Spin the Name

Spin the wheel in three steps

1. Type names or choices into the Items (one per line) box, each on a line of its own.
2. Click or tap the wheel, which is itself the Spin button, or press Enter or Space once you have moved to it with Tab.
3. When the wheel stops, only the picked slice stays bright, and a result window shows the name with Spin again and a button such as Remove “Avery” and spin again.

Quick answers

Is every item equally likely?

Yes, each item on the wheel has the same chance (for example, 1 in 6 each when there are 6 items), and the result is decided before the wheel starts to turn. How it works explains how each pick is made.

What happens when a name is listed twice?

Lines are not merged, so a name on two lines takes two slices and has twice the chance of a name listed once. Removing it after a pick deletes only the line that was picked, and the other copy stays on the wheel.

How many items fit, and how long can they be?

Up to 200 items go on the wheel, and each can be up to 80 characters, though an item with many emoji or letters with added marks may be cut before it reaches 80 characters. The How it works page explains what happens to lines beyond 200 and to lines longer than 80 characters.

Where is the list kept, and what is not kept?

The list is saved in this browser and is saved again automatically when you edit it. If the list is your own, not one opened from a share link, removing an item with the result window’s remove button saves the shorter list in this browser right away. Your Sound, Reduce motion and spin history order (Newest first or Order drawn) choices are kept too, but spin history itself is not: it lasts only while the page is open.

How do share links work?

Copy share link packs the current list into the link itself, and anyone who opens the link sees that list, so leave private details out of it. Opening the link shows that list without touching the list saved in that browser, unless the visitor edits the shared list in the item box, which then replaces the saved one. Items taken off a shared list with the result window’s remove button, in contrast, are not saved, so the list saved in that browser stays as it was. For example, say your saved list is Avery, Blake and Casey. If you open a share link a friend sent and press Remove “Avery” and spin again, your saved list is still Avery, Blake and Casey. But on your own list, opened as usual without a share link, the same button takes Avery off the list and saves it that way, so the next time you open the page, only Blake and Casey are left.

Is there a way to skip the spinning?

With Reduce motion on, the wheel moves straight to the result instead of spinning, and this setting starts out matching your device’s own reduce-motion setting. Mid-spin, pressing Esc, or pressing the wheel again once 0.5 seconds have passed since the start, ends the spin at once with the result that was already chosen.

Does the wheel work with a keyboard?

Once you have moved to the wheel with Tab, pressing Enter or Space spins it, and a border marks what is selected with the keyboard. When the result window opens, its Spin again button is selected, and Esc closes the window.

Is the list sent anywhere?

The site itself has no feature that sends the list anywhere, and no feature that uses cookies; a list inside a share link is also not sent to the site when the link is opened. For how personal information is handled, read the Privacy Policy.