Hangman: the classic word guessing game, free online
Play Hangman online for free with a twist: instead of a gallows, a little ninja hangs from glowing paper lanterns above a moonlit koi pond. Guess the secret word letter by letter. Every wrong letter lets one lantern drift away, and if they all go, splash! Choose from 32 categories and three levels, play the daily word, or send your own secret word to a friend as a link. Works with a tap on phones and with the keyboard on PC.
How to play Hangman
- Look at the blanks: each one is a letter of the secret word, and the category gives you a clue.
- Tap a letter on the keyboard or type it on your computer keyboard.
- Correct letters appear in every position where they occur in the word.
- Each wrong letter makes one lantern float away; lose them all and the ninja falls in the pond.
- Fill in the whole word before the last lantern is gone to win and grow your streak.
Below the word you can see your wrong letters crossed out, and the keyboard keeps track of everything you have tried: orange keys are in the word, faded keys are not. The lantern counter at the top shows how many mistakes you can still afford. When only one or two lanterns are left, the ninja starts kicking nervously, so think carefully!
Levels and categories
| Level | Lanterns | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 8 | Shorter words (up to 7 letters) from the chosen category |
| Normal | 6 | Any word from the chosen category |
| Hard | 6 | Longer words of 6+ letters; with "Any category" you get mystery words with no clue at all |
| Daily | 6 | One shared word per day, with its category shown |
The game remembers the last words you played and avoids repeating them, so you can play for a long time without seeing the same word twice.
Send a secret word to a friend
Hangman began as a game for two: one person thinks of a word and the other guesses. You can play it that way here too. Tap the envelope, type any word from 3 to 14 letters and, if you like, a clue such as "my favourite food". The game creates a link with the word scrambled inside it. When your friend opens the link, the game starts straight away with your word, and at the end they can share how many lanterns they had left. It is a fun way to send a birthday wish, a riddle or an inside joke.
Winning strategy
- Open with vowels. Almost every English word has an A, E, I or O. Guessing E first is right more often than any other letter.
- Then play the strong consonants: R, S, T, N and L. Together with the vowels they cover a large share of all letters in typical words.
- Use the length. Long words almost always contain several vowels and common endings such as -ING, -ER, -TION or -NESS.
- Look at the pattern. When you see _ _ A _ _, think of words in the category that fit, then guess the letter that appears in most of them.
- Save hints for the end. A hint costs a lantern, the same as a wrong guess, so it is best used when two or three letters remain and you are unsure.
- Avoid rare letters early. J, Q, X and Z are rarely right. Guess them only when the pattern clearly needs them.
English letter frequency
Not all letters are equal. In the words of a typical English dictionary, the most common letters are roughly in this order:
| Group | Letters | Use them |
|---|---|---|
| Very common | E, A, R, I, O, T, N, S | First guesses |
| Common | L, C, U, D, P, M, H, G | Once the vowels are known |
| Less common | B, F, Y, W, K, V | When the pattern suggests them |
| Rare | X, Z, J, Q | Only when you are fairly sure |
Hangman in the classroom
Hangman is one of the most popular spelling games for schools. It practises letter-sound knowledge, spelling patterns and topic vocabulary, and children love the suspense of the last lantern. Pick a category that matches the lesson, such as weather, the human body or transport, and play together on the board. With the friend link, a teacher can also send this week's spelling word to the whole class. Our lantern version avoids the gloomy gallows picture, which makes it suitable for younger players.
Looking for more word fun? Try Word Search, the five-letter puzzle Ninja Wordly, or learn to type with Typing Dojo.
A short history of Hangman
The origins of Hangman are uncertain. A game called "Birds, Beasts and Fishes" is described in Alice Bertha Gomme's The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1894): a player writes the first and last letters of an animal's name and the others guess the letters in between. The pencil-and-paper game with a drawn figure became a schoolroom favourite in the twentieth century and later appeared in early computer games and television quiz shows such as Wheel of Fortune, which is built on the same idea of guessing letters in a hidden phrase.
Frequently asked questions
Is this Hangman game free?
Yes. Util.Ninja Hangman is free to play in any browser on phones, tablets and computers. There is nothing to download and no account to create.
How many wrong guesses do I get?
On Normal and Hard you have six lanterns, so you can make five wrong guesses and lose on the sixth. Easy gives you eight lanterns and shorter words.
What is the daily word?
Every day there is one new word that every player gets. You have one try, and your result is saved on your device. Share your lantern row with friends without giving away the word.
How do I send my own word to a friend?
Tap the envelope button, type a secret word and an optional clue, then copy or share the link. The word is scrambled inside the link, so your friend cannot simply read it, and the game opens straight into your challenge.
What does the Hint button do?
A hint reveals one hidden letter, usually a consonant, but it costs one lantern. You cannot use a hint on your last lantern.
Can I use my keyboard?
Yes. On a computer you can type letters directly. Press Enter on the result screen to start the next word.
What are the categories?
There are 32 categories, including animals, food, space, sports, music and jobs, plus Mystery words on Hard: common English words with no category shown.
Why is the game about lanterns instead of a gallows?
The traditional drawing of a hanged man is a bit grim, especially for children. Our version keeps the classic rules but swaps the gallows for a little ninja floating on lanterns, so it is friendly for classrooms and families.
Is Hangman good for learning English?
Yes. Hangman trains spelling, letter frequency and vocabulary, and the categories make it easy to practise one topic at a time. Teachers often use it as a warm-up game.
Which letters should I guess first?
The most common letters in English words are E, A, R, I, O, T, N and S. Starting with two vowels and then R, S, T or N reveals most of the word's shape quickly.