10 letter hangman words
131 words of exactly 10 letters, hardest first, each with a clue and a difficulty score. 70 easy, 49 medium, 12 hard.
Average score
3.5
Site average is 3.7
Hardest
kyrgyzstan
8.2
Easiest
nomination
-1.2
Length is the first thing a guesser learns about a word, before anybody has guessed a letter, so it is worth knowing what 10 blanks actually tells you. These 131 words average 3.5 against a site average of 3.7, which makes them easier than a word picked at random from here.
The reason runs against instinct. A long word looks intimidating and is generous: every correct letter uncovers more of the board, and long words are almost always built from ordinary letters. A short word can be made entirely of letters nobody opens with, and then a guesser can spend half their allowance learning nothing.
These words are drawn from 20 categories, and the full scoring formula is on the methodology page. If you are mid-game rather than choosing, the solver takes the length and the letters you have missed and narrows it from there.
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All 131 words
| Word | Clue | Letters | Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kyrgyzstan | Mountainous Central Asian country, mostly highland | 10 / 9 distinct | 8.2 | Hard |
| blacksmith | Shapes hot metal with hammer and anvil | 10 / 10 distinct | 8.0 | Hard |
| dillydally | To waste time, pleasantly | 10 / 5 distinct | 7.9 | Hard |
| volleyball | Three touches allowed before it must cross the net | 10 / 7 distinct | 7.6 | Hard |
| kickboxing | Punches and kicks, gloved and timed | 10 / 8 distinct | 7.5 | Hard |
| gobsmacked | Astonished, informally | 10 / 10 distinct | 7.2 | Hard |
| luxembourg | Tiny, wealthy and wedged between three neighbours | 10 / 9 distinct | 7.2 | Hard |
| knickknack | A small ornament of no use | 10 / 5 distinct | 7.1 | Hard |
| chalkboard | Dusty, green or black, and gloriously analogue | 10 / 9 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| codswallop | Utter rubbish | 10 / 8 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| wavelength | The distance between one crest and the next | 10 / 9 distinct | 6.6 | Hard |
| playground | Where most of the real learning happens | 10 / 10 distinct | 6.6 | Hard |
| vocabulary | All the words you actually know | 10 / 9 distinct | 6.2 | Medium |
| mozambique | Long Indian Ocean coastline in southern Africa | 10 / 9 distinct | 6.0 | Medium |
| pufferfish | Swells into a spiny ball when threatened | 10 / 8 distinct | 6.0 | Medium |
| bricklayer | Course by course, always checking level | 10 / 9 distinct | 6.0 | Medium |
| woodpecker | Drums on tree trunks to find grubs | 10 / 8 distinct | 5.7 | Medium |
| curriculum | Everything you are supposed to cover | 10 / 6 distinct | 5.6 | Medium |
| basketball | Five a side, and the hoop is ten feet up | 10 / 7 distinct | 5.6 | Medium |
| curmudgeon | A bad-tempered older person | 10 / 9 distinct | 5.5 | Medium |
| kazakhstan | The largest country with no coastline | 10 / 7 distinct | 5.4 | Medium |
| bangladesh | Delta country crossed by enormous rivers | 10 / 9 distinct | 5.3 | Medium |
| razzmatazz | Showy, noisy display | 10 / 5 distinct | 5.3 | Medium |
| trolleybus | Overhead wires, no rails | 10 / 9 distinct | 5.3 | Medium |
| soundtrack | The music that does half the work | 10 / 10 distinct | 5.2 | Medium |
| chimpanzee | Our closest relative, uses tools and solves puzzles | 10 / 9 distinct | 5.2 | Medium |
| pillowcase | Changed more often than the rest | 10 / 9 distinct | 5.2 | Medium |
| gymnastics | Beam, bars, vault and floor | 10 / 9 distinct | 5.1 | Medium |
| uzbekistan | Silk Road country of Samarkand and Bukhara | 10 / 10 distinct | 5.0 | Medium |
| understudy | Ready, and hoping | 10 / 8 distinct | 5.0 | Medium |
| balderdash | Nonsense, said firmly | 10 / 8 distinct | 5.0 | Medium |
| tablecloth | Comes out when there are guests | 10 / 8 distinct | 5.0 | Medium |
| broomstick | Cleaning tool with an alternative use | 10 / 9 distinct | 5.0 | Medium |
| hovercraft | Neither boat nor plane, and very loud | 10 / 9 distinct | 5.0 | Medium |
| cappuccino | Espresso under steamed and foamed milk | 10 / 7 distinct | 4.9 | Medium |
| flapdoodle | Nonsense again, but sillier | 10 / 7 distinct | 4.9 | Medium |
| mozzarella | Soft white cheese that stretches when melted | 10 / 7 distinct | 4.8 | Medium |
| nutcracker | A soldier, a ballet, and a tool | 10 / 8 distinct | 4.8 | Medium |
| weightless | Not the absence of gravity, but of support | 10 / 8 distinct | 4.8 | Medium |
| dishwasher | Everyone loads it wrong except you | 10 / 8 distinct | 4.8 | Medium |
| cornflower | A brighter blue, from the flower | 10 / 8 distinct | 4.8 | Medium |
