Play hangman in class
Guess the word letter by letter, with the whole class at once. English words at three levels, large enough for the whiteboard. No account, no adverts, play straight away.
How it works
Pick a level
Short words, longer words or tricky words. The level decides how long the words are, from short four-letter words up to words like DICTIONARY.
Guess a letter
Type a letter on the keyboard or tap it on the board. If the letter is in the word it takes its place. If it is not, another part of the gallows is drawn.
Six chances
After six wrong letters the drawing is finished and the round is over. The word then appears, so the class learns it anyway.
Next word
New word starts the next round. The words are shuffled each time, so two classes never get the same run.
The three levels
Short words are words of four or five letters, such as TREE, MILK and HOUSE. They suit the youngest classes and any class still learning the game.
Longer words are words of six to eight letters, such as RABBIT and CASTLE. Here pupils have to think about which sounds go together.
Tricky words are long words, such as BUTTERFLY and DICTIONARY. These work well from around age nine, and best when pairs talk it over before anyone guesses.
Hangman as a language lesson
Hangman looks like a game, but it practises what a language lesson is for: listening for sounds, putting letters in the right place and recognising a word from part of it.
Ask the class to say out loud why they pick a letter. "There is a T already, so an E might follow." That conversation is worth more than the guessing.
Start a round with the vowels and pupils quickly see how a word is built. Or rule the vowels out and the game becomes much harder at once.
With the whole class
Put the board full screen and let pupils take turns choosing a letter. The rest of the class thinks along but may not call out.
It works in two teams as well: each team guesses in turn, and the team that finishes the word takes the point. The game keeps count of the chances left.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account?
No. Hangman opens straight away and works without signing in.
Can I use my own words?
Not yet. For now you play with our word lists. Your own lists per class are still on our list.
Which words are in it?
English words, chosen by reading level. Single words only, with no hyphen or space, and always words pupils meet in their own world.
Can the class type along?
Yes. Every letter on the keyboard works, and on a touchscreen you tap the letters on the board. Both at once is fine.
Is hangman available in Dutch and German too?
Yes. Dutch and German have word lists of their own, so they are real words in that language rather than translations of the English list. Switch languages with the button in the top corner.
Other tools
- Timer
Timer and stopwatch with large digits and a sound at the end.
- Whiteboard
Write and draw on the board, with markers, an eraser and lines or squares.
- Times table practice
Type the answer to a times table sum and find out straight away. You choose the tables yourself, from 1 to 12.
- Mental maths practice
Type the answer to an addition or subtraction sum and find out straight away. You choose the kinds of sum yourself.