Hard hangman words
245 words scoring 6.4 or above, ordered hardest first. Not the longest words and not the strangest ones, just the ones a normal opening fails to touch.
The three hardest
duck
score 12.5 · 4 letters · 0% common cover
Swims on the pond and quacks
fuzzy
score 12.3 · 5 letters · 0% common cover
Covered in soft short hairs, or unclear
lynx
score 12.0 · 4 letters · 25% common cover
Tufted-eared wild cat with huge snowshoe paws
What actually makes a hangman word hard
A guesser does not start from nothing. They start with E, then A, then R and the rest of the letters that carry most of English. If those letters cover half the word, the board lights up in three guesses and the rest is a formality regardless of how unusual the word is.
So difficulty is a question about the opening, and it comes down to four things you can count: how much of the word the common letters cover, whether it contains letters people try late or never, whether any letter repeats, and how many vowels there are. Every word on this page was measured on those four and nothing else.
The result is a list that disagrees with the usual ones. Words like DUCK and MILK outrank words two or three times their length, because a guesser can spend their whole opening on them and hit nothing at all.
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All 245 hard words
| Word | Clue | Letters | Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| duck | Swims on the pond and quacks | 4 / 4 distinct | 12.5 | Hard |
| fuzzy | Covered in soft short hairs, or unclear | 5 / 4 distinct | 12.3 | Hard |
| lynx | Tufted-eared wild cat with huge snowshoe paws | 4 / 4 distinct | 12.0 | Hard |
| wacky | Amusingly eccentric | 5 / 5 distinct | 11.8 | Hard |
| jazz | Written down, then argued with | 4 / 3 distinct | 11.8 | Hard |
| jaw | Hinged, and the strongest muscle acts on it | 3 / 3 distinct | 11.0 | Hard |
| plum | Dark purple-red | 4 / 4 distinct | 11.0 | Hard |
| wobbly | Unsteady, and about to go over | 6 / 5 distinct | 10.7 | Hard |
| fluffy | Light, soft and full of air | 6 / 4 distinct | 10.7 | Hard |
| mug | Everyone has a favourite | 3 / 3 distinct | 10.3 | Hard |
| skull | The helmet you were issued with | 5 / 4 distinct | 10.3 | Hard |
| puppy | A very young dog | 5 / 3 distinct | 10.2 | Hard |
| mummy | Wrapped, and considerably older than you | 5 / 3 distinct | 10.2 | Hard |
| cymbal | The crash at the top of the kit | 6 / 6 distinct | 10.0 | Hard |
| folk | Passed on before it was published | 4 / 4 distinct | 10.0 | Hard |
| milk | White drink that comes from a cow | 4 / 4 distinct | 10.0 | Hard |
| howl | The wolf, at the moon | 4 / 4 distinct | 10.0 | Hard |
| lurk | Waiting somewhere you cannot see | 4 / 4 distinct | 10.0 | Hard |
| chuckle | A quiet, private laugh | 7 / 6 distinct | 9.9 | Hard |
| whisk | Beats air into things | 5 / 5 distinct | 9.8 | Hard |
| backup | The thing you only value once | 6 / 6 distinct | 9.7 | Hard |
| quiz | Short, sharp and often unannounced | 4 / 4 distinct | 9.5 | Hard |
| clutch | The pedal that takes practice | 6 / 5 distinct | 9.5 | Hard |
| rugby | Fifteen players and no forward passing | 5 / 5 distinct | 9.4 | Hard |
| thumb | The one that makes the hand useful | 5 / 5 distinct | 9.4 | Hard |
| blush | The palest pink | 5 / 5 distinct | 9.4 | Hard |
| puzzle | Lots of pieces that make a picture | 6 / 5 distinct | 9.4 | Hard |
| guffaw | A loud burst of laughter | 6 / 5 distinct | 9.4 | Hard |
| pickup | A cab and an open back | 6 / 5 distinct | 9.4 | Hard |
| chipmunk | Striped cheek-stuffer of the forest floor | 8 / 8 distinct | 9.3 | Hard |
| lunchbox | The best part of the morning | 8 / 8 distinct | 9.3 | Hard |
| numbskull | Another fool, more bluntly | 9 / 7 distinct | 9.2 | Hard |
| rhythm | The pattern the time is cut into | 6 / 5 distinct | 9.2 | Hard |
| owl | Silent night hunter that turns its head far around | 3 / 3 distinct | 9.0 | Hard |
| judge | Decides, having heard both sides | 5 / 5 distinct | 9.0 | Hard |
| fuddy duddy | Old-fashioned and proud of it | 10 / 4 distinct | 9.0 | Hard |
| jumbo | Very large indeed | 5 / 5 distinct | 9.0 | Hard |
| quirky | Odd in a way people quite like | 6 / 6 distinct | 9.0 | Hard |
| ivy | The other half of a very old carol | 3 / 3 distinct | 9.0 | Hard |
| jackal | Wild dog that scavenges and hunts alone | 6 / 5 distinct | 8.9 | Hard |
| poppycock | Nonsense, said with more disdain | 9 / 5 distinct | 8.9 | Hard |
| holly | Green with red berries and sharp edges | 5 / 4 distinct | 8.8 | Hard |
| swamp | Wetland where trees still manage to grow | 5 / 5 distinct | 8.6 | Hard |
| truck | Carries heavy things on the road | 5 / 5 distinct | 8.6 | Hard |
| witch | Broomstick, cauldron and pointed hat | 5 / 5 distinct | 8.6 | Hard |
| blink | Involuntary, mostly | 5 / 5 distinct | 8.6 | Hard |
| cycling | Road, track or mountain, always pedalling | 7 / 6 distinct | 8.6 | Hard |
| backpack | Carries far more than it should | 8 / 5 distinct | 8.6 | Hard |
| dumpling | Filling wrapped in dough and steamed or fried | 8 / 8 distinct | 8.5 | Hard |
| golf | The lowest number of shots wins | 4 / 4 distinct | 8.5 | Hard |
| chef | Runs the kitchen and the timing | 4 / 4 distinct | 8.5 | Hard |
| calf | The back of the lower leg | 4 / 4 distinct | 8.5 | Hard |
| lung | Two of them, and one is smaller | 4 / 4 distinct | 8.5 | Hard |
| palm | The inside of the hand | 4 / 4 distinct | 8.5 | Hard |
| plumbing | Fine until it is not | 8 / 8 distinct | 8.5 | Hard |
| gold | Metallic yellow, and first | 4 / 4 distinct | 8.5 | Hard |
| pumpkin | Autumn squash that also becomes a lantern | 7 / 6 distinct | 8.4 | Hard |
| highway | Long, straight and largely uneventful | 7 / 6 distinct | 8.4 | Hard |
| lullaby | Designed to end in silence | 7 / 5 distinct | 8.4 | Hard |
| knuckle | Cracks, and your mother told you not to | 7 / 6 distinct | 8.4 | Hard |
| myrrh | Another of the three, and harder still | 5 / 4 distinct | 8.4 | Hard |
| cyprus | Mediterranean island divided since 1974 | 6 / 6 distinct | 8.3 | Hard |
| lightbulb | The one that goes at the worst moment | 9 / 7 distinct | 8.3 | Hard |
| dinghy | Small, and often inflatable | 6 / 6 distinct | 8.3 | Hard |
| jellyfish | Drifting sea creature with no brain and no bones | 9 / 8 distinct | 8.3 | Hard |
| flashback | A scene from earlier, shown later | 9 / 8 distinct | 8.3 | Hard |
| skunk | Warns first, then sprays something unforgettable | 5 / 4 distinct | 8.3 | Hard |
| kyrgyzstan | Mountainous Central Asian country, mostly highland | 10 / 9 distinct | 8.2 | Hard |
| skulduggery | Sneaky behaviour with a dishonest edge | 11 / 9 distinct | 8.2 | Hard |
| hallway | Where the coats pile up | 7 / 5 distinct | 8.2 | Hard |
| mulled | What happens to the wine | 6 / 5 distinct | 8.2 | Hard |
| hiccup | The diaphragm, misbehaving | 6 / 5 distinct | 8.2 | Hard |
| multiply | Repeated addition, done quickly | 8 / 7 distinct | 8.1 | Hard |
| burgundy | Dark red, named after the wine region | 8 / 7 distinct | 8.1 | Hard |
| scallywag | Same idea, a bit more affectionate | 9 / 7 distinct | 8.1 | Hard |
| vacuum | No air, and therefore no sound | 6 / 5 distinct | 8.0 | Hard |
| hockey | Sticks, a hard ball or puck, and a goal to defend | 6 / 6 distinct | 8.0 | Hard |
| judo | Throws, holds, and a coloured belt system | 4 / 4 distinct | 8.0 | Hard |
| blacksmith | Shapes hot metal with hammer and anvil | 10 / 10 distinct | 8.0 | Hard |
| jumper | The knitted one you only wear in December | 6 / 6 distinct | 8.0 | Hard |
| bucket | What the sweets go in | 6 / 6 distinct | 8.0 | Hard |
| subway | Underground, frequent, confusing at first | 6 / 6 distinct | 8.0 | Hard |
| skydiving | Freefall first, canopy second | 9 / 8 distinct | 7.9 | Hard |
| dillydally | To waste time, pleasantly | 10 / 5 distinct | 7.9 | Hard |
| hatchback | The boot lid takes the back window with it | 9 / 6 distinct | 7.9 | Hard |
| symphony | Usually four movements, usually large | 8 / 7 distinct | 7.9 | Hard |
| plumber | Arrives when water is somewhere it should not be | 7 / 7 distinct | 7.9 | Hard |
| album | A collection meant to be heard in order | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.8 | Hard |
| cloud | White and fluffy, up in the sky | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.8 | Hard |
| ball | You throw it, kick it or bounce it | 4 / 3 distinct | 7.8 | Hard |
| chlorophyll | The pigment that makes plants green | 11 / 7 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| blizzard | Snow plus wind plus no visibility | 8 / 7 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| kerplunk | The sound of something dropping into water | 8 / 7 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| kentucky | Bourbon, bluegrass and a derby | 8 / 7 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| waffle | Batter cooked in a grid that holds syrup | 6 / 5 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| galaxy | Billions of stars held together by gravity | 6 / 5 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| valley | The low ground between two ranges | 6 / 5 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| pillow | Soft, and your head goes on it | 6 / 5 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| dawdle | To move far more slowly than required | 6 / 5 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| cobweb | The web after the spider left | 6 / 5 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| cackle | The witch's laugh, specifically | 6 / 5 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| hummus | Blended chickpeas, tahini, lemon and garlic | 6 / 4 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| switch | By the door, at the wrong height | 6 / 6 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| hurly burly | Noisy commotion | 10 / 6 distinct | 7.6 | Hard |
