Hangman

The well-known word guessing game Hangman is the perfect game to challenge you and your friends. Check out our 16 different lists and prove that you’re the smartest one!

✍️ July 11, 2024

A Guide to Hangman: How to Play the Classic Word Game

📖 Show Table of Contents 👻 Hide Table of Contents

🪑 How to Play Hangman
✍️ Hard Hangman Words List
🎃 Halloween Hangman Words List
🩷 Easy Hangman Words List
🪄 Harry Potter Hangman Words List
🐭 Disney Hangman Words List
💍 Lord of the Rings Hangman Words List
🪐 Star Wars Hangman Words List
🐲 Game of Thrones Hangman Words List
🧪 Science Hangman Words List
✝️ Bible Hangman Words List

Hangman is a paper-and-pen word game in which one player thinks of a secret word, and the other tries to guess it letter by letter. Each incorrect guess leads to drawing a part of a stick figure being ‘hanged’ until the entire figure is drawn, resulting in a loss.

The game can be played with any number of players and can be a fun way to pass time or challenge your vocabulary skills. It’s a great game for all ages and can even be an educational tool! In this guide, let’s review some tips and tricks on playing Hangman like a pro.

👉 If you want to know more about the word guessing game, check out our Charades article!

How to Play Hangman

The basic rules of Hangman are pretty simple. One player thinks of a word, phrase, or sentence, and the other player has to guess the right word by suggesting different letters. Here’s how to start:

1. Pick a Category

Before starting the game, decide on a category for the secret word. This can range from animals, countries, movies, or any other topic that all players are familiar with.

2. Draw the Gallows

On a piece of paper or a whiteboard, draw the gallows where the stick figure will be hanged. This should include a vertical line with an angled line branching off from it.

3. Decide who goes first

The first player thinks of a secret word and draws a blank line on the paper for each letter in the word. This is where the guessing player will write their letters.

4. Start Guessing

The second or other players then start guessing letters. If the letter is in the secret word, it is written on the corresponding blank space(s). If not, a body part of the stick figure is drawn.

> Tip: Always start guessing with vowels! And don’t forget that the letter “e” is the most common letter in the English language!

5. Keep Guessing!

The guessing player continues to guess letters until they either guess the entire word, or the stick figure is completely drawn. If the hangman is completed before the word is guessed, the guessing player loses.

Hard Hangman Words List

Here we collected the 12 hardest hangman words for your game. The first word is even the word that has statistically been proven to be the hardest word to guess in hangman.

Do you want to know the trick? Choose words with uncommon letterers, with just a few vowels, and with just a few different letters in it.

Jazz
Kiwifruit
Horror
Quiz
Rhythm
Cowboy
Zombie
Bookworm
Nymph
Jacuzzi
Zodiac
Whiskey
Quizzical
Crypt
Vortex
Hyphen
Jinxed
Boggle
Sphinx
Twelfth
Phlegm
Buzzard
Oxygen
Cacophony
Glitz
Glyph
Quixotic
Zephyr
Zigzag

Tip: If you want to come up with your own words try to avoid words with lots of vowels or with many different letters!

Halloween Hangman Words List

Halloween as the probably scariest day of the year is the favorite holiday of many people around the world. We collected 20+ scary and funny words for your hangman game to get you into the spirit of Halloween!

Midnight
Costume
Spooky
Nightmare
Haunted House
Supernatural
Poltergeist
Mausoleum
Gravestone
Warlock
Scare
Broomstick
Cemetery
Moonlight
Skeleton
Eyeballs
Phantom
Grim Reaper
Scream
Witchcraft
Hocus Pocus
Pumpkin
Macabre
Darkness
Eyepatch
Cauldron
Vampire
Werewolf
Goblin
Mummy
Potion
Cackle
Spellbook
Lantern
Ghoulish

Easy Hangman Words List

The following easy hangman words are for players who just started writing in English. So, they are ideal for playing with young children or if one of you even just started learning the language. These are basic English words, short and with a lot of vowels.

