How to play
The game picks a secret word and shows one blank slot for each letter. Above the slots you see the category, for example Animals or Space, which is your clue. Guess a letter by tapping a key on the on-screen keyboard or by pressing it on your keyboard. If the letter is in the word, it appears in every slot where it belongs. If it is not, one part of the stick figure is added to the gallows.
You win by revealing every letter before the drawing is complete. You lose when you run out of lives, and the game then shows you the word so you can learn it for next time.
Rules
- Lives: the classic game gives you 6 wrong guesses: head, body, two arms and two legs. Choose 8 or 10 lives for a longer game; the figure then gets extra details such as a face, hands and feet.
- Words: every word uses the letters A to Z only and has 4 to 12 letters. Pick one of 18 themes, Random to mix all themes, or Hard words for tricky spellings and unusual letters.
- No quick repeats: the game remembers recent words and does not show one again until the whole category has been played.
- Hint: reveals one letter that is still hidden, but it costs one life. It is only available while you have at least two lives left, so a hint can never lose the game for you.
- Give up: shows the word and counts as a loss.
- Stats: games played, games won, win rate, current and best winning streak and wins per category are saved in this browser. Starting a new word in the middle of a round simply skips it and is not counted.
Controls
Mouse and touch
Click or tap a letter on the keyboard. Used letters turn green with a check mark if they were in the word, or red, crossed out and marked with a cross if they were not, and they cannot be pressed again. Use the buttons under the keyboard for a hint, a new word or to give up.
Keyboard
- A to Z guess a letter.
- Enter starts the next word after a round has ended.
- Tab moves between the buttons and options, Enter or Space presses the focused button.
Two-player mode
Press Two players and type a secret word for a friend. The input is masked so nobody can read it over your shoulder. You can add an optional category hint, such as "a kind of food". Your friend then guesses it exactly like a normal round. These rounds are never added to your stats.
Tips and strategy
- Start with vowels. E, A, O and I appear in most English words, so they usually reveal the most. Then try common consonants such as R, S, T, N and L.
- Use the category. A theme narrows the options a lot. In Countries, for instance, A and N are very likely.
- Watch the length. A short word with one vowel already shown rarely needs another one. Think about which letter patterns fit the gaps.
- Think about endings and pairs. Letters like S, D, Y and ED or ING often sit at the end, and double letters such as LL, EE and SS are common.
- Save your hint. A hint costs a life, so keep it for the moment when you are really stuck, not for the first guess.
- Hard words are different. They often contain rare letters such as Z, X, Q or J, so consider those earlier than usual.
Frequently asked questions
Does the word repeat if I play many rounds?
Not until you have seen every word in the chosen category. Recent words are remembered in your browser, and when a category is used up it starts again with a fresh order.
Why can I not use the hint sometimes?
A hint costs one life and is only available while you have at least two lives left. With a single life left, the button is disabled.
Is my progress saved?
Yes. The round in progress, your settings and your stats are stored in your browser and come back when you reload. If your browser blocks storage, the game still works but nothing is remembered.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. The layout fits narrow screens, the keys are large enough to tap comfortably and nothing needs to be installed.
Are the words family friendly?
Yes. All word lists are curated and suitable for a general audience. In the two-player mode you choose the word yourself, so that is up to you.
Does the game work offline?
Once the page has loaded, it does not need an internet connection.
More free games
- Word Guess – find the hidden five-letter word.
- Word Search – spot the words hidden in a grid of letters.
- Memory – match the pairs in as few moves as you can.
- Sudoku – fill the grid with logic.
- Minesweeper – clear the board without hitting a mine.
- Tic-Tac-Toe – the quick classic against the computer.
- Nonogram – reveal a picture from number clues.