Irregular verb
hang
/hæŋ/
- Base
- hang
- Past simple
- hung
- Past participle
- hung
Usage notes
hanged — Past simple and past participle
Used when a person is executed by hanging.
Usage
Use hung for everyday hanging of objects; the older form hanged is reserved for execution by hanging.
Meaning
- to attach something at the top so its lower part is free
- to kill someone by suspending them by the neck
Example
We hung the picture above the desk.
The coat has hung on that hook for weeks.
She hung up the phone without saying goodbye.
Teaching note
Hung is the usual past form for suspending an object, while hanged is traditionally reserved for execution by hanging.
Common mistake
Using hanged for an ordinary picture—‘We hanged it on the wall’—selects the narrow execution sense.
Correction: Say ‘We hung the picture on the wall’. Use hanged only when the sentence specifically concerns execution.