Pool
Mama
Egg
Fire
Arm
Sun
Dinner
Free
Horse
Book
Ice
Sea
Home
Cross
Funny
House
Bed
Door
Hair
Good
Rain
Drink
Eye
Blood
Dog
Cat
Moon
Star
Tree
Sky
Fish
Wind
Road
Leaf
Bird

Harry Potter Hangman Words List

It doesn’t matter if you belong to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or even Slytherin – you will love our following Harry Potter Hangman words! We guarantee that this game will bring you one step closer to your beloved Hogwarts.

Animagus
Hermione Granger
Death Eaters
Hufflepuff
Auror
Galleon
Slytherin
Basilisk
Werewolf
Pumpkin juice
Golden Snitch
Gryffindor
Basilisk
Patronus
Gringotts
Ravenclaw
Quidditch
Squib
Butterbeer
Goblet of Fire
Sorting Hat
Thestral
Hippogriff
Seeker
Mudblood
Expelliarmus
Godric’s Hollow
Expecto Patronum
Parselmouth
Beauxbatons Academy of Magic
Veritaserum
Tom Vorlost Riddle
Muffliato
Rictusempra
Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus
Cruciatus Curse
Broomstick Servicing Kit
Grimmauld Place
The Forbidden Forest
Marauder’s Map
Hogsmeade
Heir of Slytherin
History of Magic
Defence Against the Dark Arts
Riddikulus
Sectumsempra
Flourish and Blotts
Dervish and Banges
Metamorphmagus
Invisibility Cloak

Disney Hangman Words List

What would the world be without Disney? We wouldn’t have the chance to get fell in love with all those great stories, hear these catchy songs, or get to know our favorite characters.

Our lives would be without magic. Luckily, we don’t have to imagine these horror scenarios. And for all the Disney lovers out there, we provided two lists for you!

Cinderella
Simba
Stitch
Mulan
Arielle
Mickey Mouse
Bambi
Merida
Anna
Woody
Forky
Chip
Dumbo
Tinker Bell
Elsa
Aladdin
Muppets
Thor
Aurora
Goofy
Pluto
Hercules
Yoda
Olaf
Scar
Buzz Lightyear
Captain America
Beauty and the Beast
Peter Pan
Cheshire Cat
Winnie the Pooh
Mary Poppins
Maleficent
Mike Wazowski
Wall-E
Kylo Ren
Doc McStuffins
Snow White
Baymax
Donald Duck
Pocahontas
Lightning McQueen
Cruella De Vil
Pinocchio
Ant-Man
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Jafar
Captain Marvel
Jack Skellington
Daisy Duck

Lord of the Rings Hangman Words List

Originally published in the 1930s years, then turned in to three terrific movies in the early 2000s: The Lord of the Rings. This whole world made by J. R. R. Tolkien is probably the most famous high-fantasy universe so far.

Here are our Lord of the Rings hangman words!

The Mines of Moria
Boromir
Witch-king of Angmar
The Shire
Gandalf the White
Hobbits
Bilbo Baggins
My Precious
Gondor
Rose Gamdschie
Minas Morgul
Smaug
King of Rohan
Uruk-hai
Rohan
Tom Bombadil
Arwen
Common Tongue
Gollum
The Brandywine Bridge
Legolas
Anduin
Meriadoc Brandybuck
Gondor’s rivers
Saruman
Frodo Baggins
Rivendell
Elrond
Galadriel
The One Ring
Sauron
Balrog
Isengard
Fangorn Forest
Helm’s Deep
Faramir

Star Wars Hangman Words List

The following hangman words are from another beloved fictional universe: Star Wars. If you and your friends are really into the adventures of the characters from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away these hangman words are perfect for you!

Force
Jedi Academy
Death Star
Wookie
Rebel Alliance
Count Dooku
Lightsaber
Uncle Owen
Jabba
Obi-Wan Kenobi
General Grievous
Han Solo
Battledroid
Clone Wars
Ewoks
Stormtrooper
Jar Jar Binks
Darksaber
Princess Leia
Sand People
Darth Maul
Chewbacca
Millennium Falcon
Anakin Skywalker
Master Yoda
Mandalorian
Boba Fett
Tatooine
Kylo Ren
Padmé Amidala
Mace Windu
Coruscant
Qui-Gon Jinn
Lando Calrissian
Poe Dameron
Ahsoka Tano

Game of Thrones Hangman Words List

The HBO series Game of Thrones definitely changed TV history. With all the plot twists, the characters we loved and hated at the same time, the epic battles, and of course with all the sex scenes.

