word, phrase, or sentence. The other players then try to guess it, one letter at a time. It's a great way to test your vocabulary and spelling skills.

How to Play Hangman

Playing Hangman is easy and only needs a few simple steps. You can play with two or more people.

Setting Up the Game

First, one player secretly chooses a word, phrase, or sentence. This person is the "puzzle master." They then draw a dash for each letter in their secret word. For example, if the word is "cat," they would draw three dashes: `_ _ _`. They also draw a gallows, which is a simple drawing of an upright post with a crossbar.

Guessing Letters

The other players take turns guessing letters. They call out one letter at a time.

• If the guessed letter is in the secret word, the puzzle master writes that letter on all the correct dashes. For example, if the word is "apple" and someone guesses "p," the puzzle master would fill in: `_ p p _ _`.
• If the guessed letter is not in the word, the puzzle master draws one part of a "hanged man" stick figure on the gallows. This is like a tally mark, showing how many wrong guesses have been made.

What Happens Next

Players keep guessing letters. Each correct guess helps fill in the word. Each wrong guess adds another part to the stick figure.

Winning the Game

The game can end in two ways:

• Guessing the Word: The guessing players win if they figure out the entire word or phrase before the stick figure is fully drawn. They can guess the whole word at any time.
• Completing the Figure: The puzzle master wins if the stick figure is fully drawn before the other players guess the word. The stick figure usually has about six to ten parts, like a head, body, arms, and legs.

Hangman in Pop Culture

Hangman has inspired other popular games. For example, the famous television game show Wheel of Fortune is based on the idea of Hangman. In Wheel of Fortune, players spin a large wheel to earn money and prizes, then use those earnings to guess letters in a puzzle, similar to Hangman.