What's the past tense of "hang"?
The past tense of hang is almost always hung. Hanged is incorrect for the majority of uses—the one exception being legal contexts involving crime and punishment.
Use hung for all other applications of the irregular verb (objects on walls, clothes on hooks, feelings, etc.)
Definition of hang
To hang generally means "to suspend or be suspended from above so as to dangle or be supported". More commonly, nowadays, the verb tends to join the preposition 'up', as part of the phrasal verb, hang out (meaning, to get together with someone, or spend time together).
- The past tense of hang is hung (or hanged in legal contexts).
- The present or past perfect).
Verb forms of 'hang'
Is hang a regular or irregular verb?
Hung is irregular. The regular rule is to attach -ed to the end of the verb—all other past tense endings are irregular.
When to use hung vs. hanged
They hung the painting above the fireplace.
In historical accounts, the criminal was hanged after sentencing.
The verb hang uses the same form for both simple past tense and present or past perfect), it requires an auxiliary verb like have, has, or had. The simple past doesn't use a helper verb since it's a complete tense, so hung can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.
Similar irregular verbs
Sentence examples: hang, hung, hung
• Please hang your coat on the rack.
• We are hanging new curtains this weekend.
• She hangs her keys by the door.
• They hung the painting above the fireplace.
• The portraits had long been hung in the great hall.
• Did you want to hang out later?
• By noon, the laundry had hung outside for hours.
• The artists whose pictures have not been hung in this year's Academy Exhibition.
• I'm glad we hung out yesterday!
Synonyms & nearby words
Synonyms for hang
Nearby phrases
Origin of the verb/word, hang
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?
What tense is "I hung"?
Is "hang" a regular verb?
How is "hanged" used in sentences?
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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Oxford English Dictionary, "'to hang in' in hang (v.)," September 2025.
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