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Math and school

How to pick a random name with a spinning wheel

You need a fair, visible way to choose: who presents first, which restaurant tonight, who wins a small giveaway. You will put the names on a wheel, spin it and keep a record. Nothing leaves this tab.

5-minute read

Today's result A winner on screen, a history of every draw, and, if you like, the full order with each name drawn once.

Open Spin the wheel and paste your list. Share your screen while you spin so everyone sees the same draw. Nothing is uploaded.

Open Spin the wheel
Contents

  1. Know how the draw works

    Each line is one slice. The winner is picked with Web Crypto before the wheel moves, then the wheel turns until that slice stops under the pointer. Every line has the same chance: with 6 names, 1 in 6.

    Each line is one slice; the winner is drawn with Web Crypto before the wheel spins.
    Each line is one slice; the winner is drawn with Web Crypto before the wheel spins.

  2. Open Spin the wheel on cv.cm

    Six sample food choices are on the wheel. The list sits on the left, one entry per line. Nothing is uploaded.

    Open Spin the wheel

  3. Type your names

    Replace the list with your names or options, one per line, up to 100. Empty lines are ignored. Repeat a line to give it a bigger chance: a name on two lines out of six has 2 in 6.

  4. Press Spin

    The wheel slows down and shows “Winner: …”. The name is added to History, and “Copy winner” puts it on the clipboard.

  5. Draw an order without repeats

    Tick “Remove the winner after each spin”. Each winner leaves the list, so four spins with five names set the first four places and the name left over goes last. History keeps the order.

    With remove-winner on, four spins over five names give the order; the last name left goes fifth.
    With remove-winner on, four spins over five names give the order; the last name left goes fifth.

  6. Shuffle or sort the list

    Shuffle mixes the slices and Sort puts them in alphabetical order. Neither changes the odds; they only change where each name sits on the wheel.

Use with these tools

FAQ

Is there a free random name picker wheel?

Yes. cv.cm's wheel runs in your browser and draws with Web Crypto. Nothing is uploaded.

Is the wheel fair?

Yes. The winner is chosen at random before the animation, and every line has the same chance.

How do I stop the same name winning twice?

Tick “Remove the winner after each spin”; each winner leaves the list.

Can I give one option more chance?

Add it on more lines. Two lines out of six give it a 2 in 6 chance.

How many names can I add?

Up to 100 lines of up to 40 characters; long names are shortened on the wheel itself.