What are the rules for hangman?

Hangman is a classic word-guessing game played by two or more people, where one person thinks of a word, phrase, or sentence, and the others try to guess it letter by letter before a stick figure is completely "hanged."

Understanding the Basic Rules of Hangman

The core mechanics of Hangman are straightforward, focusing on vocabulary, strategy, and a bit of luck. The game typically involves a "puzzle giver" and one or more "guessers."

Setting Up the Game

1. Choosing a Word/Phrase: One player, designated as the puzzle giver, thinks of a word, phrase, or sentence. This selection is crucial; it should ideally be a common word or phrase.
   • Important Restriction: Proper nouns (like names of people or places) and slang words are generally not allowed. This ensures fairness and keeps the game focused on general vocabulary.
2. Drawing the Blanks: For every letter in the chosen word or phrase, the puzzle giver draws a dash on a piece of paper or whiteboard. Spaces between words are represented by larger gaps or an underscore. For example, "Hangman Rules" would be displayed as _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
3. Drawing the Gallows: The puzzle giver also draws the gallows structure, which will hold the "hangman" figure. This typically consists of an upright post, a horizontal beam, and a rope.

How to Play: The Guessing Process

The other player(s), the guesser(s), then take turns guessing letters.

1. Making a Guess: The guesser calls out a single letter of the alphabet.
2. Puzzle Giver's Response:
   • Correct Guess: If the guessed letter appears in the hidden word or phrase, the puzzle giver fills in that letter on all the corresponding dashes. For example, if the word is "APPLE" and the guesser says 'P', the puzzle giver would write _ P P _ _.
   • Incorrect Guess: If the guessed letter does not appear in the word or phrase, the puzzle giver draws one part of the hangman figure on the gallows. Common parts are the head, body, left arm, right arm, left leg, and right leg. Each incorrect guess brings the hangman closer to completion. The incorrect letter is usually noted down separately to prevent repeated guesses.
3. Continuing the Game: The guessers continue to call out letters, receiving feedback on whether their guess is correct or incorrect, and observing the progress of both the word and the hangman figure.

Winning and Losing Conditions

The game concludes when one of two conditions is met:

• Guesser Wins: If the guesser(s) correctly identifies all the letters in the word or phrase before the hangman figure is completely drawn.
• Puzzle Giver Wins: If the hangman figure is fully drawn before the guesser(s) manages to reveal the entire word or phrase.

Optional Rules and Variations

To add complexity or alter the game's flow, players often incorporate variations:

• Guessing the Whole Word/Phrase: At any point, instead of guessing a single letter, the guesser can attempt to guess the entire word or phrase.
  • If correct, the guesser wins immediately.
  • If incorrect, it usually results in a significant penalty, such as adding multiple parts to the hangman or completing the figure, leading to an immediate loss.
• Providing a Category: The puzzle giver might offer a hint by stating a category for the word or phrase (e.g., "Animal," "Country," "Action Verb"). This helps guide the guesser's choices.
• Limited Guesses: Some versions explicitly state a fixed number of incorrect guesses allowed (e.g., 6 or 8, corresponding to the parts of the hangman).

Summary of Actions

Here's a quick overview of the actions for each player:

Player Role	Action for Correct Letter Guess	Action for Incorrect Letter Guess	Overall Goal
Puzzle Giver	Fills in the letter(s)	Draws one part of the hangman	Get the hangman fully drawn before the word is guessed
Guesser	Continues guessing	Watches hangman grow	Guess the word/phrase before the hangman is complete or all guesses are used

Understanding these rules ensures a fair and enjoyable game of Hangman for all players.