| zimbabwe | Named after a great stone-built ruin | 8 / 7 distinct | 7.6 | 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 |
| bark | The tree's outer defence | 4 / 4 distinct | 7.5 | Hard |
| willow | Leans over water and weeps by reputation | 6 / 4 distinct | 7.5 | Hard |
| wind | You cannot see it but it moves the trees | 4 / 4 distinct | 7.5 | Hard |
| willy nilly | Whether you like it or not | 10 / 5 distinct | 7.5 | Hard |
| zany | Comically unconventional | 4 / 4 distinct | 7.5 | Hard |
| zigzag | A line that keeps changing its mind | 6 / 4 distinct | 7.5 | Hard |
| crow | In a group they are called a murder | 4 / 4 distinct | 7.5 | Hard |
| mask | Covers the face and changes the voice | 4 / 4 distinct | 7.5 | Hard |
| yawn | Contagious, and nobody knows quite why | 4 / 4 distinct | 7.5 | Hard |
| navy | Very dark blue | 4 / 4 distinct | 7.5 | Hard |
| onyx | Black, from the stone | 4 / 4 distinct | 7.5 | Hard |
| hyperlink | The idea the whole web is built on | 9 / 9 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| bicycle | Still the most efficient machine ever built | 7 / 6 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| pudding | Set alight at the table | 7 / 6 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| multiplex | Many screens under one roof | 9 / 8 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| collywobbles | A nervous stomach | 12 / 8 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| blackhole | Gravity so strong that light cannot leave | 9 / 8 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| bulldozer | Pushes earth about | 9 / 8 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| egypt | Where the Nile meets the pyramids | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| chord | Three or more notes at once | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| drums | The part everyone air-plays | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| brush | For your hair or your teeth | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| candy | The entire point, if you are eight | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| blind | The alternative, and it rattles | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| porch | Between outside and inside | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| shelf | Holds books, and eventually sags | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| yacht | Sail or motor, and expensive either way | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| lollygag | To dawdle when you should be moving | 8 / 5 distinct | 7.4 | Hard |
| workshop | Where the toys are made, in the story | 8 / 7 distinct | 7.3 | Hard |
| quartz | Common, hard, and often clear | 6 / 6 distinct | 7.3 | Hard |
| kowtow | To be excessively deferential | 6 / 4 distinct | 7.3 | Hard |
| wizard | The other one, usually with a beard | 6 / 6 distinct | 7.3 | Hard |
| anchovy | Tiny salted fish with an enormous flavour | 7 / 7 distinct | 7.3 | Hard |
| bowling | Ten pins and two attempts per frame | 7 / 7 distinct | 7.3 | Hard |
| backlot | Standing sets, reused for decades | 7 / 7 distinct | 7.3 | Hard |
| quibble | To argue about something trivial | 7 / 6 distinct | 7.3 | Hard |
| flicker | What the candle does before it goes out | 7 / 7 distinct | 7.3 | Hard |
| wyoming | Least populated, and home to Yellowstone | 7 / 7 distinct | 7.3 | Hard |
| docking | Two craft meeting at closing speeds of centimetres | 7 / 7 distinct | 7.3 | Hard |
| olympics | Every four years, and the whole world watches | 8 / 8 distinct | 7.3 | Hard |
| gobsmacked | Astonished, informally | 10 / 10 distinct | 7.2 | Hard |
| mumbo | The first half of meaningless ritual talk | 5 / 4 distinct | 7.2 | Hard |
| pupil | The black circle that changes size | 5 / 4 distinct | 7.2 | Hard |
| bandwidth | How much can pass through at once | 9 / 8 distinct | 7.2 | Hard |
| luxembourg | Tiny, wealthy and wedged between three neighbours | 10 / 9 distinct | 7.2 | Hard |
| black magic | The kind with consequences | 10 / 8 distinct | 7.2 | Hard |
| physics | Why things move the way they do | 7 / 6 distinct | 7.1 | Hard |
| plughole | Where things go missing | 8 / 7 distinct | 7.1 | Hard |
| knickknack | A small ornament of no use | 10 / 5 distinct | 7.1 | Hard |
| spacewalk | Outside, and attached by a tether | 9 / 8 distinct | 7.1 | Hard |
| gecko | Climbs glass thanks to microscopic toe hairs | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| hurdle | You have to get over it without slowing down | 6 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| muscle | Contracts to pull, never to push | 6 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| pixel | The smallest thing a screen can colour | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| plugin | Something bolted on afterwards | 6 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| melody | The part you leave humming | 6 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| comedy | The hardest genre to get right | 6 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| bed | Where you sleep | 3 / 3 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| bus | Big, and it stops for everyone | 3 / 3 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| chicken | Lays eggs and clucks | 7 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| family | The people you live with | 6 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| blubber | To cry noisily, or whale fat | 7 / 5 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| gizmo | A gadget you are impressed by | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| kerfuffle | A fuss, and rather a silly one | 9 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| kerplop | The sound of landing in something soft | 7 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| mollycoddle | To treat far too gently | 11 / 7 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| squishy | Soft and yielding when pressed | 7 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| twaddle | Empty, tedious chatter | 7 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| clove | Studded into an orange | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| cloak | Longer than a cape, and with a hood | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| elbow | The joint you are not supposed to lean on | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| hip | Where the leg meets the trunk | 3 / 3 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| bleach | Effective, and never mixed with anything | 6 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| duvet | With a cover that fights you | 5 / 5 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| mop | For after the spill | 3 / 3 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| peg | Holds the washing on the line | 3 / 3 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| cockpit | Where the decisions are made | 7 / 6 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| chalkboard | Dusty, green or black, and gloriously analogue | 10 / 9 distinct | 7.0 | Hard |
| black cat | Crossing your path, traditionally | 8 / 6 distinct | 6.9 | Hard |
| platypus | Egg-laying mammal with a duck's bill | 8 / 7 distinct | 6.9 | Hard |
| climbing | Route, hold, and a great deal of finger strength | 8 / 7 distinct | 6.9 | Hard |
| chopping | The board it happens on | 8 / 7 distinct | 6.9 | Hard |
| baklava | Layered pastry soaked in honey and nuts | 7 / 5 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| curry | Spiced sauce dish with countless regional forms | 5 / 4 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| shell | You find it on the beach | 5 / 4 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| teddy | A soft bear you take to bed | 5 / 4 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| bunny | Delivers eggs, for reasons nobody explains | 5 / 4 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| bells | Jingling, according to the song | 5 / 4 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| spell | Said out loud, with a wand optional | 5 / 4 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| thigh | Between hip and knee | 5 / 4 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| swallow | Happens hundreds of times a day | 7 / 5 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| cucumber | Long green salad vegetable, cool and mild | 8 / 6 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| sandwich | Named after an earl who did not want to stop playing cards | 8 / 8 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| codswallop | Utter rubbish | 10 / 8 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| gobbledygook | Language designed not to be understood | 12 / 8 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| squabble | A petty, noisy argument | 8 / 7 distinct | 6.7 | Hard |
