What is the decision wheel?
The decision wheel is a customizable spinning wheel where you write your own options and let chance pick one. It is the modern version of “drawing lots”: instead of slips of paper in a hat, you spread the choices across colored sectors and spin until the pointer lands on the winner.
Unlike a coin or a die, you decide how many options there are and what each one says, so it works for any choice with two, three or twenty alternatives.
When to use the wheel?
- Choosing among many options: which restaurant, which movie, what to do this weekend.
- Assigning chores by writing each person’s name and letting the wheel decide.
- Classroom use: picking who answers next with no favoritism.
- Live draws and group activities where everyone watches the wheel spin.
How does our wheel work?
You add your options and the page splits them into equal sectors; if there are only a few, each one is repeated the same number of times around the wheel so it looks full. When you spin, the winning sector is first chosen at random with the browser’s cryptographic generator (crypto.getRandomValues()) and then the animation slows down onto it: sometimes it stops a hair short of the next one, sometimes it just squeaks past or settles in the middle of the sector, but that is only the show. Since all sectors are the same size and every option takes up the same number of them, every option has exactly the same probability.
Your options stay in your browser; nothing is sent to any server or shared with third parties.
Tips to get more out of the wheel
The wheel can do far more than it seems. If you want one option to be more likely than another, write it several times: each entry gets its own share of the wheel, so the more it takes up, the easier it is to come out. For long lists (restaurants, films, chores), remove the options that have already come up and spin again, so they don't repeat. Deciding as a group? Put the wheel on a big screen and have each person add an option: chance avoids arguments and favoritism. And if you're only torn between two things, the wheel works just like a coin, but with your own labels instead of heads and tails.
Frequently asked questions
Do all options have the same probability?
Yes. Each sector is the same size, so every option is equally likely to win.
How many options can I add?
As many as you need; the wheel splits the space evenly among all of them.
Are my options saved when I close?
Yes. What you type is saved only in your browser, so it is still there when you come back, and it also shows up in the site's other list games (horse race, name picker, teams…). Emptying the list deletes it. Nothing is sent to our servers or third parties.
Can I share my wheel with other people?
Yes. Tap “Share”, above the list: on your phone it opens WhatsApp, Instagram or whichever app you choose, and on a computer it copies the link. Whoever opens it gets the wheel with your same options, no sign-up needed. The options travel inside the link: they are not stored on any server and the link never expires. And when an option comes up, “Share” on the winner card sends the result along with the link: everyone sees it and can spin with the same list (each with their own luck).
Is the wheel rigged to avoid repeats?
No. Each spin is independent and fully random, so the same option can come up several times.
Can I give one option a higher chance?
Yes. Write that option several times: each entry gets its own share of the wheel, so the more often it appears, the higher its chance of coming out. It's the simple way to “weight” the wheel with no fuss.
Is it good for drawing without repeats?
The wheel includes every option again on each spin, so one can repeat. If you want to remove options as you go, take out the winning one after each spin; to draw from a large list without repeats, the name draw may suit you better.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The wheel adapts to the screen size and spins with a tap, so it works just as well on phone, tablet or computer. There's nothing to install.
Can I use it as a wheel of names?
Yes. Type one name per option and spin: the wheel stops on a random name. To draw several winners without repeats, remove the name that came up before spinning again.
Related guides
- Help me decide: 10 quick tricks — From two-pass elimination to the coin trick: ten ways to get unstuck today, sorted from most rational to most fun.
- How to make a decision when you can't decide — Methods that actually work to stop overthinking everything: from the 10-minute rule to the “listen to your reaction” trick and when it's best to leave it to chance.
- How to pick a name — For the team, the pet, a username or your project: the four-step funnel method and the random tie-breaker for when the debate digs in.