Hangman Words

The hardest hangman words

We tested 651 words to see which are hardest to guess. A computer player guessed each one the way a strong player does: it knows how many letters the word has, and each turn it picks the letter that appears in the most English words still possible, given the letters found and the letters ruled out. We counted the wrong guesses it needed to finish. Its dictionary was the word list that comes with macOS and many Linux systems, taken from Webster’s Second International: 210,870 words once names are left out, so it knows plenty of rare words too.

These are the words that needed the most. With the usual six wrong guesses, every one of them would beat this player:

A 2010 analysis by Jon McLoone of Wolfram Research came to a similar conclusion, with jazz, buzz, fizz and fuzz among the hardest words. To play against these words yourself, choose Tricky words in the game.

Why short words are harder

It feels as if a long word should be harder, but the test says the opposite:

A long word has many letters, so almost every guess finds one, and each letter found rules out most of the dictionary. A three-letter word gives almost nothing away: _OO_ could be book, cook, hook, look, took or wood, and a guesser can only try them one letter at a time. That is why book needed 14 wrong guesses and fox 16.

Some famous “hard” words are not hard at all: rhythm needed 5, sphinx 5, jukebox 4, xylophone 2 and yacht only 1. Once a few letters are in, there is only one word they can be.

How to choose a hard word

• Keep it short: three or four letters.
• Use rare letters: J, Q, X, Z, V and K are among the last letters most people try.
• Repeat a letter: jazz and buzz have only three different letters, so there are fewer to find and more ways to miss.
• Pick a pattern that fits many words: _ _ _ E or _ O O _ leaves the guesser with dozens of choices.

To make the game easier instead, for young children for example, do the opposite: long, familiar words with common letters.

Funny hangman words

Long, silly words are easy to guess but fun to watch appear, and the big reveal usually gets a laugh:

bamboozle, balderdash, brouhaha, cattywampus, collywobbles, dillydally, doodad, doohickey, flabbergasted, flibbertigibbet, gobbledygook, gobsmacked, hobnob, hodgepodge, hoopla, hootenanny, hullabaloo, kerfuffle, lollygag, nincompoop, persnickety, rigmarole, shenanigans, skedaddle, thingamajig, whippersnapper, wishy-washy, mumbo-jumbo, hocus-pocus, topsy-turvy, hunky-dory, higgledy-piggledy, pipsqueak, fiddlesticks, scallywag, hornswoggle, bumfuzzle, rapscallion, hubbub, gizmo

Play funny words

Hangman phrases

Everyday sayings make good rounds for adults and older children. With the spaces shown, the short words (A, THE, OF) come quickly and the rest follows:

piece of cake, break a leg, once in a blue moon, under the weather, spill the beans, hit the sack, cost an arm and a leg, better late than never, call it a day, easy as pie, time flies, back to square one, beat around the bush, burn the midnight oil, cut corners, hang in there, it takes two to tango, let the cat out of the bag, miss the boat, no pain no gain, on the ball, pull someone's leg, so far so good, the best of both worlds, when pigs fly, raining cats and dogs, actions speak louder than words, a blessing in disguise, every cloud has a silver lining, add insult to injury, the early bird catches the worm, don't judge a book by its cover, practice makes perfect, two heads are better than one

Play phrases

Easy hangman words for kids

For young children, choose short, familiar words they can read and spell, and allow more wrong guesses. These are the words in hangman for kids, where balloons pop instead of drawing a hangman:

Animals

cat, dog, cow, pig, hen, duck, frog, fish, bird, bear, lion, goat, sheep, horse, mouse, zebra, tiger, monkey, rabbit, turtle

Food

apple, bread, milk, egg, cake, pizza, rice, soup, jam, pear, grape, banana, cheese, cookie, carrot, honey, plum, lemon

Colors

red, blue, green, yellow, pink, purple, orange, brown, black, white, gold, silver

Toys

ball, doll, kite, blocks, train, robot, puzzle, teddy, drum, bike, boat, crayon, slide, swing, yoyo

At home

bed, chair, table, door, lamp, sofa, cup, spoon, bath, soap, clock, window, pillow, blanket, towel

My body

hand, foot, nose, eyes, ears, mouth, knee, hair, teeth, arm, leg, toes, thumb, chin, neck

Outside

sun, moon, star, tree, rain, snow, cloud, flower, grass, leaf, rainbow, river, hill, park, sand

Hangman words by topic

Each topic below is a category in the game, where it is split into Easy, Medium and Hard using the test above.

