How to Make a Hangman Puzzle

Think of a word or phrase in your head that others will have to guess. Write blank lines on a piece of paper, each representing a letter in the word or phrase. Separate the blanks where words would be separated in phrases. For example, "big dog" would be represented by "_ _ _ / _ _ _."

Draw hangman gallows beside the blanks. The gallows is usually represented as an upside down capital "L." This will be used to create the caricature of a hanged man for each incorrect guess.

Ask a player for a letter he thinks is in the word or phrase. If he guesses a letter that is contained in the word or phrase, enter it into the correct spot in the blanks. For example, if the person guessed the letter "g," you would enter it into the blanks as "_ _ g / _ _ g."

Draw a part of the caricature of a man getting hanged if the person guessing picks an incorrect letter. Start by drawing a head, or a circle, for the first incorrect guess. For the second incorrect guess, draw a body, or a straight line extending down from the head. For a third, draw an arm and for the fourth, draw a second arm. In the event of a fifth wrong guess, draw a leg. For a sixth wrong guess, draw another leg. If all six parts of the body are drawn, the person guessing loses.

Fill out all blank letters or words if a person guesses the whole word or phrase before completing an entire "hanged man" caricature. If the person fills all the blanks before the caricature is drawn, he wins. The person guessing can guess either a letter or the entire puzzle at any time. A wrong guess of the whole puzzle also results in an item added to the caricature.