Hangman — Play Free Online
Hangman is the classic word-guessing game: one player thinks of a word, the other guesses letters one at a time, and each miss draws another part of the hangman. This free online version plays solo against the computer across 8 categories — animals, food, geography, science, sports, music, movies and technology — with 84 curated words, an optional hint for every word, a six-miss limit like the schoolyard standard, an on-screen keyboard plus physical keyboard play, and win/loss/streak stats saved in your browser. No download, no signup, no ads between rounds.
6 wrong guesses left
96 words across 8 categories, from common English vocabulary. Play with the on-screen letters or your physical keyboard — Enter starts a new round. More games: Solitaire, 2048, Minesweeper.
Quick Answer
Hangman is the classic word-guessing game: one player thinks of a word, the other guesses letters one at a time, and each miss draws another part of the hangman. This free online version plays solo against the computer across 8 categories — animals, food, geography, science, sports, music, movies and technology — with 84 curated words, an optional hint for every word, a six-miss limit like the schoolyard standard, an on-screen keyboard plus physical keyboard play, and win/loss/streak stats saved in your browser. No download, no signup, no ads between rounds.
How It Works
Pick a category — Animals, Food, Science, Sports and more — and the round starts instantly
Click letters on screen or type on your keyboard to reveal the hidden word
Complete the word within six misses, or reveal the hint to learn what the word means
Key Facts
- 96 hand-picked words across 8 categories, every one with a teaching hint you can reveal
- Classic six-miss rules: base, post, beam, rope, head, body, arms and legs
- On-screen keyboard with green hit / red miss coloring, or use your physical keyboard
- Category picker for focused practice — pick Science words for class, Sports for fun
- Wins, losses, current streak and best streak persist in your browser
- Works with keyboard-only navigation and on phones
- Completely free: no download, no account, no interruptions between rounds
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you play hangman?
You guess the hidden word one letter at a time. Click a letter (or press it on your keyboard): if it appears in the word, every instance is revealed; if not, one more part of the hangman drawing appears. You win by completing the word before six wrong guesses; you lose when the drawing is finished. Stuck words can be surrendered with a hint reveal — the hint explains the word without giving it away.
What are the rules of hangman with 6 misses?
The standard six-miss version draws, in order: the gallows base, the post, the beam, the rope, then the head and body with limbs as misses continue. This site follows that classic sequence — after the gallows is pre-drawn, you have six wrong letters before the figure is complete and the round is lost.
What are the best letters to guess first in hangman?
Frequency is your friend: E, A, R, I, O, T, N, S are the most common letters in English words, and vowels E and A usually unlock the most information. In longer words, common endings like -ING, -TION and -ED are worth testing early. If you allow the hint, it gives you the word’s meaning so you can guess from context instead.
Is hangman good for kids and classrooms?
Yes — hangman builds spelling, vocabulary and letter-pattern recognition, which is why teachers have used it for generations. The category picker lets you focus on school-friendly sets (Animals, Food, Geography, Science), every word is family-friendly, and the optional hint turns a stuck round into a vocabulary lesson instead of a loss.
Do I need to download anything to play?
No. The game runs entirely in your browser — click a category and play. There is no app, no account, and nothing to install, and it works on phones, tablets, Chromebooks and desktops. Your win statistics are stored locally in your own browser.
How many words and categories are there?
96 words across 8 categories: Animals, Food, Geography, Science, Sports, Music, Movies and Technology. Each round picks a random word from your chosen category and avoids repeating the word you just played. The pool is curated — common enough to be fair, interesting enough to teach a little something with every hint.