Balloon Words: a hangman game for the classroom, played in teams
A friendly hangman game for the classroom: teams answer questions to pick letters of a secret English word, and wrong letters pop balloons. Free, one screen.
Balloon Words is a hangman game for the classroom with a kinder ending: every wrong letter pops one of seven balloons. Teams answer questions to win letter picks, and any team can call out the whole word early for a bonus. It suits English classes from A1 up, for spelling and vocabulary review.
At a glance
| Players | The whole class in 2–4 teams free (up to 8 with Pro) |
| Time | 15–20 minutes for 12 questions |
| Works with | English sets only: picture, word, listen, spell, meaning, sentence order and your own questions |
| Best for | Spelling, vocabulary review, the last 15 minutes of a unit |
| You need | One screen (projector, TV or touch display) and your phone as the remote |
How to play Balloon Words
- Make or pick a question set. Snap a textbook page, paste a word list or type a topic, or open a free set from the library. The secret words come from the words in your set.
- Pick Balloon Words, set the teams and start. The screen shows the blank word, seven balloons, a "Know the word?" row and a big A–Z keyboard.
- Play. Teams take turns answering. A right answer lets that team pick a letter, on the screen or on your phone. If the letter is in the word, it appears everywhere it fits and the team scores. If it isn't, a balloon pops. The word is finished when every letter is found, when a team guesses it, or when all seven balloons are gone; a new word starts with the next question. The team with the most points at the end wins.
Rules and scoring
- A right letter scores one point for each time it appears: an E in "bee" is worth 2.
- The last letter that completes the word adds 3 more.
- A wrong letter pops a balloon and scores nothing. After seven pops the word is shown and nobody scores for it.
- Guessing the word: any team can call it out at any time except while a team is picking a letter. You tap that team's button under "Know the word?" and it gets 2 points plus 1 for each different letter still hidden, so an early guess is worth the most. A wrong guess costs nothing; you simply don't tap.
- Double and triple questions multiply the letter points.
- Settings: a timer per question (off, 10, 20, 30 or 60 seconds; running out counts as a wrong answer), minus one point for a wrong answer, steal (the other teams may answer a missed question and win the letter), hide the score, calm or no effects.
What you can teach with it
Balloon Words is English only, because the game is about the letters of an English word. It is hidden for maths, science and other subject sets. Secret words are taken from your set when it has at least three words of 3 to 12 letters (spaces are fine, as in "ice cream"); otherwise Oly uses its built-in vocabulary.
- Food words at A1: the questions show a picture, the secret words are "apple", "bread", "carrot".
- Spelling a unit's key words with "Which letter is missing?" questions, then the whole word in the balloon round.
- Verbs or adjectives at A2–B1: use meaning questions ("How do you say it in English?") so students connect the word to its meaning before they spell it.
Tips from the classroom
- Ask teams to agree on a letter in a whisper first, so the loudest child doesn't choose every time.
- Teach the vowel trick early: A, E and O are safe first picks.
- A team can guess even when it isn't its turn: your phone shows a guess button per team whenever nobody is picking a letter. Agree a rule first, such as hands up and you choose.
- With 40 students, use four teams and call one student per team each turn. Add the class list in the lobby before the game and the screen names the student.
- Turn on steal if one team keeps missing: the question goes to the others and the game stays tight.
Play it without a screen
- Draw blanks for a word on the board and seven circles for balloons.
- Ask a question; the team that answers right calls a letter. Fill it in or cross out a balloon.
- Score one point per letter found and a bonus for the team that guesses the word.
The screen version picks the words from your lesson, keeps the score, greys out used letters and lets you run it from your phone at the back of the room.
Questions teachers ask
Is Balloon Words free?
Yes. Playing is free, with library games and your own typed questions. The free plan also includes 10 AI question sets a month (3 from photos).
Do students need devices?
No. The whole class plays on one screen in teams. Only the teacher's phone is used, as the remote, and even that is optional.
How many students can play?
The whole class. Split it into 2–4 teams on the free plan, or up to 8 teams with Oly Pro.
Is it like hangman?
It is the same letter-guessing idea, but each wrong letter pops a balloon instead of drawing a figure, which keeps it friendly for young learners.
Can a team lose points?
Only if you switch on "minus one point for a wrong answer". A wrong letter or a wrong guess never takes points away.
If your class likes guessing, try Mystery Picture or the speaking game Picture Dice.