Wheel of Names

Paste names, spin, and pick a fair random winner.

Click the wheel or press Space to spin

Entries

We have a winner!

Share this wheel

The whole wheel is stored in the link itself. Nothing is uploaded.

My wheels

    Saved in this browser only. Export a JSON file to move wheels to another device.

    Fairness check

    Random source
    Selection method
    Weighted inverse-CDF on one 32-bit uniform draw. The winner is chosen before the animation starts.

    How the wheel picks a winner

    About the Wheel of Names

    A wheel of names is the simplest way to choose a person at random. Paste your list, one name per line, and spin. Teachers use it to call on students, teams use it to assign a presenter, and hosts use it to draw a giveaway winner in front of an audience.

    The wheel is more convincing than picking from a hat or scrolling a list, because everyone watches the same draw. This version removes each winner after the spin by default, so nobody is picked twice until you reset. Turn that off in settings if repeats are allowed, or give a name a weight to make it more likely.

    How to use it

    1. Enter names in the text box, one per line, or paste a column from a spreadsheet.
    2. Press Spin and let the wheel slow down on a name.
    3. Winners are removed automatically; use Restore in the results panel to bring them back.
    4. Use Share link to give your class or team the same list.

    Ideas and use cases

    • Calling on students without picking favorites
    • Choosing who presents or goes first in a meeting
    • Drawing a giveaway winner on a live stream
    • Assigning secret roles or turns in a game
    • Splitting a group by drawing names in order

    Frequently asked questions

    How many names can I add?

    Hundreds work fine. Long labels are shortened on the wheel itself, but the full name is shown in the winner dialog.

    Will the same person be picked twice?

    Not while Remove winner is on, which it is for this wheel. Turn it off in settings if you want repeats.

    Can I save my class list?

    Yes. Save the wheel with a name and it appears under My wheels in your browser. It is not uploaded anywhere.

    Is the name picker fair?

    Yes. The winner is picked with the browser's cryptographic random number generator before the animation starts. The fairness check in the menu can run 10,000 simulated draws so you can compare expected and observed results.

    Can I send this wheel to someone else?

    Yes. Share link copies a URL that encodes the whole wheel in the address, so the other person sees the same entries without signing up.

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