| belgium | Chocolate, waffles and three official languages | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.7 | Hard |
| twinkle | What the lights on the tree do | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.7 | Hard |
| cheek | Either side of the nose | 5 / 4 distinct | 6.7 | Hard |
| khaki | Dusty yellow-brown, from a Urdu word for dust | 5 / 4 distinct | 6.7 | Hard |
| trophy | What everybody says they are not playing for | 6 / 6 distinct | 6.7 | Hard |
| branch | Where the trunk stops committing | 6 / 6 distinct | 6.7 | Hard |
| lyrics | The words, and often the argument | 6 / 6 distinct | 6.7 | Hard |
| makeup | Everything from a bruise to a monster | 6 / 6 distinct | 6.7 | Hard |
| frypan | Non-stick until it is not | 6 / 6 distinct | 6.7 | Hard |
| hummingbird | Tiny bird whose wings blur as it hovers | 11 / 9 distinct | 6.6 | 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 |
| swing | Notes played slightly unevenly, on purpose | 5 / 5 distinct | 6.6 | Hard |
| blockbuster | Built to fill every screen at once | 11 / 10 distinct | 6.6 | Hard |
| trick | The alternative to the treat | 5 / 5 distinct | 6.6 | Hard |
| kayak | Sitting, double-bladed paddle | 5 / 3 distinct | 6.6 | Hard |
| muffin | Individual cake baked in a paper case | 6 / 5 distinct | 6.5 | Hard |
| cuba | The largest island in the Caribbean | 4 / 4 distinct | 6.5 | Hard |
| handball | Seven a side, thrown rather than kicked | 8 / 6 distinct | 6.5 | Hard |
| pommel | Gymnastics apparatus with two handles | 6 / 5 distinct | 6.5 | Hard |
| fungus | Neither plant nor animal, and mostly underground | 6 / 5 distinct | 6.5 | Hard |
| puppetry | Performance through an object | 8 / 6 distinct | 6.5 | Hard |
| landmark | The thing everyone photographs | 8 / 7 distinct | 6.5 | Hard |
| wrapping | Torn off in seconds after all that effort | 8 / 7 distinct | 6.5 | Hard |
| snowball | Packed, thrown, and immediately regretted | 8 / 7 distinct | 6.5 | Hard |
| haystack | Where the needle is | 8 / 7 distinct | 6.5 | Hard |
| forklift | Lifts pallets, and only pallets | 8 / 7 distinct | 6.5 | Hard |
| butterfly | Starts as a caterpillar, ends with patterned wings | 9 / 8 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| dolphin | Clever sea mammal that breathes through a blowhole | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| chutney | Sweet-sharp preserve served alongside | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| yoghurt | Milk cultured into something thick and tangy | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| hungary | Central European nation on the Danube | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| curling | Stones on ice, and furious sweeping | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| butcher | Knows every cut and how to use it | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| drought | Not enough rain for long enough to matter | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| chimney | The traditional entrance, apparently | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| draught | The cold air with no obvious source | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| cutlery | Knife, fork, spoon | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| laundry | Never actually finished | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| tumbler | A glass with no stem | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| higgledy piggledy | The first half of a very untidy phrase | 16 / 8 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| pell mell | In a confused rush | 8 / 4 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
Questions
What are the hardest words for hangman?
The hardest words are short, vowel-poor and built from letters nobody opens with. On this site DUCK, FUZZY, LYNX sit at the top, and none of them is a long or obscure word. That is the point.
Why is a short word harder than a long one?
Because length helps the guesser. Every correct letter in a long word reveals more of the board and narrows the possibilities faster. A four-letter word with no common letters gives a guesser nothing to work with at all.
What counts as hard on this page?
Any word scoring 6.4 or above on the difficulty formula. That formula is four measurements taken from the spelling, and it is published in full on the methodology page.
Are obscure words good hangman words?
Usually not. Obscurity affects whether the guesser recognises the word once it is nearly complete, which is the very end of the game. What decides the game is whether the opening guesses land, and that is about letters rather than meaning.