ESEN
Which one to use?Advancedverbo (pasado)verbo (pasado)
HangedvsHung
"Hanged" is used only for executions by hanging; "hung" is the past tense for everything else.
Side-by-side comparison
Hanged
verbo (pasado)"Hanged" is the past tense and past participle of "hang" only when referring to an execution by hanging. It is a very specific use reserved for that context.
The convicted murderer was hanged at dawn, in accordance with the sentence.
Three men were hanged for the crime in the town square during the colonial era.
He was hanged, not shot, the historical record is very specific on this point.
Hung
verbo (pasado)"Hung" is the past tense and past participle of "hang" in every other context: pictures, clothes, decorations, anything you hang somewhere.
She hung her coat on the hook by the door and sat down.
They hung colorful lights all around the garden for the party.
The painting had hung in that spot for over fifty years when they finally moved it.
Common mistake
- •"A man was hung" when referring to an execution is wrong in formal English: the correct form for capital punishment by hanging is "hanged".
- •For everything else (pictures, clothes, doors, lamps), always "hung".
Trick to remember it
- •The rule is almost absurdly specific: "hanged" only for executions by hanging.
- •For absolutely everything else: "hung".
- •It is one of the few English verbs with a regular form reserved for just one very specific meaning.
Quick rule
- •"Hanged" = executions by hanging only.
- •"Hung" = everything else (pictures, clothes, lights, doors, etc.).
Did you know?
The distinction between "hanged" and "hung" was codified in 16th-century English legal language, when courts drafted execution sentences with extreme precision. The regular form "hanged" was reserved for human execution to distinguish it from the ordinary act of suspending objects. Outside legal and historical contexts, this distinction has largely vanished from everyday English. Even professional writers and journalists use them incorrectly with some frequency. "Hung up" in colloquial English also means obsessed or stuck on something: "she is hung up on her ex", which has nothing to do with suspending objects or executions.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She _____ her coat on the hook by the door.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
In the 18th century, criminals were sometimes _____ for stealing.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
ProvenvsProved
"Proven" is the preferred past participle and adjective in American English; "proved" is the simple past and the BrE past participle.
SnuckvsSneaked
"Snuck" is the informal American English past tense of "sneak"; "sneaked" is the traditional correct form in both varieties.
AbovevsOver
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
ActuallyvsReally
"Actually" corrects or contrasts an assumption; "really" intensifies or confirms.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy