Hangman: The classic vocabulary app continues to rule  

Blackbeard the Pirate was made famous through legends, stories, and finally the Hangman mobile game. Now the genial pirate is available is another avatar in the Hangman app. The idea is very simple. Prisoners are executed by being thrown overboard, hung and other interesting means. It’s just that the prisoners are all funny stick figures, so the app is hilarious, rather than violent. In dying, the unfortunate victims form a letter. And this letter inserted into the right word solves a puzzle. Users have the power to beat the nasty pirate by expanding their vocabulary.  

But how many kids, or their parents, are willing to play Hangman? And why do so many users seem to like this seriously simple app?  

How popular is Hangman?  
It’s incredibly popular. The average rating is 4.5 on Google Play Store, and all magazines and forums rate it well above 4. There are 404264 reviews on Play Store, and the downloads have long crossed 10 million. Given that the app declares itself fit for everyone, it’s really popular across a whole range of ages, starting at 4, going up to retired folk tinkering with their mobile. The app updates itself in a timely way, and the last version has come out on January 11, 2022. It’s also free, though there is a paid version with no ads popping up. Most importantly,  it’s safe and totally child-friendly.   

Can Hangman actually help in developing skills? 
The beauty of the app is that young users won’t feel as if they are learning anything, they will find it an immersive gaming app. And their spelling, reading speed, comprehension, understanding of a language and quick thinking skills actually improve precisely because it’s never ‘study’. Since Hangman app is available in other languages too, it also has a secondary contribution. It can act as a good entry level vocab expanding tool for students of new languages. In case of India, that applies to English too.  

Why is Hangman popular among parents and teachers? 
Parents and teachers can tack students’ progress in the app, set them game-assignments, and keep students engaged. Older students can be encouraged to take up the more difficult levels. It’s a great family time app in the post pandemic world.