Which is correct: “hung” or “hanged”?
The past tense of hang can be either hung or hanged.
Use hung for general meanings (objects on walls, clothes on hooks, feelings, etc.). Use hanged only for the specific meaning of execution by hanging.
While hung is overwhelmingly common, hanged remains the standard in legal/historical contexts involving capital punishment. Many style guides advise the simple memory aid: people are hanged; things are hung.
What’s does hang mean?
To hang generally means “to suspend or be suspended from above so as to dangle or be supported.” In a specialized legal sense, it means “to execute by hanging.”
Verb forms of hang
| Present | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I hang | I hung (general) or hanged (execution) | I will hang |
| Continuous | I am hanging | I was hanging | I will be hanging |
| Perfect | I have hung (general) or hanged (execution) | I had hung (general) or hanged (execution) | I will have hung (general) or hanged (execution) |
| Perfect Continuous | I have been hanging | I had been hanging | I will have been hanging |
Remember to always pair participles with auxiliaries to create perfect and continuous tenses! Use ‘have’, ‘has’, or ‘had’ to form perfect tenses, and a form of ‘to be’ for continuous tenses. Use hanged only for the execution sense and hung in all other meanings.
Is hang a regular or irregular verb?
- Hung is irregular and hanged is regular (but specialized in meaning).
Because hung does not end in -ed in the past tense, it’s an irregular verb form. Hanged is the regular form used specifically for the execution sense. Hang can therefore be both regular and irregular depending on meaning and context.
| Base verb | Past tense | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| hang | hung or hanged | hung or hanged |
| swing | swung | swung |
| sting | stung | stung |
| stick | stuck | stuck |
Hang in sentence examples
| Verb form | Example Sentences |
|---|---|
| Hang (or hangs or hanging) |
Please hang your coat on the rack. We are hanging new curtains this weekend. She hangs her keys by the door. |
| Hung (past tenses, general) |
They hung the painting above the fireplace. By noon, the laundry had hung outside for hours. |
| Hanged (execution sense) |
He was hanged after the verdict. Several conspirators were hanged that winter. |
Quotes from literature and the media
He hung his head in silence.
The portraits had long been hung in the great hall.
The prisoners were hanged at dawn.
Origin of the word hang
From Etymonline on hang (v.):
Old English hangian “be suspended” and hengian “to hang (transitive),” from Proto-Germanic roots meaning “to be or cause to be suspended,” with distinct intransitive and transitive forms that later merged in Modern English.
Practice: Forms of “Hang”
We ______ the picture on the wall yesterday.
In historical accounts, the criminal was ______ after sentencing.
We have ______ our coats by the door.
She tried to ______ the decorations before the guests arrived.
By the time we moved in, the mirrors had already been ______.
FAQs
Is “hung” or “hanged” correct?
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What tense is “I hung”?
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Is “hang” a regular verb?
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How is “hanged” used in sentences?
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Sources
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“Hang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hang. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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“Hang.” Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, Oxford University Press, https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/hang. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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Garner, Bryan A. Garner’s Modern English Usage. 4th ed., Oxford University Press, 2016. See “hanged; hung.”
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“hang (v.).” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/hang. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
Yash, D. "How to Use the Past Tense of Hang (Definition, Examples & Worksheet) ." Grammarflex, Sep 4, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/hang-past-tense/.
