import random
import string

WORDLIST_FILENAME = "words.txt"

def loadWords():
    """
    Returns a list of valid words. Words are strings of lowercase letters.

    Depending on the size of the word list, this function may
    take a while to finish.
    """
    print "Loading word list from file..."
    # inFile: file
    inFile = open(WORDLIST_FILENAME, 'r', 0)
    # line: string
    line = inFile.readline()
    # wordlist: list of strings
    wordlist = string.split(line)
    print "  ", len(wordlist), "words loaded."
    return wordlist

def chooseWord(wordlist):
    """
    wordlist (list): list of words (strings)

    Returns a word from wordlist at random
    """
    return random.choice(wordlist)

# end of helper code
# -----------------------------------

# Load the list of words into the variable wordlist
# so that it can be accessed from anywhere in the program
wordlist = loadWords()

print 'Welcome to the game, Hangman!'
secret = random.choice(wordlist)
print 'I am thinking of a word that is ' + str(len(secret)) + ' letters long.'
guesses = ''
turns = 8
avLetters = string.ascii_lowercase

while turns > 0:
  missed = 0

  for letter in secret:
    if letter in guesses:
      print letter,
    else:
      print '_',
      missed += 1

  print

  if missed == 0:
    print 'Congratulations, you won!'
    break

  print 'You have ' + str(turns) + ' guesses left.'
  guess = raw_input('Please guess a letter: ')
  guesses += guess

  if guess not in secret:
    turns -= 1
    if turns == 0:
      print 'Sorry, you ran out of guesses. The word was ', secret