Holidays hangman words
84 holidays and celebrations words, each with a clue and a difficulty score computed from its spelling. 39 easy, 39 medium, 6 hard.
Average score
3.7
Across all 84 words
Hardest
witch
Scores 8.6
Easiest
easter
Scores -1.5
Seasonal words are the most predictable in hangman, because context does most of the work. Play this list in December and a guesser will try C, H and S first and be right almost every time.
That predictability is the point rather than a flaw. This is a party category, and a game where everyone gets there is better at a table than one where nobody does.
If you need it harder, the Halloween words carry the awkward letters. Cauldron, masquerade and firecracker all score well above the seasonal average.
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Easy holidays and celebrations words39
The usual opening guesses cover most of it, so it tends to fall quickly.
| Word | Clue | Letters | Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| anniversary | The same date, coming round again | 11 / 8 distinct | 1.8 | Easy |
| balloon | Inflated, and eventually a hazard | 7 / 5 distinct | 3.0 | Easy |
| bonfire | Built for weeks, gone in an evening | 7 / 7 distinct | 2.4 | Easy |
| celebration | The whole point of the date | 11 / 10 distinct | 1.8 | Easy |
| ceremony | The formal part, before the food | 8 / 7 distinct | 3.4 | Easy |
| chocolate | The real reason for the egg hunt | 9 / 7 distinct | 3.2 | Easy |
| chocolates | In a box, with a map on the lid | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.2 | Easy |
| confetti | Fun to throw, terrible to clear up | 8 / 7 distinct | 2.1 | Easy |
| cornucopia | A horn overflowing with produce | 10 / 8 distinct | 2.4 | Easy |
| easter | Eggs hidden and rarely all found | 6 / 5 distinct | -1.5 | Easy |
| feast | More food than anyone planned to eat | 5 / 5 distinct | 1.8 | Easy |
| firecracker | Small, loud and gone in a second | 11 / 7 distinct | 3.5 | Easy |
| fireplace | Where the stockings hang | 9 / 8 distinct | 3.6 | Easy |
| gingerbread | Spiced, baked, and occasionally a house | 11 / 8 distinct | 2.9 | Easy |
| gratitude | The point of the whole occasion | 9 / 8 distinct | 2.4 | Easy |
| greeting | The card, and what is written inside | 8 / 6 distinct | 1.8 | Easy |
| lantern | A light with a handle | 7 / 6 distinct | 1.7 | Easy |
| masquerade | A party where nobody admits who they are | 10 / 8 distinct | 3.1 | Easy |
| mistletoe | Hang it in a doorway at your own risk | 9 / 7 distinct | 1.0 | Easy |
| nativity | The scene set up at the base of the tree | 8 / 6 distinct | 2.8 | Easy |
| new year | Resolutions, made and abandoned | 7 / 6 distinct | 2.4 | Easy |
| ornament | Hangs on the tree and always one gets broken | 8 / 7 distinct | 0.9 | Easy |
| parade | The street, temporarily closed | 6 / 5 distinct | 1.8 | Easy |
| potion | Brewed, and never labelled clearly | 6 / 5 distinct | 0.2 | Easy |
| procession | Moving in an agreed order | 10 / 8 distinct | 1.2 | Easy |
| ramadan | A month of fasting from dawn to dusk | 7 / 5 distinct | 1.6 | Easy |
| reindeer | Antlered, and famously airborne once a year | 8 / 5 distinct | -0.9 | Easy |
| resolution | Kept until roughly the fourth of January | 10 / 9 distinct | 0.7 | Easy |
| reunion | Everyone in one room after years | 7 / 6 distinct | -0.6 | Easy |
| ribbon | Ties the parcel and curls with scissors | 6 / 5 distinct | 3.2 | Easy |
| romance | Two people and an obstacle | 7 / 7 distinct | 2.4 | Easy |
| skeleton | The frame, without the rest | 8 / 7 distinct | 3.0 | Easy |
| souvenir | Bought quickly, kept for decades | 8 / 8 distinct | 2.3 | Easy |
| springtime | When everything starts again | 10 / 9 distinct | 3.3 | Easy |
| tinsel | Shiny, and it gets absolutely everywhere | 6 / 6 distinct | 2.0 | Easy |
| toast | Glasses raised and something said | 5 / 4 distinct | -0.8 | Easy |
| tradition | The thing that must be done that way | 9 / 7 distinct | -0.1 | Easy |
| vacation | The same thing, said differently | 8 / 7 distinct | 2.0 | Easy |
| valentine | One card, sent anonymously | 9 / 7 distinct | 1.9 | Easy |
Medium holidays and celebrations words39
You will get a foothold, then have to work out the rest properly.
