The hardest hangman words
Score version 1.1 · ranked from 1792 words · every figure computed at build time
Twenty five words at the top of the difficulty score, with the working shown for each. The striking thing is what is missing: the long words, and the strange ones.
24 of these twenty five are six letters or shorter. The average length up here is 4.8 letters against 7.8 across the whole site. Every hand-sorted hard-words list in this niche is dominated by long and unusual words, and by this measure those are the wrong answer.
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1duck
12.5 · 4 letters · kids
Swims on the pond and quacks
- 0% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains the rare letter K.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 25% of it.
2fuzzy
12.3 · 5 letters · funny
Covered in soft short hairs, or unclear
- 0% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains the rare letter Z.
- 1 letter repeats, so some guesses reveal more than one position.
- Vowels make up 20% of it.
3lynx
12.0 · 4 letters · animals
Tufted-eared wild cat with huge snowshoe paws
- 25% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains the rare letter X.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 0% of it.
4wacky
11.8 · 5 letters · funny
Amusingly eccentric
- 20% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains rare letters W, K.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 20% of it.
5jazz
11.8 · 4 letters · music
Written down, then argued with
- 25% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains rare letters J, Z.
- 1 letter repeats, so some guesses reveal more than one position.
- Vowels make up 25% of it.
6jaw
11.0 · 3 letters · body parts
Hinged, and the strongest muscle acts on it
- 33% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains rare letters J, W.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 33% of it.
7plum
11.0 · 4 letters · colours
Dark purple-red
- 0% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains no rare letters.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 25% of it.
8wobbly
10.7 · 6 letters · funny
Unsteady, and about to go over
- 17% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains the rare letter W.
- 1 letter repeats, so some guesses reveal more than one position.
- Vowels make up 17% of it.
9fluffy
10.7 · 6 letters · funny
Light, soft and full of air
- 0% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains no rare letters.
- 2 letters repeat, so some guesses reveal more than one position.
- Vowels make up 17% of it.
10mug
10.3 · 3 letters · household
Everyone has a favourite
- 0% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains no rare letters.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 33% of it.
11skull
10.3 · 5 letters · body parts
The helmet you were issued with
- 20% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains the rare letter K.
- 1 letter repeats, so some guesses reveal more than one position.
- Vowels make up 20% of it.
12puppy
10.2 · 5 letters · kids
A very young dog
- 0% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains no rare letters.
- 2 letters repeat, so some guesses reveal more than one position.
- Vowels make up 20% of it.
13mummy
10.2 · 5 letters · halloween
Wrapped, and considerably older than you
- 0% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains no rare letters.
- 2 letters repeat, so some guesses reveal more than one position.
- Vowels make up 20% of it.
14cymbal
10.0 · 6 letters · music
The crash at the top of the kit
- 17% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains no rare letters.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 17% of it.
15folk
10.0 · 4 letters · music
Passed on before it was published
- 25% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains the rare letter K.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 25% of it.
16milk
10.0 · 4 letters · kids
White drink that comes from a cow
- 25% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains the rare letter K.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 25% of it.
17howl
10.0 · 4 letters · halloween
The wolf, at the moon
- 25% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains the rare letter W.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 25% of it.
18lurk
10.0 · 4 letters · halloween
Waiting somewhere you cannot see
- 25% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains the rare letter K.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 25% of it.
19chuckle
9.9 · 7 letters · funny
A quiet, private laugh
- 14% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains the rare letter K.
- 1 letter repeats, so some guesses reveal more than one position.
- Vowels make up 29% of it.
20whisk
9.8 · 5 letters · household
Beats air into things
- 40% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains rare letters W, K.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 20% of it.
21backup
9.7 · 6 letters · technology
The thing you only value once
- 17% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains the rare letter K.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 33% of it.
22quiz
9.5 · 4 letters · school
Short, sharp and often unannounced
- 25% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains rare letters Q, Z.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 50% of it.
23clutch
9.5 · 6 letters · transport
The pedal that takes practice
- 17% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains no rare letters.
- 1 letter repeats, so some guesses reveal more than one position.
- Vowels make up 17% of it.
24rugby
9.4 · 5 letters · sports
Fifteen players and no forward passing
- 20% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains no rare letters.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 20% of it.
25thumb
9.4 · 5 letters · body parts
The one that makes the hand useful
- 20% of its letters are among the eight people guess first.
- It contains no rare letters.
- Every letter is different, so each correct guess reveals one position.
- Vowels make up 20% of it.
What this list is not
It is not a claim about which words are hardest in hangman generally. It is the top of one score, applied to one word list, and both of those are published so you can disagree with them precisely rather than vaguely.
The score also cannot see the things that decide a real game at a real table: whether the category was announced, whether the guesser has met the word before, and how good they are. It measures what the spelling gives away to a standard opening, which is a smaller claim than the lists it competes with and the only one that can be checked.
The formula is on the methodology page. If you want to set one of these for somebody, the create page will turn it into a link.
Questions
What is the hardest word in hangman?
On this site it is DUCK, at 12.5. It is 4 letters long and none of them are among the eight letters people guess first, so a standard opening produces nothing at all.
Why are the hardest words so short?
Because length works for the guesser. 24 of the top twenty five here are six letters or shorter, and the average length in the top twenty five is 4.8 against 7.8 across the whole site. A long word hands over more of the board with every correct letter.
Are these obscure words?
Almost none of them. They are ordinary words made of awkward letters, which is exactly the point. A word being unfamiliar affects only the last moment of a game; a word being unguessable affects all of it.
How were these ranked?
By the difficulty score, version 1.1, which measures four things in the spelling and nothing else. The full formula is published, and every figure on this page is computed from it at build time.