Create A Hangman Game Using Python (For Beginners) | Techniculus

Hangman is a popular word-guessing game that is perfect for practicing programming skills, particularly for beginners. In this article, we will explain how to create a Hangman game using Python.

To create this game, we will use the random module to select a random word from a list of words, and we will use a while loop to allow the user to guess letters until they either solve the puzzle or run out of guesses.

Let's start by defining a list of words and importing the random module:

import random word_list = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "date", "elderberry", "fig"]

Next, we will define a function to choose a random word from the list and convert it to uppercase:

def choose_word(word_list): word = random.choice(word_list).upper() return word

Now, let's define a function to display the current state of the game, including the number of guesses remaining, the letters that have been guessed, and the partially revealed word. We will use underscores to represent the unknown letters in the word:

def display_state(word, guesses): blanks = "_" * len(word) for i in range(len(word)): if word[i] in guesses: blanks = blanks[:i] + word[i] + blanks[i+1:] print("Guesses remaining:", 6 - len(guesses)) print("Letters guessed:", guesses) print("Word:", blanks)

Now, we will write the main game loop. This loop will prompt the user to guess a letter, and then check if the letter is in the word. If it is, we will add the letter to the list of correct guesses and display the updated state of the game. If it is not, we will add the letter to the list of incorrect guesses and decrement the number of remaining guesses. If the user solves the puzzle before running out of guesses, they win the game. If they run out of guesses before solving the puzzle, they lose the game:

def main(): word = choose_word(word_list) guesses = [] while len(guesses) < 6: display_state(word, guesses) guess = input("Guess a letter: ").upper() if guess in guesses: print("You already guessed that letter.") elif guess in word: guesses.append(guess) if "_" not in display_state(word, guesses): print("Congratulations, you solved the puzzle!") break else: guesses.append(guess) else: print("Sorry, you ran out of guesses. The word was", word) if __name__ == "__main__": main()

In the main function, we first choose a random word and initialize an empty list of guesses. We then enter a while loop that continues until the user either solves the puzzle or runs out of guesses. In each iteration of the loop, we display the current state of the game using the display_state function, prompt the user to guess a letter, and then check if the letter is already guessed or if it is in the word. We append the guessed letter to either the list of correct guesses or the list of incorrect guesses, and update the display accordingly.

Finally, we use a break statement to exit the loop if the user solves the puzzle, and an else statement to print a message if the user runs out of guesses without solving the puzzle.

In conclusion, creating a Hangman game using Python is a fun and easy way to practice programming skills. By following the steps outlined in this article, beginners can create a fully functional game that challenges players to guess a random word one letter at a time. Along the way, they will learn about important Python concepts such as strings, lists, loops, and functions.

In addition, this Hangman game can be further customized and expanded to add new features and challenges. For example, you could add graphics to the game to make it more visually appealing, or you could increase the difficulty by choosing longer words or limiting the number of incorrect guesses allowed.

Here's the full code of the Hangman game in Python:

import random word_list = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "date", "elderberry", "fig"] def choose_word(word_list): word = random.choice(word_list).upper() return word def display_state(word, guesses): blanks = "_" * len(word) for i in range(len(word)): if word[i] in guesses: blanks = blanks[:i] + word[i] + blanks[i+1:] print("Guesses remaining:", 6 - len(guesses)) print("Letters guessed:", guesses) print("Word:", blanks) return blanks def main(): word = choose_word(word_list) guesses = [] while len(guesses) < 6: blanks = display_state(word, guesses) if blanks == word: print("Congratulations, you solved the puzzle!") break guess = input("Guess a letter: ").upper() if guess in guesses: print("You already guessed that letter.") elif guess in word: guesses.append(guess) else: guesses.append(guess) print("Sorry, that letter is not in the word.") else: print("Sorry, you ran out of guesses. The word was", word) if __name__ == "__main__": main()

Overall, creating a Hangman game in Python is a great way to improve your programming skills while having fun. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can create a game that is both educational and entertaining.