# Hanged vs. Hung **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 5, 2002, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616 "2002-12-05T03:33:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@Jude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jude)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/1 "2002-12-05T03:33:22Z")
Why is “hanged” used instead of “hung” when referring to executions? ---
**Author:** ![cleops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@cleops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleops)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/2 "2002-12-05T03:56:47Z")
Cause it’s more propah than hung. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/3 "2002-12-05T04:00:13Z")
Because otherwise people would be telling executioners how well hung their victims were while giggling like schoolgirls, and then where would we be as a society? ---
**Author:** ![lindsay.reid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@lindsay.reid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsay.reid)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/4 "2002-12-05T04:04:11Z")
Hang \Hang, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hanged (h?ngd) or Hung; p. pr. & vb. n. Hanging. Usage: The use of hanged is preferable to that of hung, when reference is had to death or execution by suspension, and it is also more common. Source: Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. ---
**Author:** ![Crispy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Crispy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crispy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/5 "2002-12-05T04:27:45Z")
I’d like to emphasize **lindsay.reid’s** definition. Hanged is the correct term when referring to an execution. As in, “The murderer was hanged for his crimes.” Hung is more widely accepted in reference to physically hanging objects. As in, “I hung the laundry on the clothes line.” ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/6 "2002-12-05T06:32:27Z")
I have been told I’m hanged like a horse. Okay, I haven’t. ---
**Author:** ![mrcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@mrcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrcrow)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/7 "2002-12-05T09:02:29Z")
hung if i know 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/8 "2002-12-05T10:24:22Z")
hung if you do, hanged if you don’t. What was the question again? ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/9 "2002-12-05T12:34:21Z")
The murderous porn star was very well-hung, but they hanged him anyway. ---
**Author:** ![mrcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@mrcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrcrow)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/10 "2002-12-05T13:07:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sailor \* > \*\*hung if you do, hanged if you don’t. > > What was the question again? \*\* dagnab it mussky, i shot my foot off which one i dunno they both look the same to me ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/11 "2002-12-05T14:05:02Z")
On a live radio broadcast of \*\* Gunsmoke \*\*, the hangman said “When I’m finished with a guy, he’s well hung.” The actors, including star William Cannon, could barely get to the end of the scene. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/12 "2002-12-05T15:21:20Z")
Condemned men are hanged; women are hung. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/13 "2002-12-05T15:24:05Z")
OK, we seem to have cleared up whether hanged or hung or more proper, but why is hanged considered the correct word? Hung seems to be a better fit, IMHO ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/14 "2002-12-05T15:43:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by phreesh \* > **OK, we seem to have cleared up whether hanged or hung or more proper, but why is hanged considered the correct word?** One way to look at it is that there are (nearly) two separate words with different past tense forms. We have _hang, hung, hung_ meaning to suspend any old thing, and _hang, hanged, hanged_ meaning to execute via rope. The latter is a special case of the former, but hasn’t quite been fully divorced from it. Thus dictionaries mention _hanged_ as a preferred form when it means execution rather than listing them as two entirely separate words. As to why and when the meanings and past tense forms of _hang_ started to separate, that may be unknowable. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/15 "2002-12-05T16:05:54Z")
It’s difficult to pin down an explanation for why there _is_ a difference, but [this site](http://www.hfac.uh.edu/English/classes/GU4322/items/hanged.html) contains a brief list of references for it. The consensus there seems to be that the subtle distinction can be a valuable one for careful users. > [@](#): > > The correct usage of _hung_ is when talking about items and sometimes people. For example, when saying Jesus was _hung_ from the cross, you are stating that he was put up on the cross and not put to death by a rope (i.e. _hanged_). Also, a jury is referred to as a _hung_ when they cannot agree on a decision. This is appropriate because you are not referring to the death of the jury. Ultimately, it is the decision of the person speaking but research has made a strong case for only using _hanged_ when referring to death and _hung_ when referring to items or a “_hung_” jury. **Enola Straight** Can you provide a cite to back up the gender difference? It doesn’t seem to be mentioned anywhere I can find. ---
**Author:** ![cybersnark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@cybersnark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cybersnark)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/16 "2002-12-05T17:04:54Z")
Furthermore, since hanged men often die with erections, I suppose you could say they were hanged and hung at the same time! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/17 "2002-12-05T17:23:57Z")
I’d argue it’s the poorly hung men that are condemmed. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/18 "2002-12-05T19:31:20Z")
What, no _Blazing Saddles_ references yet? Charlie: “Bart?! I heard you was hung!” Bart: “And so I is!” ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanged-vs-hung/140616/19 "2002-12-05T22:23:43Z")
In _The Language Instinct_ by Stephen Pinker, he makes the point that when an irregular verb is given a new role, we usually will conjugate the new word as a regular verb. The example he cites is “fly” with the irregular past tense “flied,” when used in baseball. When you’re talking about a bird flying, its past tense is “flew.” But the word was used in baseball as “a fly ball” and “to fly out.” With “fly out,” it’s a new meaning, so we start over and conjugate it as a regular verb. I think “hang” in the sense of “execute with a rope” is the same idea.