| periwinkle | Pale blue with violet in it | 10 / 8 distinct | 4.7 | Medium |
| anglerfish | Deep-sea fish that fishes with its own lure | 10 / 10 distinct | 4.6 | Medium |
| hodgepodge | A jumble with no plan behind it | 10 / 6 distinct | 4.6 | Medium |
| strawberry | Red berry that wears its seeds on the outside | 10 / 8 distinct | 4.5 | Medium |
| whiteboard | The successor, and it squeaks | 10 / 10 distinct | 4.4 | Medium |
| pharmacist | Knows what interacts with what | 10 / 9 distinct | 4.3 | Medium |
| screenplay | The script, formatted to the page-per-minute rule | 10 / 9 distinct | 4.3 | Medium |
| ragamuffin | A scruffy, untidy child | 10 / 8 distinct | 4.2 | Medium |
| hypothesis | A statement you have not tested yet | 10 / 8 distinct | 4.0 | Medium |
| spacecraft | Built to survive vacuum and enormous cold | 10 / 8 distinct | 4.0 | Medium |
| washington | Shares its name with the capital, confusingly | 10 / 9 distinct | 4.0 | Medium |
| earthquake | Sudden movement along a fault | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.9 | Medium |
| calculator | Banned in some exams, essential in others | 10 / 7 distinct | 3.9 | Medium |
| binoculars | Two telescopes and a neck strap | 10 / 10 distinct | 3.8 | Medium |
| hullabaloo | A great deal of noise about very little | 10 / 6 distinct | 3.8 | Medium |
| wilderness | Land that has largely been left alone | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.8 | Medium |
| trajectory | The path, worked out in advance | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.8 | Medium |
| programmer | Writes instructions precise enough for a machine | 10 / 7 distinct | 3.7 | Medium |
| toothbrush | Replaced every three months, supposedly | 10 / 7 distinct | 3.7 | Medium |
| smartphone | A computer that occasionally makes calls | 10 / 10 distinct | 3.6 | Medium |
| microphone | Turns air pressure into a signal | 10 / 9 distinct | 3.5 | Easy |
| helicopter | Beats the air into submission | 10 / 9 distinct | 3.5 | Easy |
| claymation | Animated one small squash at a time | 10 / 9 distinct | 3.5 | Easy |
| journalist | Checks it twice before it is printed | 10 / 10 distinct | 3.4 | Easy |
| encryption | Readable only by whoever holds the key | 10 / 9 distinct | 3.3 | Easy |
| prosthetic | A face built on top of a face | 10 / 9 distinct | 3.3 | Easy |
| springtime | When everything starts again | 10 / 9 distinct | 3.3 | Easy |
| microscope | Makes the invisible large enough to study | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.2 | Easy |
| headphones | Two speakers and some privacy | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.2 | Easy |
| chocolates | In a box, with a map on the lid | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.2 | Easy |
| collarbone | The most commonly broken bone | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.2 | Easy |
| propulsion | Whatever is making it move | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.2 | Easy |
| watermelon | Enormous summer fruit that is mostly water | 10 / 9 distinct | 3.2 | Easy |
| skateboard | Four wheels and a great deal of falling over | 10 / 9 distinct | 3.2 | Easy |
| goalkeeper | The only one allowed to use their hands | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.1 | Easy |
| masquerade | A party where nobody admits who they are | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.1 | Easy |
| locomotive | The bit that pulls | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.1 | Easy |
| storyboard | The film drawn before it is shot | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.0 | Easy |
| experiment | A test designed to be able to fail | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.0 | Easy |
| azerbaijan | Caspian nation whose name suggests fire | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.9 | Easy |
| madagascar | Island nation where most wildlife lives nowhere else | 10 / 7 distinct | 2.9 | Easy |
| chromosome | A packaged thread of DNA | 10 / 7 distinct | 2.9 | Easy |
| cheesecake | Set cream cheese over a crumb base | 10 / 6 distinct | 2.8 | Easy |
| trampoline | Height, shape and control are all scored | 10 / 10 distinct | 2.8 | Easy |
| nincompoop | A fool, said almost fondly | 10 / 6 distinct | 2.6 | Easy |
| dictionary | Where you check who was right | 10 / 9 distinct | 2.5 | Easy |
| soundstage | A building designed to be silent | 10 / 9 distinct | 2.5 | Easy |
| atmosphere | The gas a planet manages to hold on to | 10 / 9 distinct | 2.5 | Easy |
| cornucopia | A horn overflowing with produce | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.4 | Easy |
