How to Play Balloon Hangman
Balloon Hangman is the classic hangman word game, made for kids. A row of blank spaces shows how many letters the hidden word has, and a clue tells you what it is about. Tap a letter on the on-screen keyboard, or type it on your keyboard. If the letter is in the word, it appears in every space where it belongs. If it is not, one of Kit the fox’s balloons pops and the basket sinks a little lower toward the sea. There is no gallows and nothing scary: if the last balloon pops, Kit splashes down safely in a swim ring and the word is shown to you.
Every game is a trip of eight islands. Solve a word and Kit floats on to the next island; miss it and Kit splashes down, then the trip carries on with the next word. After the eighth word you see your stars, your points and all eight words with their meanings.
Four Word Lists, From Kindergarten to 8th Grade
Pick the group that fits the player. Any player can try any group.
- Little Learners (grades K to 1, about ages 5 to 7): short words of 3 to 5 letters, such as cat, frog and apple, each with a picture clue as well as a written one, and 8 balloons.
- Explorers (grades 2 to 3, about ages 7 to 9): words of 4 to 6 letters, such as rocket, island and turtle, with 7 balloons.
- Adventurers (grades 4 to 5, about ages 9 to 11): words of 6 to 9 letters from science, geography, math and history, such as volcano, compass and fraction, with 6 balloons.
- Word Wizards (grades 6 to 8, about ages 11 to 14): school vocabulary of 8 to 13 letters, such as ecosystem, hypothesis and peninsula, with 6 balloons.
Two Word Packs: School Topics and Spelling Words
Every group has two packs, and the buttons at the top of the menu switch between them. School topics is the main list: words from animals, space, science, maps, math and history, each with a clue that describes it. Spelling words adds 30 common spelling-test words to each group, the kind that turn up on weekly spelling lists: said, they and where for Little Learners, friend, laugh and people for Explorers, believe, through and February for Adventurers, and necessary, conscience and rhythmic for Word Wizards. A spelling clue is a sentence with the word left out, such as “We ___ to the zoo on Saturday,” so you have to know which word fits and then spell it.
Tailwinds and Kit’s Balloon Shop
Solve a word without popping a single balloon and you catch a Tailwind: the next word starts with a golden bonus balloon on top of the usual bunch. It is the last balloon to pop, so it can save a word, and if it is still flying when you solve the word it is worth 25 points like any other balloon. String perfect words together and every island gets its golden balloon.
Every word you solve also earns a seashell, two for a word with no pops, and a trip with stars adds a bonus. Spend shells in Kit’s Balloon Shop on the menu. There are 13 looks to buy, plus the 3 Kit starts with: balloon sets from Ocean blues to Circus stripes and Starry night, a picnic basket, a little boat or a golden basket, and hats from a sailor cap to a royal crown. Tap any look to try it on first. Whatever Kit wears flies with you on every trip.
Learn a Word Every Time
When a word is solved or missed, a card shows it with a short, kid-friendly meaning, so every round teaches a little vocabulary. Words you solve go into My Word Book, which keeps the word and its meaning and counts how many words you have learned in each group. Words you miss go on a practice list, and up to two of them come back on your next trip in that group, as islands 2 and 5. Solve a practice word and it leaves the list.
Stuck? The Show a letter button fills in one hidden letter, but it costs a balloon, and it only works while you have at least two balloons left.
Points, Stars and Leaderboards
A solved word is worth 50 points, plus 10 points for every letter in the word, plus 25 points for every balloon still flying, golden Tailwind balloon included. A missed word is worth nothing, so a long word solved without a single pop scores the most. A trip earns three stars when all eight words are solved, two stars for six or seven, and one star for finishing. Each of the four groups has its own leaderboard: press the Leaderboard button on the results card to see it and add your name if your score makes the board.
Tips for Winning at Hangman
- Start with vowels. Almost every English word has an A, E, I, O or U. E is the most common letter in English, so it is a good first guess.
- Then try common consonants. T, N, S, R and L turn up in lots of words. Letters like Q, X, Z and J are rare, so save them until the word gives you a reason.
- Read the clue and count the spaces. A science clue and nine spaces narrows it down a lot before you guess a single letter.
- Look for word patterns. Endings like -ING, -TION and -ER, and pairs like TH, SH and CH, can fill several spaces at once.
- Save your hints. A hint costs a balloon and every balloon left is worth 25 points, so use one only when you are really stuck.
