Wheel spinner

Ways to use it

Paste your list, then tap the wheel or press Spin. It works as a random name picker for a classroom or a raffle as well as a choice-maker for a group. Put the players on the wheel to choose who deals, the dishes on it to settle dinner, or a stack of game boxes to pick tonight's game. For several winners, turn on "Remove the winner" and spin until you have as many names as you need; the list under the wheel keeps them in order.

Weights are for when the choice should not be even, like giving last week's loser two slices. The wheel redraws as you type, so when you spin the wheel, what you see is what you get.

How the winner is picked

The pick happens first, in code, and the spin only shows it. Your browser's cryptographic random generator (crypto.getRandomValues) supplies a number; values that would not split evenly across the entries are thrown away and drawn again, which removes the tiny favoritism a plain remainder gives the first few entries. With weights, the draw runs over the total of the weights, so weight 2 really is twice the chance. The wheel then turns several times and stops inside the winner's slice. Reduced motion skips the spin.

Automated tests check that each entry wins its fair share over tens of thousands of spins, that weights are followed, that the stopping angle always matches the winner, and that removing winners never repeats a name.

Wheel spinner questions

Is every name equally likely?

Yes, unless you turn on weights. Each entry gets the same size slice and the same chance. The winner is drawn from your browser's cryptographic random source before the wheel moves, then the wheel is turned to stop on it.

How do weights work?

Turn on "Use weights" and give each entry a whole number from 0 to 100. An entry with weight 3 is three times as likely as one with weight 1, and its slice is three times as wide, so the wheel you see matches the real odds. Weight 0 keeps an entry on the list but off the wheel.

Can I pick several names with no repeats?

Yes. Turn on "Remove the winner" and spin again. Each winner comes off the list after their spin, so nobody is picked twice, and the history keeps the order they came up. "Put it back" returns the last one removed.

Where are my lists saved?

In this browser only. Saved lists, your current entries and the history never leave your device, and they are gone if you clear your browser data. There is no account and nothing to share.

How many entries can the wheel hold?

Up to 100. Past about 30 the labels get small on a phone, so long lists are shortened on the wheel, but the full entry shows in the result.