Countries Hangman Game

This countries hangman game for kids has 25 hidden countries words to guess one letter at a time, with six balloons in place of a gallows. Tap letters or type them: right letters fill in the word, and each wrong letter pops a balloon. The words run from 4 to 9 letters, including canada, mexico and brazil and portugal, and every word in this set is countries, so the category is your first clue. It is a free countries word game that needs no sign-up, works on phones and tablets, and comes with a printable word list with clues.

Countries hangman game: see how it plays

The game below starts a new countries word as soon as the page opens, and a round ends when you find the word or lose all six balloons. The printable countries hangman word list has all 25 words with a clue and empty letter boxes, and the pictures show the game at the start, in the middle of a round and after a win.

How the countries hangman game works

• Guess a letter: tap a letter on the keyboard below the word, or type it on a computer. You can only try each letter once.
• Right letters appear: every place the letter is used in the word fills in.
• Wrong letters pop a balloon: you have six balloons, so six wrong guesses ends the round, and the game shows the word.
• Keep a streak: each word you find adds one to your streak, and your best streak is saved on this device only.
• Change the category: use the buttons above the game to switch to animals, fruits and vegetables, space, countries, the human body, sports, weather or spelling words.

It plays like hangman, the classic pencil-and-paper word guessing game described in Wikipedia’s hangman article, but a basket of balloons replaces the hanging picture, so it suits younger children and classrooms.

Countries word game: all 25 words with clues

The list is the same every time, so you can study it before you play or use the clues as riddles. The table gives the number of letters, a clue and the continent for each word.

Countries by continent

Wikipedia’s list of sovereign states shows how many countries there are and how they are grouped.

Word guess game strategy for countries hangman: the best letters

Good hangman players guess the letters that appear in the most words. In this list, 64 of the 153 letters in the list are vowels (42%). These letters are used in the greatest number of the 25 words:

• Six of the 25 countries end in the letter A (Canada, China, India, Australia, Argentina and Nigeria), so guess A early.
• Short words are easy to fill: Peru, Spain, India and China have only four or five letters.
• Think of continents: nine of the words are European countries (France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Ireland and Portugal), so common European spellings such as -ain and -any help.

Double letters are a clue too. In this list, greece and morocco all have a letter used twice in a row.

The length gives you a head start too. The words are 4 to 9 letters long, and the longest are australia and argentina. The shortest is peru. Here is how many words there are of each length:

Hangman for kids: learning ideas

• Find it on a map: after each word, find the country on a world map or globe and name its continent.
• Capital cities: use the table to match each country to its capital, then quiz each other.
• Flag spotting: draw the flag of each country you guess, and compare the colors.
• Say hello: learn how to say hello in the language of each country, from bonjour to konnichiwa.

The countries hangman game also builds spelling, because children must think about which letters go in which order. The Common Core grade 3 language standards expect children to use spelling patterns, and a word game is a friendly way to practice them. For spelling lists to match, try the spelling worksheet maker.

Countries word game riddles

Turn the clues from the countries hangman word list into riddles for a group. Read the clue, let children guess, then check against the game:

1. North American country with a maple leaf on its flag. Which one is it? Answer: canada.
2. Country south of the United States. Which one is it? Answer: mexico.
3. The largest country in South America. Which one is it? Answer: brazil.
4. European country with the Eiffel Tower. Which one is it? Answer: france.
5. Country in southern Europe known for flamenco. Which one is it? Answer: spain.

Short, frequent rounds of countries hangman work better than one long session, because each new word is a small success. Play a few rounds, check the word list, and see how long your streak can grow.

Countries hangman game: frequently asked questions

Which countries are in the countries hangman game?

There are 25 countries from every continent except Antarctica: Canada, Mexico, Brazil, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Egypt, Kenya, India, China, Japan, Australia, Argentina, Nigeria, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Peru, Chile, Turkey, Ireland, Vietnam, Morocco and Portugal.

How many balloons do you get in the countries hangman game?

Six. Each wrong letter pops one balloon, and when all six are gone the round ends and the word is shown.

Can I choose another category in the countries hangman game?

Yes. Use the buttons above the game to switch between animals, fruits and vegetables, space, countries, the human body, sports, weather and spelling words.

Is the countries hangman game free, and do kids need an account?

Yes, it is free, and no account is needed. Best scores are saved only in the browser on this device.

Does the countries hangman game work on phones and tablets?

Yes. The game is built for touch first and also works with a mouse or keyboard on a computer.

What is a good first letter to guess?

Guess A, N and E first. They appear in the most words in this list, so they give you the most information.

More brain games

• Animals hangman, countries hangman, fruits and vegetables hangman and human body hangman
• Space hangman, sports hangman and weather hangman
• Spelling words hangman
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