Parents' Guide to

Hanging With Friends

By Jonathan H. Liu, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Hangman meets Scrabble, against online opponents.

App iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire Word Games
Hanging With Friends Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Hanging With Friends App: Screenshot #1
  • Hanging With Friends App: Screenshot #2
  • Hanging With Friends App: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 2 parent reviews

testik
testik Adult
August 22, 2015
age 14+

Nice game but some MAJOR flaws

Will somebody please tell me why this game will not me play "morphed" or "rehome"? Those are perfectly fine words. If the game won't recognize perfectly valid common English words, then what good is it?
Jojano
Jojano Parent of 8 and 10-year-old
July 26, 2011
age 8+

Fine for younger kids if they are supervised

My eight year old daughter loves this app. She plays with her friends all the time. I'm trying to understand why the site rated it for 14 and up?? Maybe because, depending on who you are playing, the words can be hard to guess? Or maybe because it allows users to play strangers? I've just told my daughter that she is only allowed to play her friends. I also told her that I will frequently check the dialogue on the chat part. Neither of those "rules" have been a problem for us.
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Players build a word for their opponent to guess using a set of 12 letter tiles, which earn them points depending on the placement of bonus spots (double letter, triple word, etc.). The points earn players gold coins, which they can use to buy avatars, backgrounds, and other extras. To guess a word, players choose letters until the word is revealed; they only get a certain number of strikes (wrong guesses) before they lose the round and one of their avatar's five balloons pops. When one player loses all five balloons, the game is over.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (2):

HANGING WITH FRIENDS is a cross between hangman and Scrabble (or Words With Friends): You create words for your opponent to guess, and then guess the words they've created. Each time you guess you get a few mistakes before you've missed the word, and then one of your five balloons pop. Run out of balloons, and you lose the game. Meanwhile, you get a set of 12 random letter tiles to create words, and there are bonuses for double- and triple-word or letter scores. Get enough points, and you're rewarded with coins that can be used for lifelines that give you a hint or remove a mistake.

There does seem to be an interface issue where the letter tiles do not always display properly. Still, the game is quite fun to play and adds a twist to the traditional hangman game.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Encourage your kids to play with people they know in real life -- including you! If your kids play against random opponents, make sure they know to keep personal information private, and to resign from any game where a random opponent behaves inappropriately.

  • Encourage your kids to look up the meanings of unfamiliar words.

App Details

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