Word Guess

• 1st–5th grade
• Ages 6–11
• Free, no sign-up

A hidden word, a theme for a clue, and six balloons holding up a basket. Your child guesses one letter at a time; every wrong letter pops a balloon. It's the classic hangman game with nothing scary in it, and it's great spelling practice.

▶ Play

About the game

How to play

1. Pick a theme. The theme is your clue for every word.
2. Guess a letter. Tap a letter or type it. Right letters fill in the word.
3. Watch the balloons. Each wrong letter pops one. Six pops and the word is shown.
4. Solve all five. Solve every word in the round for three stars.

For parents: what Word Guess practices

Word Guess practices spelling and letter patterns: kids learn to try common letters and vowels first, and to think about which letters fit a word's shape. It pairs with:

• Spelling lists
• Short vowels
• Word Scramble

Common Core: L.1.2d, L.2.2d (spell untaught words phonetically), RF.1.3 and RF.2.3 (phonics and word analysis).

Getting the most out of it

• Start with vowels: a, e, i, o, u.
• Then try common consonants like t, n, s and r.
• Use the theme: in Space, a 4-letter word ending in -n might be moon.

Games are best as a reward or a warm-up, not the main lesson. Ten minutes of play after a short lesson works better than an hour of play on its own.

More games

• Word Search for KidsFind hidden words in 30 themed puzzles.1st–5th grade
• Word ScrambleUnscramble the letters to spell the word.1st–5th grade
• Word Ladder ClimbChange one letter at a time to climb from word to word.1st–3rd grade

More word puzzles · All games

Last reviewed: November 11, 2026

Questions parents ask