IPA Hangman
"Hangman" is a game in which people try to identify a word or phrase by guessing the letters that might compose it. IPA Hangman is the same, but players guess sounds instead of letters, and the guesses are recorded using symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet.
After playing the game many times in and out of the classroom, Sarah Harper and I decided to make the game a bit more useful as a pedagogical tool. In particular, this version of IPA Hangman
- Provides well-rounded IPA practice with 36 words pre-selected words that collectively contain every sound of the English language at least twice
- Encourages small-group play by providing score cards for teams to keep track of points on without having to use a board at the front of the classroom
- Offers a low-stakes opportunity for students to make mistakes (note: grading students on how good they are at IPA Hangman is discouraged)
- Reduces student stress by providing words and IPA transcriptions in advance
You can find PDFs of the game materials below. Be aware that the header font, Oswald, sometimes prints poorly; test your printing first before you print lots of copies.