Wheel of Names
A wheel of names turns a list of people or options into a spinning wheel, so a random pick happens in front of everyone instead of behind a screen. Add your names, spin, and the segment under the pointer wins.
It is the same mechanic as a physical prize wheel, without the cardboard and without the arguing. Where a yes or no wheel settles a two-way question, this one is built for a longer list — a class roster, a team sheet, a list of entrants, a set of options.
How to use the wheel of names
- Add your names. Type them one at a time, or open “Paste a list” and drop in a whole roster at once.
- Spin the wheel. It slows down and stops on one segment.
- The result appears under the wheel, and the winning segment is highlighted at the pointer.
- Edit the list and spin again. Removing names as they are picked is the usual way to run a fair draw with no repeats.
Editing the wheel: names, colours and sound
Every segment has a colour picker and an editable label, so you can fix a spelling, drop someone who has gone home, or add a late entry without starting over. Colours matter more than they look when a wheel has twenty names on it and people need to spot theirs mid-spin.
The ticking sound can be switched off for quiet rooms, and the fullscreen mode puts the wheel on a projector or a shared screen without the rest of the page around it.
Why a wheel beats a random button
A random name generator that returns a name in a text box is faster. A wheel is more convincing.
When the pick is visible, nobody has to trust that the software was fair — they watched it happen. That is why teachers spin instead of shuffling, why raffles use a wheel, and why streamers put one on screen. The mechanic makes the outcome public, and a public outcome is much harder to challenge than a private one.
What people use it for
- Classrooms. Pick a student to answer, choose groups, assign tasks, or select a reading order.
- Raffles and giveaways. Put the list of entrants on the wheel and spin live, so the draw happens in front of the audience.
- Team and sports selection. Choose who goes first, who captains, or who sits out this round.
- Meetings and workshops. Pick a speaker, a topic, or a breakout group when the room cannot agree.
- Streams and videos. A wheel on screen keeps the audience for the reveal itself.
- Chores and family decisions. Put the tasks on the wheel and let the spin settle it.
For a two-way question rather than a list of names, the yes or no wheel is the simpler tool. For classroom picking with auto-remove, use the random name picker wheel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have another question? Let us know.
What is a wheel of names?
A spinning wheel built from your own list of names, used to pick one at random. You add the names, spin, and the pointer decides.
Is the wheel of names free?
Yes. There is no account and no download, and you can spin as many times as you want.
How many names can I put on the wheel?
Up to fifty segments, which covers most classes and teams. Very long lists make the labels hard to read, so for bigger draws it works better to remove names as they are picked, or to split the draw into rounds.
Can I remove a name after it has been picked?
Yes. Delete it from the list and the wheel rebuilds straight away. Removing names as they are drawn is the usual way to run a fair rotation without repeats.
Can I paste a list instead of typing names one by one?
Yes. Open “Paste a list” under the options and enter one name per line — the wheel builds the segments for you.
Does it work on a phone or a projector?
Yes. The wheel resizes to the screen and there is a fullscreen mode, which is how most classrooms and live draws run it.
More free random tools
Every tool below runs in the browser, with no account and no download.
