The word hang is a bit tricky in terms of its different tenses and some people gets confused with whether to use hanged or hung in their writing. Let us figure out how they differ and when to properly use them.
The word hung is the past tense and past participle form of the verb hang which means “to suspend or be suspended from above with the lower part dangling free.”
Lit Confederate flags hung in NYC windows mysteriously disappear
Toronto SunNow THAT’S raw beef! Slab of meat is still twitching as it’s hung in a shop
Daily MailSomeone hung a massive ‘refugees welcome’ sign on the Statue of Liberty
Metro
It may also be used as an adjective meaning “unable to agree on a verdict,” pertaining to a jury.
Jury hung in attempted murder charges for War Machine; convicted on multiple other charges
News3LVLee’s urgent fix for SF’s 911 crisis remains hung up
San Francisco ChronicleHung jury in alleged rape of flight attendant at a hotel near Detroit Metro Airport
WXYZ
Meanwhile, the term hanged can only be used as a past tense and past participle of the verb hang if it denotes “to kill someone by tying a rope attached from above around the neck and removing the support from beneath; used as a form of capital punishment.”
Wife of man who hanged himself in courthouse held on fentanyl charges
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteCouple return home to find pet dogs beaten, stabbed and hanged in garden
Evening StandardScaramucci: Leakers Would Have Been Hanged 150 Years Ago
Daily Beast
It is important to remember that the use of hanged is very specific to the killing of a human being by suspending the person by the neck. For all other objects, such as ornaments, shelves, and paintings, the word hung should be used. Although at present, the two words may be used by some interchangeably, writing professionals and usage guides still prefer the traditional usage of the two words.
Keep in mind that people are hanged but objects are hung.