A Very Old Word Game
Hangman has been played with pencil and paper for well over a hundred years, and it is still a favorite in classrooms because it practices spelling and letter patterns while feeling like a game. Many teachers swap the gallows for a snowman, a flower or a rocket, and that is the idea here too: Kit’s balloons do the counting. Today it is built into countless word game apps and classroom websites, and the same guess-a-letter idea is at the heart of the TV show Wheel of Fortune. Balloon Hangman keeps the classic rules, adds grade-level word lists and a meaning for every word, and runs in the browser with no sign-up and no download.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Balloon Hangman OK for young kids?
Yes. It is the classic hangman game with no gallows. Each wrong letter pops one of Kit the fox’s balloons instead, and if the last one pops, Kit splashes down safely in a swim ring and the word is shown. Little Learners, for grades K to 1, uses short words of 3 to 5 letters with a picture clue and 8 balloons, and Read aloud says the clue out loud.
What are the four word lists?
Little Learners (grades K to 1) has 45 words of 3 to 5 letters with picture clues and 8 balloons. Explorers (grades 2 to 3) has 45 words of 4 to 6 letters and 7 balloons. Adventurers (grades 4 to 5) has 45 words of 6 to 9 letters from science, geography, math and history, with 6 balloons. Word Wizards (grades 6 to 8) has 50 school vocabulary words of 8 to 13 letters, with 6 balloons. Any player can choose any list.
How does a trip work?
A trip is eight words, one for each island. Solve a word and Kit floats on to the next island. Miss it and Kit splashes down, the word and its meaning are shown, and the trip carries on with the next word. After the eighth word the results card shows your stars, your points and all eight words with their meanings.
What happens to the words I miss?
A missed word goes on the practice list for that group, and up to two practice words come back on your next trip in that group, as islands 2 and 5. When you solve a practice word it leaves the list. My Word Book shows the practice list under each group.
What is the Spelling words pack?
It is a second set of words for every group: 30 common spelling-test words each, such as said and friend for younger players and necessary and rhythmic for Word Wizards. Switch between School topics and Spelling words with the two buttons at the top of the menu. A spelling clue is a sentence with the word left out, like She ___ hello to me, and the meaning is shown when the word ends. Points, the practice list and My Word Book work the same way, and both packs share each group’s leaderboard.
What is a Tailwind?
When you solve a word without popping any balloons, the next word starts with a golden bonus balloon on top of the usual bunch. The golden balloon is the last one to pop, so it can save a word, and if it is still flying when you solve the word it scores 25 points like the others.
What can I buy in Kit’s Balloon Shop?
Seashells earned on trips buy looks for Kit: 1 shell for each word solved, 2 for a word with no pops, plus 1 for a two-star trip and 3 for a three-star trip. The shop has 13 looks to buy, plus the 3 Kit starts with: six balloon sets, four baskets and six hats, costing 6 to 40 shells. Tap a look to try it on before you buy it, and switch between the looks you own at any time. Shells and looks are saved in your browser.
What does the Show a letter button do?
It fills in one hidden letter, everywhere that letter appears in the word, but it pops one balloon to pay for it. It only works while you have at least two balloons left, so a hint can never be what loses the word.
How are points and stars worked out?
A solved word scores 50 points, plus 10 for each letter in the word, plus 25 for each balloon still flying. A missed word scores nothing. A trip earns three stars when all eight words are solved, two stars for six or seven, and one star for finishing. Your best points and stars for each group are saved.
Is there a leaderboard?
Yes. Each of the four groups has its own leaderboard, so younger players are not up against Word Wizards. At the end of a trip, press the Leaderboard button on the results card to see the board for that group and add your name if your score makes it.
What is My Word Book?
My Word Book, on the menu, keeps every word you have solved with its meaning, sorted by group, and counts how many of each group’s words you have learned. New trips choose words you have not solved yet first, so you keep meeting new words until you have learned the whole list.
Can I use my keyboard, and does it work on tablets and Chromebooks?
Yes. Type any letter on a keyboard, or tap the big A to Z buttons on the screen. The game is drawn in 2D with simple shapes, so it runs well on school Chromebooks and tablets such as the Kindle Fire. Your Word Book, practice list, best scores and a trip in progress are saved in your browser on that device, and a Continue trip button on the menu picks up where you left off.
Can it read the clues out loud?
Yes, if your browser has a built-in voice. Read aloud says each clue and, when a word ends, the word and its meaning. It is on for Little Learners from the start, and the Read aloud button switches it between K-1 only, all groups and off. The speaker button next to a clue says it again.
