Games & scoring / Words
Hangman: English Categories or Your Own Words
Guess the hidden word before six wrong letters complete the drawing. Built-in lists are English-only; custom lists support any script, and two players can set a secret word.
Hangman: English Categories or Your Own Words: Picks from original common-word lists for animals, food or home. Custom lists derive their letter buttons from the entered words. Words ignore case; spaces and punctuation are shown. The SVG drawing adds one of six parts per wrong letter. Two-player setup clears the secret input after starting, then the other player guesses. Best winning streaks are saved locally. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- Health & sport tools
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
Built-in categories are English-only. Custom lists support any script; letter buttons come from the words. In secret-word mode, type guesses in the word’s script.
Guessed letters:
Rules and strategy
Try common vowels and then common consonants such as R, S, T and N in English words. Use the category and the length of the word to narrow your next guess. Those frequency tips do not apply equally to other languages.
In a custom list, the letter buttons show the combined alphabet of the whole list. A one-word list may reveal which letters occur, so use several words for a more challenging puzzle.
History
Victorian collections recorded related letter-guessing pastimes. Alice Bertha Gomme's 1894 volume includes Birds, Beasts, and Fishes, in which a missing-letter name is guessed. It documents a related tradition rather than a certain inventor of modern Hangman. Gomme's public-domain collection: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41727. The word lists and SVG drawing on this page are original.
How to use it
- Choose an English category, enter a custom list with one word per line, or have player 1 type a secret word.
- Guess using letter buttons or type one letter and press Guess. Matching letters appear throughout the word.
- Reveal all letters before six wrong guesses. Restart for another word or a new secret.
Privacy & limitations
Words and guesses stay in your browser and are not saved. Only best winning streaks are stored locally.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
Is the game English-only?
The built-in word categories are English-only. You can supply up to 500 words, one per line, in any script, with up to 60 characters per word. Letter buttons are derived from your custom list.
Can I type an accented or non-Latin letter?
Yes. Use Type a letter for one letter or combined character. Accents are retained, so E and É are different guesses. On-screen buttons also include letters found in a custom list.
How does two-player mode work?
Player 1 enters a hidden word, presses Hide word and start, then passes the device to player 2. Restart clears the puzzle and asks for a new secret word.
Do spaces or repeated letters count against me?
Spaces and punctuation are visible from the start. One correct guess reveals every occurrence of that letter. Guessing the same letter again adds no penalty.
Free tool · runs in your browser · no account required