Description Long

Hangman is an interactive guessing game in which one person selects a word that the others must try to guess. The letters of the word are initially shown as blank spaces or underscores. Players take turns suggesting letters. Each correct letter is revealed in its proper position within the word. For every incorrect guess, another part of the gallows is drawn. The game ends when the word is fully guessed or the gallows is complete. The aim is to guess the word with as few incorrect attempts as possible and avoid completing the gallows. Hangman can be played individually or in groups and works well in both analogue and digital formats.

Preparation

• Offline: A board, whiteboard or large sheet of paper, along with markers or chalk.
• Online: Tools such as Zoom (whiteboard function) or Miro can be used.
• Choose words that match the group's level of knowledge.

Execution

1. The rules are explained.
2. The facilitator selects a word and draws the basic structure of the gallows, along with underscores representing the letters of the word.
3. Participants take turns suggesting letters.
4. Correct letters are filled in; incorrect ones result in another part of the gallows being added.
5. Whoever guesses the word correctly can think of a new word. If no one guesses the word, the next person in turn can choose a new one.
6. The number of correctly guessed words per player or group is recorded.
7. The player with the most correct guesses wins.
8. The group’s shared goal is to guess the word before the "man is hanged". At the same time, each individual aims to be the one who guesses the word.

Hints from experience

• For the online version, it’s ideal to have a touchscreen device (such as a phone, tablet or laptop), as this makes it easier to draw on the virtual whiteboard (e.g. in Zoom or Miro).

Tools list

• Bulletin board

References