Hangman — rules, scoring, and how to play with a group
Hangman is a word-guessing game in which one word is hidden behind blank tiles and players take turns guessing single letters, with every wrong guess adding a piece to a drawing and a limited number of wrong guesses before the word is lost.
- Players
- 2–10 players
- Length
- ~10 minutes
- Type
- Brain game
- Type
- Relaxed
Runs in your browser · no download · no account
Hangman has one design problem as a party game: it is built for two people. One person knows the word, one person guesses, and everybody else watches. This version fixes that by passing the phone. Players take turns one letter at a time, and the letter you land is worth a point to you, so the person three seats away is not a spectator — they are waiting for their turn and quietly praying nobody takes the E first.
There are two ways to get a word. vs Phone pulls from 1,100+ words and phrases across 14 categories and tells you the category as your clue. Setter mode hands the phone to one player behind a pass-the-phone screen, where they type a word on a keyboard the app draws itself — no system keyboard, which means no autocorrect banner quietly showing the answer to the person leaning over their shoulder.
The scoring is what turns it from a drawing game into a competitive one. A correct letter is a point, finishing the word is three, and in Setter mode a word nobody cracks pays the setter three. That last rule is the one that makes people choose their words carefully rather than reaching for something unguessable.
Hangman is part of
What you need
- One phone, passed around the circle
- 2 to 10 players
- About 10 minutes
- No paper — the gallows draws itself
How to play Hangman
Choose vs Phone, where the app picks a word and shows you its category, or Setter, where one player types a word in secret behind a pass-the-phone screen.
The word appears as blank tiles — spaces and punctuation are already filled in, so you can see how many words you are up against.
Players take the phone in turn and tap ONE letter each from the on-screen keyboard. Letters you have already tried stay on screen, green for a hit and red for a miss.
A correct letter is +1 to whoever tapped it. Every miss draws another piece of the gallows — six pieces by default, eight if you want mercy.
Think you have it? "Guess the word" takes a swing at the whole thing for +3. Get it wrong and it costs you a body part like any other miss.
The 💡 hint reveals the clue for −1 to the player who taps it. In Setter mode there are no hints — the setter never left one.
Finish the word and the person who filled the last blank takes +3. Let it hang and, in Setter mode, the setter pockets 3 instead. Most points after all the rounds wins.
Scoring and winning
- A correct letter is +1 to whoever tapped it.
- Filling the last blank, or a correct whole-word guess, is +3.
- A wrong whole-word guess counts as a miss and draws another piece, exactly like a wrong letter.
- The 💡 hint reveals the clue for −1 to the player who takes it. Setter mode has no hints, because the setter never left one.
- In Setter mode, a word that goes unsolved pays the setter +3.
- Six wrong guesses is the classic setting; eight is the merciful one. The recap after each round lets you nudge any player's points before the phone moves on.
Hangman strategy and tips
- Open with vowels but stop after two. Knowing where the E and the A sit tells you the shape of the word; a third vowel usually tells you nothing new and costs a turn.
- RSTLN is the standard consonant run for a reason. If the vowels have not given you the answer, those five will narrow it faster than anything clever.
- Count the words before you guess anything. A three-word answer in the Movies category is a very different search space to a single eight-letter noun.
- Take the whole-word swing when you are down to two plausible answers, not when you are down to one letter. The letter you need might not be yours to guess.
- As the setter, a common word with awkward letters beats an obscure one. J, X and Z in a word everyone knows is far more effective than a word nobody has heard of.
- Watch what the person before you just tried. Half the wasted turns in this game are two people guessing the same letter family in a row.
Variants and house rules
Setter mode
Built in. One player types the word in secret each round and the setter rotates, so everyone gets a go at being the villain.
Category chaos
Turn on every category at once and take whatever comes. A film title followed by a household object followed by an idiom is a genuinely different rhythm.
No talking
House rule: guessers may not discuss letters. Your turn, your call, and everyone else has to sit on their hands.
Six lives, hard mode
Six wrong guesses with hints switched off. Short rounds, very high stakes, and the gallows fills alarmingly fast.
Team hangman
Split into two teams and alternate turns between them rather than between players. Points go to the team, and the arguing goes to everyone.
Hangman FAQ
How do you play Hangman with more than two people?
Players take the phone in turn and guess one letter each. A correct letter scores a point for the player who tapped it, so everyone stays involved instead of watching one guesser work.
How many wrong guesses do you get?
Six by default, which is the classic head-body-two-arms-two-legs gallows. Eight is available if you want a gentler game, and it adds a face to the drawing.
Can one of us choose the word instead?
Yes — that is Setter mode. One player types a word or phrase behind a pass-the-phone screen using an on-screen keyboard, so nothing leaks through autocorrect. The setter rotates each round.
Does guessing the whole word cost anything?
Only if you are wrong, in which case it counts as a miss and draws another piece. A correct whole-word guess is worth three points.
Are phrases and multi-word answers included?
Yes. Spaces are shown from the start, so you can always see how many words you are up against, and punctuation is filled in for you.
What happens if someone taps the wrong letter by mistake?
Undo is one tap and takes back the last action completely — the letter, the miss, and the points. The round recap can also adjust any player's score afterwards.