This spelling words hangman game for kids has 20 hidden grade 3 spelling 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 6 to 7 letters, including animal, answer and bridge and winter, and every word in this set is a grade 3 spelling word, so the category is your first clue. It is a free spelling words word game that needs no sign-up, works on phones and tablets, and comes with a printable word list with clues.
Spelling words hangman game: see how it plays
The game below starts a new grade 3 spelling word as soon as the page opens, and a round ends when you find the word or lose all six balloons. The printable spelling words hangman word list has all 20 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 spelling words 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.
Spelling words word game: all 20 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 spelling pattern for each word.
| No. | Word | Letters | Clue | Spelling pattern |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | animal | 6 | A living thing that is not a plant | Tricky vowels, ends in -al |
| 2 | answer | 6 | What you say or write when you are asked a question | Silent letter, the w |
| 3 | bridge | 6 | A structure that crosses a river or a road | Soft c or g, dge says j |
| 4 | castle | 6 | A large old building with thick walls where kings and queens lived | Silent letter, the t |
| 5 | circle | 6 | A perfectly round shape | Soft c or g, the c says s |
| 6 | dollar | 6 | The main money of the United States | Double letters, ll |
| 7 | family | 6 | Parents, children and other relatives | Other pattern, three syllables |
| 8 | finger | 6 | One of the five digits on your hand | Ending -er |
| 9 | friend | 6 | Someone you like and enjoy being with | Tricky vowels, ie in the middle |
| 10 | garden | 6 | A place where flowers, fruit or vegetables grow | Other pattern, the g says g |
| 11 | island | 6 | Land with water all around it | Silent letter, the s |
| 12 | kitchen | 7 | The room where food is cooked | Other pattern, tch says ch |
| 13 | lesson | 6 | A period of teaching or learning | Double letters, ss |
| 14 | monkey | 6 | An animal with a long tail that climbs trees | Tricky vowels, ends in -ey |
| 15 | number | 6 | A word or symbol that tells how many | Ending -er |
| 16 | orange | 6 | A round citrus fruit and also a color | Soft c or g, the g says j |
| 17 | pencil | 6 | A writing tool with a graphite center | Soft c or g, the c says s |
| 18 | rabbit | 6 | A small furry animal with long ears | Double letters, bb |
| 19 | school | 6 | A place where children learn | Double letters, oo |
| 20 | winter | 6 | The coldest season of the year | Ending -er |
Words by spelling pattern
| Spelling pattern | Words | Which ones |
|---|---|---|
| Soft c or g | 4 | bridge, circle, orange and pencil |
| Double letters | 4 | dollar, lesson, rabbit and school |
| Tricky vowels | 3 | animal, friend and monkey |
| Silent letter | 3 | answer, castle and island |
| Other pattern | 3 | family, garden and kitchen |
| Ending -er | 3 | finger, number and winter |
Wikipedia’s English orthography article explains why English spelling has so many silent letters and exceptions.
Word guess game strategy for spelling words hangman: the best letters
Good hangman players guess the letters that appear in the most words. In this list, 42 of the 121 letters in the list are vowels (35%). These letters are used in the greatest number of the 20 words:
| Letter | Words that contain it | Times used altogether |
|---|---|---|
| E | 14 of 20 | 14 |
| N | 13 of 20 | 13 |
| I | 11 of 20 | 11 |
| R | 11 of 20 | 11 |
| A | 9 of 20 | 10 |
| L | 9 of 20 | 10 |
| S | 5 of 20 | 6 |
| D | 5 of 20 | 5 |
- Three of the 20 words end in -er (finger, number and winter), so after you find a six-letter word, try E and R.
- Silent letters are the trap: answer hides a w, castle a t and island an s, so do not give up if the next guess is wrong.
- The words with double letters (dollar, lesson, rabbit and school) are a good clue when two blanks next to each other fill in together.
Double letters are a clue too. In this list, dollar, lesson, rabbit and school all have a letter used twice in a row.
The length gives you a head start too. The words are 6 to 7 letters long, and the longest is kitchen. The shortest are animal, answer, bridge, castle, circle, dollar, family, finger, friend, garden, island, lesson, monkey, number, orange, pencil, rabbit, school and winter. Here is how many words there are of each length:
| Length | Words | The words |
|---|---|---|
| 6 letters | 19 | animal, answer, bridge, castle, circle, dollar, family, finger, friend, garden, island, lesson, monkey, number, orange, pencil, rabbit, school, winter |
| 7 letters | 1 | kitchen |
Grade 3 spelling words hangman: learning ideas
- Look, say, cover, write, check: use the list for a weekly spelling test, with the printable boxes as a starting point.
- Silent letter hunt: underline the silent letter in answer, castle and island, and find two more silent-letter words.
- Syllable claps: clap each syllable of family, animal and kitchen, then write the word in parts.
- Pyramid writing: write a word a letter at a time, adding one more letter on each line.
The spelling words 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.
Spelling words word game riddles
Turn the clues from the spelling words hangman word list into riddles for a group. Read the clue, let children guess, then check against the game:
- A living thing that is not a plant. Which one is it? Answer: animal.
- What you say or write when you are asked a question. Which one is it? Answer: answer.
- A structure that crosses a river or a road. Which one is it? Answer: bridge.
- A large old building with thick walls where kings and queens lived. Which one is it? Answer: castle.
- A perfectly round shape. Which one is it? Answer: circle.
Short, frequent rounds of spelling words 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.
Spelling words hangman game: frequently asked questions
Which words are in the spelling words hangman game?
There are 20 grade 3 spelling words: animal, answer, bridge, castle, circle, dollar, family, finger, friend, garden, island, kitchen, lesson, monkey, number, orange, pencil, rabbit, school and winter.
How many balloons do you get in the spelling words 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 spelling words 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 spelling words 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 spelling words 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.
Is this hangman for kids a grade 3 spelling words hangman list?
Yes. The 20 words are the same grade 3 spelling words used in our third grade spelling game, so the hangman list doubles as a weekly spelling list.
What is a good first letter to guess?
Guess E, N and I first. They appear in the most words in this list, so they give you the most information.