Animals

lion, tiger, zebra, giraffe, elephant, monkey, panda, koala, kangaroo, rabbit, squirrel, beaver, otter, wolf, fox, bear, moose, deer, camel, hippo, rhino, cheetah, leopard, gorilla, penguin, owl, eagle, parrot, turtle, frog

Play animals hangman

Food

pizza, pasta, bread, cheese, butter, salad, soup, burger, taco, noodles, rice, pancake, waffle, cookie, muffin, bagel, donut, omelet, sandwich, sushi, curry, pretzel, popcorn, yogurt, honey, cereal, gravy, pie, cake, candy

Play food hangman

Fruit and vegetables

apple, banana, cherry, grape, lemon, mango, orange, peach, pear, plum, kiwi, melon, papaya, lime, apricot, carrot, potato, tomato, onion, pepper, celery, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, pumpkin, cucumber, radish, garlic, lettuce, peas

Play fruit and vegetables hangman

Ocean

whale, dolphin, shark, octopus, squid, crab, lobster, shrimp, seal, walrus, coral, reef, wave, tide, sand, shell, starfish, jellyfish, seaweed, oyster, clam, eel, stingray, turtle, anchor, island, lagoon, current, seahorse, plankton

Play ocean hangman

Space

planet, star, moon, sun, comet, asteroid, galaxy, orbit, rocket, astronaut, meteor, nebula, mercury, venus, earth, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune, eclipse, crater, gravity, telescope, satellite, cosmos, shuttle, alien, spacesuit, launch

Play space hangman

Weather

rain, snow, sleet, hail, wind, storm, thunder, lightning, cloud, fog, mist, sunshine, rainbow, tornado, hurricane, blizzard, drizzle, frost, humid, breeze, drought, flood, shower, gust, climate, forecast, heat, cold, icicle, monsoon

Play weather hangman

Sports

soccer, tennis, golf, hockey, baseball, football, rugby, cricket, boxing, karate, skiing, surfing, rowing, cycling, swimming, diving, archery, fencing, bowling, running, volleyball, skating, sailing, polo, judo, lacrosse, badminton, wrestling, basketball, softball

Play sports hangman

Jobs

doctor, nurse, teacher, chef, pilot, farmer, baker, dentist, lawyer, judge, plumber, builder, police, firefighter, artist, writer, singer, dancer, actor, clerk, sailor, tailor, barber, banker, cashier, engineer, mechanic, vet, librarian, scientist

Play jobs hangman

School

pencil, eraser, ruler, book, notebook, backpack, crayon, marker, paper, desk, chair, class, teacher, lunch, recess, homework, library, science, math, history, spelling, glue, scissors, calculator, globe, map, test, grade, chalk, locker

Play school hangman

Countries

canada, mexico, brazil, chile, peru, france, spain, italy, germany, greece, norway, sweden, poland, egypt, kenya, nigeria, india, china, japan, korea, vietnam, thailand, australia, ireland, portugal, morocco, iceland, cuba, nepal, argentina

Play countries hangman

Music

piano, guitar, violin, cello, drums, flute, trumpet, harp, banjo, ukulele, tuba, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, trombone, melody, rhythm, tempo, chord, note, song, choir, band, concert, opera, jazz, blues, lyrics, beat, orchestra

Play music hangman

Nature

tree, flower, leaf, root, branch, forest, river, lake, mountain, valley, meadow, desert, canyon, waterfall, pebble, rock, moss, fern, blossom, seed, acorn, pine, oak, maple, willow, creek, hill, cave, bush, grass

Play nature hangman

Autumn

leaves, acorn, pumpkin, harvest, apple, cider, sweater, scarf, maple, squirrel, hayride, bonfire, scarecrow, october, november, rake, chestnut, crisp, gourd, orchard, pie, cinnamon, breeze, corn, boots, jacket, owl, fog, walnut, feast

Play autumn hangman

Halloween

pumpkin, ghost, witch, broomstick, cauldron, spider, skeleton, zombie, vampire, mummy, werewolf, bat, candy, costume, mask, treat, trick, lantern, haunted, spooky, candle, cat, owl, moon, graveyard, cobweb, potion, monster, goblin, scarecrow

Play halloween hangman

Thanksgiving

turkey, pilgrim, mayflower, plymouth, wampanoag, harvest, feast, thankful, grateful, family, friends, dinner, table, november, parade, football, cranberry, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, pumpkin, pie, pecan, cornucopia, squash, yams, rolls, casserole, gourd, acorn, autumn, leaves, wishbone, cider, tradition

Play thanksgiving hangman

Christmas

santa, reindeer, sleigh, elf, present, gift, stocking, chimney, snowman, snowflake, ornament, tinsel, wreath, holly, mistletoe, gingerbread, cookies, carol, bells, star, angel, tree, lights, ribbon, fireplace, eggnog, mittens, jolly, toys, workshop, nutcracker, poinsettia, december, candle, merry

Play christmas hangman

Want to play one of these with a friend? Pick a list at the top of the page, press New word, then Play it on screen to open it in two-player hangman. Or pick a word and play the old way, with pencil and paper.