How to use the spinner wheel
Prepare a list of first names, student numbers, or choices for your lesson. Check for repeated entries before you start, since each entry gets its own sector.
- Paste your list into Names on the wheel, one per line, with one entry per line. A single line of comma-separated names also works.
- Check Remove the winner after each spin before the first turn. It is on by default, so picked names can leave the wheel as you work through the class.
- Set Spin time to suit your pace. A spin lasts 2 to 10 seconds, with 5 seconds as the default.
- Select Full screen if you are using a projector or smartboard. This view shows only the tool.
- Select Spin. The result window shows the picked entry and offers Remove, Keep, and Spin again.
- Use Return all when you want the removed names back on the wheel for another round.
Is the wheel fair?
Every sector has the same chance of being picked, so every name has the same chance when it appears only once. A name entered twice gets two sectors and twice the chance, so check duplicates if you want an equal draw.
The tool uses the browser’s cryptographic random generator to choose the winner before the animation starts. The turning wheel then stops at that chosen sector; the animation does not decide the result.
Removing a winner changes the list for the next spin. Leave removal on when you want to work through the remaining names, or keep the winner when you want that entry available again.
Ways to use the wheel in class
The entries can be classroom choices rather than names. Before you spin, tell your class what the result means and whether the picked entry will stay on the wheel.
- Pick a speaker during a warm-up: paste first names or student numbers, then remove each picked entry until you finish the round.
- Choose a review prompt for the class: paste vocabulary terms or topics and spin between questions. Keep entries if you want topics to remain available.
- Set presentation order: paste group labels and remove each picked group as it takes its turn. Restore the list before another round.
- Choose a closing activity: paste the activities you are prepared to run and spin when the class reaches the end of the lesson.
Common questions
Is the wheel random?
Yes. The tool chooses the winner using the browser’s cryptographic random generator before the wheel starts turning. Each sector has the same chance, but duplicate names have more than one sector.
Can I remove a name after it is picked?
Remove the winner after each spin is on by default, and the result window also offers Remove and Keep. Removed names are listed, and Return all puts them back on the wheel.
How many names fit on the wheel?
The wheel accepts up to 200 names, one per line, or a single comma-separated line. Names appear on the sectors for up to 120 entries. Above that, the sectors are too thin for labels, so the winner appears only in the result window.
Can I save the wheel?
Your list and settings stay in this browser, with no account or server copy. Use Download file to save a JSON file and Open file to load it in another browser, or use Share link to create a link carrying the list in the address fragment, which is not sent to the server. Anyone with that link can load the list, so use first names or student numbers rather than personal details. If browser storage is blocked, the tool warns that your work was not saved and still works until the page closes.
Can I make a yes or no wheel?
Enter yes and no on separate lines, with each choice appearing once. Turn off Remove the winner after each spin if you want both choices to remain available for repeated spins.
Can I show the wheel full screen?
Select Full screen to show only the tool on your projector, and press Esc to exit. In iPhone Safari, where full screen for part of a page is not allowed, the tool fills the browser window instead.