How to spin the wheel
- Type or paste your options into the box, one per line.
- Press Spin, tap the wheel or press the space bar.
- Read the result, shown large once the wheel stops.
- Turn on "remove the winner" if each option should only come up once.
Is the wheel really random?
Yes. The winning entry is chosen with your browser's cryptographic random number generator, the same kind of randomness used for security keys, before the animation starts. The spin you watch is there for the drama; it does not decide anything by itself, and nobody can nudge it by tapping at the right moment.
Every entry gets an equal slice and an equal chance. If you want one option to come up more often, type it in twice. That is a handy trick for weighting a prize draw, say two entries for someone who bought two raffle tickets.
Ways people use a picker wheel
- Settling what to have for tea, which film to watch or where to go on Saturday
- Picking a forfeit, a dare or the next round topic at a quiz night
- Choosing a prize winner at a school fair or office raffle
- Classroom games: which question, which group, which topic to revise
- Drawing names for a WhatsApp group challenge or a sweepstake
For teams or longer lists of people, the random team generator and the random name picker on this site may suit you better, as they work instantly and let you copy the results.
Tips for a smoother spin
Keep entries short. Long phrases get squeezed to fit their slice, so "Pizza" reads better than "Pizza from the place on the high street". With dozens of entries the slices get thin, so for a class of 30 it can help to put the wheel on a big screen or the classroom projector.
Use "shuffle" to mix up the order of the list so neighbouring slices are not all the same type of thing. Turn on "remove the winner" when you are working through a list, such as choosing the order of presentations, and each result will drop off before the next spin.
Your entries are saved on this device, so the same list is waiting next time you open the page on the same browser. Clear the box to start fresh.
Questions people ask
How many entries can the wheel hold?
Up to 100, one per line. Beyond that the slices get too thin to read.
Can I stop the same option winning twice?
Yes. Turn on "remove the winner" and each result is taken off the wheel after it is picked.
Is my list saved?
Your entries are remembered in this browser on this device so they are there next time. They are not uploaded anywhere.
Can I spin with the keyboard?
Yes. On a computer, press the space bar to spin. You can also tap or click the wheel itself.
Does tapping at a certain moment change the result?
No. The result is picked at random as the spin starts, so timing makes no difference.