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Linguaholic

Hanged vs Hung


SarahRTW

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Hanged and Hung are not interchangeable.  I expect that native English speakers get this one mixed up frequently too.  I know I have to pause and think about which one is which.

HANGED: Is when a person died by being dangled by a rope, either as suicide, murder or capital punishment.

"The thief was found guilty and sentenced to death by being hanged from a rope"

HUNG: is what you do to a picture or decoration

"The family picture hung over the large fireplace."

So, now you know! :)

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There is also a similar confusion between "lighted" and "lit". I usually "he lighted the candle". But I also say "her smile lit up the room".

Would the difference be one of semantics - "lighted" being used with physically burning things like candles and bonfires while "lit" being used for others?

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Hanged vs. Hung:  Ariel Castro HANGED (not hung) himself.  Even the media uses words improperly sometimes.  I don't know how well the distinction between these two words is known.  I admit, I get them mixed up sometimes, too.    HANGED refers to to any kind of death by rope: execution, murder or suicide. 

Lighted vs Lit: Good question. My initial reaction is to say it's a regional difference, say, between UK and US English.  I don't know for sure, so I'll check and get back on that one.

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Guest chives152

Wow! I never noticed that this was not the same word. I always use hung because it just seems natural to me. I guess it just seems like you would use the same word for hanging a person like you would hanging a picture.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I feel bad because I giggle when someone uses hung on a person who killed himself using a rope. I do try my best to not respond and say they should just ask for help to be put down and then I realise just how that sounds.

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