Hanged vs Hung

Both ‘hanged’ and ‘hung’ are intransitive verbs; that means they need an object. These words are one of the most confusing words to ESL students. They often mix up the two words. I hope after reading my explanation about these two confusing words, you won’t be confused anymore.

HANGED is the simple past and past perfect form of the verb ‘hang’.

hang – hanged – hanged – hanging

Definition: Kill by hanging

Example:

The murderer was hanged on Friday.

HUNG is the simple past and past perfect form of the verb ‘hang’.

hang – hung – hung – hanging

Definition: Be suspended or hanging

Example:

I hung the clock on the wall.

Often you’ll see ‘hung’ is used for suicide, eg.: “He hung himself”, but as seen above, ‘hanged’ is used for executions. However, if you’re not discussing about death, you probably want to use ‘hung’, eg.: “She hung her clothes”, “I hung up on him” (NOT “I hanged up on him”).

Fill in the blanks with HANGED or HUNG.

1. Ted _____ the modern painting in his living room.

2. Yesterday I _____ wet towel on the clothes line to dry.

3. He was _____ for murder town years ago.

4. Last Saturday I saw the film about a person who was _____.

5. The white jacket which _____ on the red chair belonged to your mother.

6. The book is about a woman who _____ herself in her cell.

7. Don’t hang your pictures too high. They should be _____ at eye level.

8. They _____ him in the main square in the 1869s.

9. I _____ my son’s pictures above my bed.

10. They _____ 20 people in the village 100 years ago.

Answers: 1. hung, 2. hung, 3. hanged, 4. hanged, 5. hung, 6. hanged, 7. hung, 8. hanged, 9. hung, 10. hanged