About the Spin the Wheel
Spin the Wheel turns any list into a random wheel spinner. Type the options — names, dinner ideas, chores, quiz topics, prizes — one per line, and the wheel divides into equal slices and lands on one at random. It is a quick, visual way to make a decision, run a classroom activity, pick a giveaway winner live on stream or add suspense to a party game.
Unlike a basic wheel of names, you can make some slices bigger. Add “*3” after an option (for example “Try again *5” or “Grand prize *1”) to give it three or five times the space, and the tool shows each slice’s exact chance so the odds are transparent. The pie chart shows the wheel exactly as it is weighted.
Every unseeded spin uses a cryptographically secure random number (Web Crypto), so where the wheel stops is not affected by previous spins. This page shows the result as a stopping angle, a pie chart and an odds table rather than an animated wheel, and there is no separate spin button: change any input to spin again. Type a seed to make a spin repeatable for anyone checking the result; seeded spins use a fast repeatable pseudo-random generator, which is fair for games but should not be used where someone could benefit from predicting the outcome.
How to use the spin the wheel
- 1Type your options, one per line (commas work on a single line too).
- 2Add *2, *3 and so on after any option to make its slice bigger.
- 3Check the chart and odds table to confirm the wheel looks right.
- 4Read where the wheel landed; change any input to spin again.
- 5Add a seed if you need to prove or replay a spin later.
Formula and method
Each option becomes a slice whose size is its weight wᵢ divided by the total weight Σw (every option weighs 1 unless you add *N). A spin draws a secure uniform random number u between 0 and 1; the wheel stops at u × 360° measured clockwise from the pointer, and the slice covering that angle wins.
Because u is uniform, the chance of landing in a slice equals the fraction of the circle it covers. With n equal slices each has a 1 ÷ n chance; a slice with weight 3 on a wheel whose weights total 10 wins 30% of the time. Spins are independent, so a slice that just won is exactly as likely to win again.
- wᵢ
- Weight of slice i (1 by default, N when written as *N)
- Σw
- Sum of all weights on the wheel
- u
- Uniform random number in [0, 1)
Worked examples
What’s for dinner? Six equal options
Six equal slices each cover 60° of the wheel, so whichever option wins had a 1 ÷ 6 ≈ 16.67% chance.
Weighted prize wheel
The weights total 1 + 4 + 5 = 10, so the grand prize has a 10% chance, a free drink 40% and “try again” 50%. The chart shows the grand-prize slice as one tenth of the circle.
Yes or no with a single line
A single comma-separated line is split into two options, giving a classic 50/50 decision wheel.
Frequently asked questions
Is the spin the wheel random?+
Yes. Each unseeded spin uses the browser’s cryptographically secure random generator to pick the stopping angle, so every point on the wheel is equally likely and past spins have no effect.
How do I make one option more likely?+
Add *N after it, for example “Pizza *3”. That slice becomes three times as large as a normal slice, and the odds table shows its exact chance, such as 3 out of 8 = 37.5%.
How many options can I put on the wheel?+
Up to 500 lines. Every option keeps its own fair chance. For readability the chart shows the first 59 slices individually and groups the rest, and the odds table lists the first 120 options.
Can I use this as a wheel of names for a classroom?+
Yes. Paste your class list, one student per line, and spin. To avoid picking the same student twice, delete the winner’s line before the next spin, or use the random name picker to draw several at once.
What is the difference between a wheel spinner and a random name picker?+
The odds are the same for equal slices. The wheel adds weighted slices and a visual, while the name picker is quicker for long lists and for drawing several winners without repeats.