Wheel Spinner
Type a list of names or choices, one per line, and spin the wheel to pick one at random. Every slice has the same chance, the winner can be removed for the next spin, and the last 20 winners are listed.
How to Use
- Type the entries in the box, one per line: names, prizes, restaurants, chores.
- Tick remove the winner if each entry should win only once, for example to draw an order.
- Press Spin. The wheel turns and stops on the winner.
- Read the winner, the number of entries and each one’s chance.
- The table lists the winners so far; edit the list at any time and spin again.
Worked Example
Picking a presenter. With 6 names on the wheel each has a 1 in 6 (16.7%) chance. Tick remove the winner and spin six times to get a full random order; there are 6! = 720 possible orders, all equally likely.
Weighted choices. Put “Pizza” on three lines and “Salad” on one: pizza now wins 3 times in 4 (75%), because it has three slices.
The common mistake: thinking a long spin is “more random”. The winner is decided the moment you press Spin; the spin length is just for show. A wheel that stopped instantly would be exactly as fair.
Show Work
The Odds
Wheels of Fortune
The wheel of fortune, rota Fortunae, was a favourite medieval image of luck: the goddess Fortuna turning a wheel that raised some people and threw others down, as described by Boethius around 524 AD. Real spinning wheels for prizes and gambling became common at fairs in the 18th and 19th centuries, and roulette, “little wheel”, took its modern form in Paris casinos.
A physical wheel is only as fair as its bearings and balance; a virtual one can pick from exactly equal slices every time.
About This Tool
This wheel spinner picks one entry from a list of up to 200 using your browser’s cryptographic random source, then animates the wheel to land on it. It can remove each winner for draws without repeats, keeps a history of the last 20 winners, and lets duplicated lines act as weighted entries.
Everything runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
Related tools: Random Number Generator, Coin Flip, and Dice Roller.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the wheel fair?
Yes. The winner is chosen first with your browser’s cryptographic random source, giving each entry exactly the same chance, and the wheel is then turned so the pointer stops on that slice. The spin is only the reveal; nothing about the animation can favour an entry.
Can I give an entry a bigger chance?
Type it more than once. An entry listed twice among 10 lines gets 2 slices and a 20% chance. This is how raffle tickets work: one line per ticket.
How do I draw an order, such as who presents first?
Tick remove the winner and spin once per person. Each winner leaves the wheel a few seconds after it stops, so the next spin chooses from those left. Every order is equally likely.
Why did the same name win twice in a row?
Because each spin is independent. With 6 names the same one wins twice running 1 time in 6. If that bothers you, use remove the winner.
Is my list saved anywhere?
No. The list and the winners stay on this page in your browser; nothing is uploaded, and they are gone when you close the tab.
How do I use the Wheel Spinner?
Just pick your options. The answer shows up right away — there is no button to press. Change anything and it updates by itself.
Does it cost anything or need an account?
No. The tool is completely free, there is no account to create, and it keeps working offline after the page first loads.
Is anything I type uploaded?
No. The tool works entirely on your device, so the values you enter never leave your browser.
Common Use Cases
Classrooms
Pick the next student to answer from a class list.
Giveaways
One line per entry; spin once for the winner.
Decisions
Pizza, sushi or tacos: each has a 33.3% chance.
Team orders
Remove each winner to set a speaking or turn order.
Chores
Spin to decide who washes up tonight.
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