Unfortunately, the series is over, and to be honest the ending was kind of terrible. But if you’re still missing it, check out the two following list filled with great Game of Thrones hangman words for your game night.

Valyrian
The First Men
Red Wedding
Meereenese knot
The Night King
Kingslayer
The Night’s Watch
Castle Black
Rhaegal
Winter is coming
Olenna Tyrell
Winterfell
The Wildlings
Ramsay Bolton
Westeros
Highgarden
The Three-Eyed Raven
Khaleesi
Faceless Men
Cersei Baratheon
White Walkers
The Long Night
The Unsullied
Tormund Giantsbane
Hand of the King
Valar Morghulis
Battle of the Bastards
Children of the Forest
House Greyjoy
Rains of Castamere
The Iron Islands
Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains.
A Lannister always pays his debts
Battle of the Blackwater
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken
The Drowned God
Dragonglass
Sons of the Harpy
The night is dark and full of terrors
Casterly Rock
Valar Dohaeris
Lord of the Eyrie and Defender of the Vale
Oathkeeper
What is dead may never die
Vaes Dothrak
Myrcella Baratheon
Widow’s Wail
The free city of Braavos
Valyrian Steel
Forrester Greatsword

Science Hangman Words List

Maybe you’re a Science teacher or you’re working in a scientific place or you just have a crush on a really smart person. We don’t care why you need these complicated Science hangman words, but we’ve collected them for you!

Photosynthesis
Particle
Supermassive Black Hole
Formicidae
Chemistry
Milligram
Quantum Mechanics
Beryllium
Genetic Defect
Molecule
Coordinate System
Experiment
Ozone Layer
Neptunium
Red Giant
Deoxyribonucleic Acid
Unicellular
Organism
Atomic Nucleus
Hypothesis
Astronomy
Decimal Number
Quadrant
Microscope
Zoology
Electromagnetism
Evolution
Bioluminescence
Photosphere
Isotope
Endoplasmic Reticulum
Fossilization
Conduction
Polymerization
Radioactivity
Tectonic Plates
Correlation
Ecosystem
Vesicle
Chlorophyll
Acids and Bases

Bible Hangman Words List

Have you ever read the bible? It’s kind of hard. The holy bible is full of complicated terms, names, and cities.

And these words are perfect for playing hangman with your friends. It’s also great if you’re teaching religion and want your students to remember the biblical stories. Games are always a great way to learn new things!

Prophecy
Messiah
Bethlehem
The Last Supper
Gospel of Matthew
Advent
The Seven Deadly Sins
Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum
Archangel
Jericho
The Ten Commandments
The Mount of Olives
Resurrection
Kind Solomon
Book of Genesis
Hallelujah
Tabernacle
The Three Wise Men
The Garden of Eden
Altar
The Angel Gabriel
Damascus
Jesus
Bartholomew
The Twelve Apostles
Sermon on the Mount
Crucifixion
Virgin Mary
Armageddon
Pentecost
Noah’s Ark
David and Goliath
Paul the Apostle
The Beatitudes
Lazarus
King David
The Prodigal Son
The Burning Bush
The Ten Plagues
The Good Samaritan
The Proverbs
The Book of Revelation
The Lord’s Prayer
The Crucifixion
The Golden Calf
The Prophets
The Garden of Gethsemane
The Tower of Babel
The Resurrection of Lazarus
The Great Flood
The Serpent in the Garden of Eden
The Temptation of Christ

Hangman is a fun and entertaining game that can be enjoyed with friends and family. With these diverse lists of words from different fictional universes, as well as science and religion, you’ll never run out of options for your next hangman game night.

Hangman not only provides hours of entertainment, but it also helps improve vocabulary and spelling skills. So why not challenge yourself and your loved ones to a round of hangman using one of these word lists?