| salamander | Amphibian that can regrow a lost limb | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.2 | Easy |
| prosciutto | Ham cured by air and time, sliced almost transparent | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.2 | Easy |
| scoreboard | The only opinion that counts | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.2 | Easy |
| headmaster | Runs the school and signs the letters | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.2 | Easy |
| stalagmite | Grows up from the cave floor | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.2 | Easy |
| fingernail | Grows faster than the toenail | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.2 | Easy |
| chartreuse | Yellow-green, named after a liqueur | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.2 | Easy |
| expedition | A journey with a purpose and a lot of kit | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.1 | Easy |
| screenshot | Proof, or at least a picture of it | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.0 | Easy |
| tambourine | Shaken, struck, and hard to hide behind | 10 / 10 distinct | 2.0 | Easy |
| thermostat | The cause of most household arguments | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.0 | Easy |
| laboratory | Where the careful part happens | 10 / 7 distinct | 1.9 | Easy |
| automobile | The long word for the ordinary thing | 10 / 9 distinct | 1.9 | Easy |
| graduation | Hats thrown, finally | 10 / 9 distinct | 1.7 | Easy |
| simulation | A model detailed enough to be useful | 10 / 9 distinct | 1.7 | Easy |
| substitute | Comes off the bench to change the game | 10 / 6 distinct | 1.6 | Easy |
| accountant | Makes the numbers agree with each other | 10 / 6 distinct | 1.6 | Easy |
| gargantuan | Enormous, and the word is too | 10 / 6 distinct | 1.6 | Easy |
| protractor | Half a circle marked in degrees | 10 / 6 distinct | 1.4 | Easy |
| california | Most populous, and two very different halves | 10 / 8 distinct | 1.4 | Easy |
| heliotrope | Bright purple, from a flower | 10 / 8 distinct | 1.4 | Easy |
| equestrian | Horse and rider judged together | 10 / 9 distinct | 1.4 | Easy |
| aquamarine | Pale blue-green, and another stone | 10 / 8 distinct | 1.4 | Easy |
| rhinoceros | Thick-skinned giant with one or two horns | 10 / 8 distinct | 1.2 | Easy |
| tournament | A run of matches with only one winner | 10 / 8 distinct | 1.2 | Easy |
| procession | Moving in an agreed order | 10 / 8 distinct | 1.2 | Easy |
| stalactite | Hangs down; the one that holds tight to the ceiling | 10 / 7 distinct | 0.9 | Easy |
| translator | Carries meaning across, not just words | 10 / 7 distinct | 0.7 | Easy |
| resolution | How many pixels there are to work with | 10 / 9 distinct | 0.7 | Easy |
| attendance | Being there, which counts for more than expected | 10 / 6 distinct | 0.6 | Easy |
| researcher | Reads everything before adding anything | 10 / 6 distinct | 0.6 | Easy |
| rainforest | Warm, wet, and layered from floor to canopy | 10 / 9 distinct | 0.5 | Easy |
| astronomer | Studies things too far away to visit | 10 / 8 distinct | 0.2 | Easy |
| antibiotic | Works on bacteria and does nothing to a virus | 10 / 7 distinct | 0.1 | Easy |
| literature | Reading closely and arguing about it | 10 / 7 distinct | 0.1 | Easy |
| adaptation | The book, rearranged for the screen | 10 / 7 distinct | 0.1 | Easy |
| antagonist | The one in the way | 10 / 7 distinct | -0.1 | Easy |
| transistor | A switch with no moving parts | 10 / 7 distinct | -0.3 | Easy |
| saturation | How intense the colour is | 10 / 8 distinct | -0.6 | Easy |
| automation | Doing it once so it never has to be done again | 10 / 7 distinct | -0.7 | Easy |
| nomination | The part everyone says is enough | 10 / 6 distinct | -1.2 | Easy |
Questions
What are some 10 letter words for hangman?
There are 131 on this site, every one with a clue and a difficulty score. The hardest is KYRGYZSTAN at 8.2 and the easiest is NOMINATION at -1.2.
Are 10 letter words hard in hangman?
On average they score 3.5, against 3.7 across every word here, so they are easier than the site average. Short words are generally harder than people expect, because a long word reveals more of the board with every correct guess.
How do I guess a 10 letter word?
Start with E and A, then move to consonants rather than clearing the remaining vowels. At 10 letters the number of blanks is itself a strong clue, and once two or three positions are filled the pattern usually narrows the field faster than frequency does.
Can the solver work from just the length?
Yes. Set the length, leave every box empty and mark the letters you have already missed, and it will return every 10 letter word that still fits along with the best letter to try next.