| Word | Clue | Letters | Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| advent | Counting down, one small door at a time | 6 / 6 distinct | 4.7 | Medium |
| banquet | A feast with seating arrangements | 7 / 7 distinct | 4.7 | Medium |
| birthday | Candles equal to the number in question | 8 / 8 distinct | 6.0 | Medium |
| bouquet | Flowers, arranged and expensive in February | 7 / 6 distinct | 4.7 | Medium |
| broomstick | Cleaning tool with an alternative use | 10 / 9 distinct | 5.0 | Medium |
| candycane | Striped, hooked and minty | 9 / 6 distinct | 3.8 | Medium |
| carnival | Costumes, music and no sleep | 8 / 7 distinct | 4.2 | Medium |
| carol | Sung on doorsteps in the cold | 5 / 5 distinct | 3.8 | Medium |
| cauldron | Bubbling, and nothing good is in it | 8 / 8 distinct | 5.0 | Medium |
| christmas | Tree, lights, and a great deal of wrapping paper | 9 / 8 distinct | 4.2 | Medium |
| costume | Someone else, for one evening | 7 / 7 distinct | 3.9 | Medium |
| countdown | Ten to one, out loud | 9 / 7 distinct | 5.0 | Medium |
| cranberry | Sharp red sauce beside the meat | 9 / 7 distinct | 3.9 | Medium |
| daffodil | Yellow trumpet announcing spring | 8 / 6 distinct | 5.5 | Medium |
| diwali | The festival of lights | 6 / 5 distinct | 4.7 | Medium |
| eggnog | Divisive, and thicker than expected | 6 / 4 distinct | 4.3 | Medium |
| festival | Several days, one shared reason | 8 / 8 distinct | 4.5 | Medium |
| fireworks | Loud, brief and enormously expensive | 9 / 8 distinct | 4.8 | Medium |
| goblin | Small, greedy and troublesome | 6 / 6 distinct | 5.3 | Medium |
| graveyard | Quiet, and busy in stories | 9 / 7 distinct | 5.0 | Medium |
| halloween | The one night doorbells are welcome | 9 / 7 distinct | 4.1 | Medium |
| hanukkah | Eight nights and a branched candlestick | 8 / 5 distinct | 6.3 | Medium |
| harvest | Bringing the crops in | 7 / 7 distinct | 4.4 | Medium |
| haunted | Something else is already living there | 7 / 7 distinct | 3.9 | Medium |
| holiday | Time off, by agreement | 7 / 7 distinct | 5.3 | Medium |
| midnight | The moment everyone counts down to | 8 / 7 distinct | 5.6 | Medium |
| nutcracker | A soldier, a ballet, and a tool | 10 / 8 distinct | 4.8 | Medium |
| sleigh | Runs on snow and needs no wheels | 6 / 6 distinct | 5.3 | Medium |
| snowman | Carrot nose, coal eyes, limited lifespan | 7 / 6 distinct | 4.1 | Medium |
| sparkler | Held at arm's length, mostly | 8 / 7 distinct | 5.2 | Medium |
| spooky | Just frightening enough to enjoy | 6 / 5 distinct | 6.0 | Medium |
| stocking | Hung up, and mysteriously full by morning | 8 / 8 distinct | 5.5 | Medium |
| stuffing | Cooked inside, argued about outside | 8 / 7 distinct | 5.6 | Medium |
| thanksgiving | Turkey, family and a long table | 12 / 9 distinct | 5.8 | Medium |
| turkey | The centrepiece, and always a debate about timing | 6 / 6 distinct | 6.3 | Medium |
| vampire | Avoids garlic and daylight | 7 / 7 distinct | 4.7 | Medium |
| werewolf | Human until the moon is full | 8 / 6 distinct | 5.3 | Medium |
| wreath | A circle of greenery on the door | 6 / 6 distinct | 4.7 | Medium |
| zombie | Slow, persistent and hungry | 6 / 6 distinct | 5.0 | Medium |
Hard holidays and celebrations words6
Rare letters, few vowels, or almost no repetition for a guesser to lean on.
| Word | Clue | Letters | Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bunny | Delivers eggs, for reasons nobody explains | 5 / 4 distinct | 6.8 | Hard |
| chimney | The traditional entrance, apparently | 7 / 7 distinct | 6.4 | Hard |
| cobweb | The web after the spider left | 6 / 5 distinct | 7.7 | Hard |
| pumpkin | Carved, lit, and grinning | 7 / 6 distinct | 8.4 | Hard |
| witch | Broomstick, cauldron and pointed hat | 5 / 5 distinct | 8.6 | Hard |
| wrapping | Torn off in seconds after all that effort | 8 / 7 distinct | 6.5 | Hard |
Questions
What are good holidays and celebrations words for hangman?
The ones that survive a normal opening. A guesser starts with E, A, R and the other common letters, so a good word is one those letters barely touch. On this page that is the score: 84 holidays and celebrations words are listed and 6 of them rate hard.
How many holidays and celebrations words are on this list?
84, deduplicated, each with a clue and a computed difficulty score. They split into 39 easy, 39 medium and 6 hard.
What is the hardest word in this category?
WITCH, at 8.6. The easiest is EASTER at -1.5. Both numbers come from the same formula, which is published in full at hangmanwords.net/how-difficulty-is-scored/.
Can I play these words rather than read them?
Yes. The play link on this page loads a game that draws only from this holidays list, so every word you get is one of the 84 below.