Wheel Spinner

The wheel starts with six sample names so you can try it straight away. Replace them with your own list.

1. Type or paste your choices into the Options (one per line) box. Empty lines are ignored, and the wheel redraws as you type. You need at least two options, and the wheel uses the first 200.
2. Tick Remove the winner after each spin if every option should be picked at most once, such as chores or presentation order.
3. Press Spin the wheel, click the wheel, or press the Space bar. The wheel turns for about four to five seconds.
4. Read the result under the wheel, shown as The wheel picked followed by the name. The Results so far list keeps the last 15 results.
5. Use Copy winner to copy the latest result, Shuffle to randomize the order of the list, or Sort A-Z to put it in alphabetical order.

With fewer than two options the wheel shows a message asking you to add more. Closing or refreshing the page clears your list, so keep a copy of anything long. Shuffle only reorders the list and does not pick anyone, so use it when you want a fresh arrangement of the slices before the next spin.

The winner is chosen first, using the browser's secure random generator, and only then does the wheel turn to land on it. The animation is for show: the result does not depend on how long the spin lasts, where you click or when you press a key. Because all slices are the same size, each of n options has a 1 in n chance:

Every spin is independent when winners stay on the wheel. With the six sample names, the chance that one particular name is missed in six spins is (5/6)^6, about 33 percent, and on average only about four of the six names come up. That is why Remove the winner after each spin matters: spin it six times and every name is picked exactly once, in random order. To choose several winners, leave the box ticked and spin repeatedly.

One side effect of equal slices: if a name appears on two lines, it has two slices and double the chance. That can be handy, but a stray duplicate from a pasted list silently skews the result. Clean pasted lists with the duplicate line remover first. When only one option is left after removals, the wheel stops and asks for at least two.

A wheel is better than a list when people want to see the choice made: classroom turns, chore rotas, giveaway draws, team icebreakers or deciding what to eat. To load a long list, copy a column from a spreadsheet and paste it into the box, because each cell becomes one line. Keep labels short, ideally a word or two. Long names are shortened with an ellipsis on the wheel only, while the result under the wheel shows the full text. Sort A-Z compares as text, so 10 comes before 2, and it is easiest to check for duplicates once the list is alphabetical. The alphabetical order tool gives you more control over sorting.

• For only two choices, the coin flip is quicker.
• For a plain pick from a list with no animation, use the random choice picker.
• Need sample names to fill a wheel? The random name generator makes them.

Know what is not included: weighted slices, saved lists, shareable links, sounds and pictures on slices. The results list is not a proof of fairness, so it will not settle disputes on its own. For a prize draw, remember that giveaway and sweepstakes rules vary by country and platform, and check the rules that apply to you before you run one. For sets of numbers, use the dice roller instead.