Word Confusion: Hanged versus Hung

Posted September 21, 2015 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
6 July 2023

The word confusion over hanged versus hung came up in John Sandford’s Storm Prey, 20, and I was curious.

Letty is wondering about “he hanged up on me” or “she was really hanged up on that guy” or “he is really well hanged’. And Lucas tells her that people are hanged by the neck until dead but everything else is hung. Naturally, I just gotta explore it!

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Hanged	Hung
Lynching, c.1889, by L. Horgan, Jr., LC-USZ62-31911, is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — The KKK hanged people by the neck as a “popular” choice of execution.	Italian Hanging Laundry by Joshua Sherurcij, via Wikimedia Commons. It was uploaded by Kelly using CommonsHelper. — Laundry is hung to dry above an Italian street.
Part of Grammar:
Normally used in reference to execution by hanging.	The normal form in most general uses.
Past tense or past participle for the present tense hang Verb, intransitive & transitive Third person present verb: hangs Past tense or past participle: hanged Present participle: hanging
Verb: Suspend or be suspended from above with the lower part dangling free
Verb: [North American] Informal way of saying hang around Verb, intransitive: Be killed by hanging [Dated] Used in expressions as a mild oath Verb, transitive: Kill someone by tying a rope attached from above around the neck and removing the support from beneath Used as a form of capital punishment Used by the Ku Klux Klan, a racist organization Be killed by hanging [Dated] Used in expressions as a mild oath	Verb: [be hung with] Be adorned with pictures or other decorations [North American] Informal way of saying hang out [Computing] Come or cause to come unexpectedly to a state in which no further operations can be carried out Verb, intransitive: [Of fabric or a garment] Be arranged in folds so as to droop in a specified way Remain static in the air Be present or imminent, especially oppressively or threateningly Verb, transitive: Attach or be attached so as to allow free movement about the point of attachment Paste (wallpaper) to a wall Remain static in the air [Baseball] Deliver a breaking pitch that does not change direction as intended [Of a juror] Prevent (a jury) from reaching a verdict by a dissenting vote
Examples:
Verb, intransitive: Both men were hanged. They could all go hang. Verb, transitive: She was hanged as a witch in April 1621. He was hanged for murder. She hanged herself in her cell. I’m hanged if I know.	Verb: The walls of her hall were hung with examples of her work. Dang, the computer’s hung up again. Verb, intransitive: It was a chain that hung freely over two pegs that caught his eye. Oh, they hung out here for a few days. So, Mabel, is he as well hung as they say? The room in which the pictures were hung was just painted last week. This blend of silk and wool hung well and resisted creases. The boys hung around for a few hours. A haze of smoke hung below the ceiling. A sense of dread hung over him for days. The actors hung loose as they awaited their turn. The time hung heavily as they listened to her cries. A sense of doom hung over everyone as they waited in the security line at the airport. There was a steady hum throughout the gathering, for the election hung on one vote. It was embarrassing the way she hung on to his every word. Verb, transitive: They hung out the wash. She hung around for a few minutes. He had hung the picture over the fireplace. That’s where people hung their wash. We hung that wallpaper some two years ago, I think. They had a hung jury in Welton vs Black. He hung his hat up and made himself to home. Poor bastard, they hung him out to dry. Don’t forget to hang a left when you get to Main and Turner. They had hung their hopes on her marrying Tom.
Derivatives:
Adjective: hangable, hanging Noun: hang, hanging	Adjective: hung Noun: hang
Phrasal Verb
hang around hang around with hang back hang in hang on hang on to hang something on hang out hang together hang up hang up [something]hang tough
History of the Word:
Its first known use was before the 12th century. Partly from the Old English hangian (both an intransitive and transitive verb) related to the Dutch and the German hangen and reinforced by the Old Norse hanga and partly from the Old English hōn (a transitive verb) which evolved into the Middle English hon. Both are akin to the Old High German hāhan, a transitive verb meaning to hang.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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