This sports hangman game for kids has 25 hidden sports 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 10 letters, including soccer, tennis and hockey and sailing, and every word in this set is a sport, so the category is your first clue. It is a free sports word game that needs no sign-up, works on phones and tablets, and comes with a printable word list with clues.
Sports hangman game: see how it plays
The game below starts a new sports word as soon as the page opens, and a round ends when you find the word or lose all six balloons. The printable sports 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 sports 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.
Sports 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 kind of sport for each word.
| No. | Word | Letters | Clue | Kind of sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | soccer | 6 | Two teams kick a ball into a goal; most countries call it football | Team ball sport |
| 2 | tennis | 6 | Players hit a ball over a net with rackets | Racket sport |
| 3 | hockey | 6 | Players use sticks to hit a puck or ball into a goal | Team ball sport |
| 4 | cricket | 7 | A bat and ball game with wickets and runs | Team ball sport |
| 5 | rugby | 5 | An oval ball is carried or passed, and teams score tries | Team ball sport |
| 6 | swimming | 8 | Moving through water using your arms and legs | Water sport |
| 7 | cycling | 7 | Riding and racing a bicycle | Movement sport |
| 8 | karate | 6 | A martial art from Japan with kicks, punches and a white uniform called a gi | Combat sport |
| 9 | golf | 4 | Hit a small ball into holes in as few strokes as possible | Target sport |
| 10 | baseball | 8 | A batter hits a pitched ball and runs around four bases | Team ball sport |
| 11 | basketball | 10 | Throw a ball through a hoop to score | Team ball sport |
| 12 | volleyball | 10 | Hit a ball over a high net with your hands | Team ball sport |
| 13 | bowling | 7 | Roll a heavy ball to knock down pins | Target sport |
| 14 | skating | 7 | Glide on ice or on wheels | Winter sport |
| 15 | skiing | 6 | Slide down snow on long, narrow boards | Winter sport |
| 16 | rowing | 6 | Use oars to move a boat through the water | Water sport |
| 17 | archery | 7 | Shoot arrows at a target with a bow | Target sport |
| 18 | boxing | 6 | Two people in gloves score points by punching | Combat sport |
| 19 | running | 7 | Moving quickly on your feet, from sprints to marathons | Movement sport |
| 20 | surfing | 7 | Riding a wave on a board | Water sport |
| 21 | judo | 4 | A martial art from Japan that uses throws and holds | Combat sport |
| 22 | fencing | 7 | Two players score points by touching each other with blunted swords | Combat sport |
| 23 | badminton | 9 | Hit a shuttlecock over a net with rackets | Racket sport |
| 24 | climbing | 8 | Using hands and feet to go up a rock wall or a mountain | Movement sport |
| 25 | sailing | 7 | Using wind in the sails to move a boat | Water sport |
Sports by kind: team, racket, water and more
| Kind of sport | Words | Which ones |
|---|---|---|
| Team ball sport | 7 | soccer, hockey, cricket, rugby, baseball, basketball and volleyball |
| Water sport | 4 | swimming, rowing, surfing and sailing |
| Combat sport | 4 | karate, boxing, judo and fencing |
| Movement sport | 3 | cycling, running and climbing |
| Target sport | 3 | golf, bowling and archery |
| Racket sport | 2 | tennis and badminton |
| Winter sport | 2 | skating and skiing |
Wikipedia’s sport article explains how sports are grouped and why people play them.
Word guess game strategy for sports hangman: the best letters
Good hangman players guess the letters that appear in the most words. In this list, 53 of the 171 letters in the list are vowels (31%). These letters are used in the greatest number of the 25 words:
| Letter | Words that contain it | Times used altogether |
|---|---|---|
| I | 15 of 25 | 19 |
| N | 14 of 25 | 19 |
| G | 14 of 25 | 14 |
| E | 10 of 25 | 10 |
| S | 9 of 25 | 9 |
| O | 9 of 25 | 9 |
| R | 8 of 25 | 9 |
| B | 8 of 25 | 10 |
- Twelve of the 25 words end in -ing (swimming, cycling, bowling, skating, skiing, rowing, boxing, running, surfing, fencing, climbing and sailing), so guess I, N and G early.
- Seven words are team ball sports (soccer, hockey, cricket, rugby, baseball, basketball and volleyball), and many of them have a double letter.
- Short words give a head start: golf, judo, rugby and karate have only four or five letters.
Double letters are a clue too. In this list, soccer, tennis, swimming, baseball, basketball, volleyball, skiing and running all have a letter used twice in a row.
The length gives you a head start too. The words are 4 to 10 letters long, and the longest are basketball and volleyball. The shortest are golf and judo. Here is how many words there are of each length:
| Length | Words | The words |
|---|---|---|
| 4 letters | 2 | golf, judo |
| 5 letters | 1 | rugby |
| 6 letters | 7 | soccer, tennis, hockey, karate, skiing, rowing, boxing |
| 7 letters | 9 | cricket, cycling, bowling, skating, archery, running, surfing, fencing, sailing |
| 8 letters | 3 | swimming, baseball, climbing |
| 9 letters | 1 | badminton |
| 10 letters | 2 | basketball, volleyball |
Hangman for kids: learning ideas
- Ball or no ball: sort the 25 words into sports played with a ball and sports played without.
- Where is it played? sort the sports by place: on grass, in water, on snow or ice, or indoors.
- Try one: pick a sport from the list and try it at the park or at a club.
- Mini sports day: choose five words and plan a short sports day with a simple race for each.
The sports 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.
Sports word game riddles
Turn the clues from the sports hangman word list into riddles for a group. Read the clue, let children guess, then check against the game:
- Two teams kick a ball into a goal; most countries call it football. Which one is it? Answer: soccer.
- Players hit a ball over a net with rackets. Which one is it? Answer: tennis.
- Players use sticks to hit a puck or ball into a goal. Which one is it? Answer: hockey.
- A bat and ball game with wickets and runs. Which one is it? Answer: cricket.
- An oval ball is carried or passed, and teams score tries. Which one is it? Answer: rugby.
Short, frequent rounds of sports 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.
Sports hangman game: frequently asked questions
Which sports are in the sports hangman game?
There are 25: soccer, tennis, hockey, cricket, rugby, swimming, cycling, karate, golf, baseball, basketball, volleyball, bowling, skating, skiing, rowing, archery, boxing, running, surfing, judo, fencing, badminton, climbing and sailing.
How many balloons do you get in the sports 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 sports 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 sports 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 sports 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 I, N and G first. They appear in the most words in this list, so they give you the most information.