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THE TOOL · WORD
HANGMAN SOLVER
Type the blanks and letters you know - like _a__e - add the wrong guesses, and get every word that still fits plus the statistically best next letter to call.
Free tool · runs in your browser · by the VERSUZ arena
Hangman strategy, the honest version
Hangman is a probability game wearing a party hat. With no information, call letters in English-frequency order - E T A O I N S H R gets a hit fast. But the moment you have a pattern, frequency-in-general stops mattering and frequency-among-remaining-candidates takes over. That's what the "best next guess" above computes: the letter present in the largest share of words that still fit your blanks and misses.
One counterintuitive rule: short words are harder than long ones. A 3-letter pattern like _ u _ has dozens of candidates and no structure; a 9-letter word collapses to a handful of options after two correct calls. If you're the one choosing words to stump a friend: JAZZ, BUZZ and JINX are famous executioners - rare letters, no E, and this page will still find them.
Questions people actually ask
What's the best first guess in hangman?
With no letters revealed: E, then T, A, O, I, N - straight English letter frequency. Once anything is revealed, switch to the solver's suggestion, which counts only the words that still fit.
What are the hardest hangman words?
Short words packed with rare letters and no E: jazz, buzz, jinx, fizz. Few candidates share their patterns, so wrong guesses pile up fast.
Does the solver handle repeated letters?
Yes - a pattern like o__o_ correctly requires O in both marked spots and excludes O from the blanks (a revealed letter can't hide in an unrevealed position).
Can I use it for crossword blanks too?
Absolutely - any known-letters-at-known-positions puzzle works. Enter the pattern, leave wrong-guesses empty, and read the candidate list.