“The convicted murderer was hung at dawn.”
Usage Entry 1355 / 1605 60-second read
Hung vs. Hanged
How you describe pictures versus people executed.
The comparisoni
“The convicted murderer was hanged at dawn — for executions, the past tense is "hanged." Pictures, coats, and curtains are "hung."”
The ruleii
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HANGED = executed. HUNG = everything else.
For the verb HANG, modern English keeps two past tenses: HANGED for capital punishment, HUNG for every other meaning. The split survived because the death sense was distinct enough to deserve its own form. Editors will fix "hung" in execution stories.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Hanged = head in noose. Hung = on a hook.