PlaySpinWheel

Random number generator: pick a random number with one spin

A random number generator picks one number at random out of the range you choose. This one is a wheel: the numbers 1 through 10 are already loaded, so press SPIN and it lands on one, every number with an exactly equal chance. Add or remove numbers to build any range you need, up to 52 on a single wheel.

Nothing is weighted and nothing is stored on a server. Each spin draws its seed from the browser's cryptographic random source, and that seed rides along inside the share link, so whoever opens it sees the identical number you got. Call it a number generator, a number picker wheel, or a random number picker: it is the same equal-chance spin either way.

12345678910#

Anything can win. That's the deal.

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How do you generate a random number from 1 to 10?

That range is already on the wheel, so it takes one press. The steps are the same for any range you build:

  • Press SPIN with the preloaded 1 to 10 wheel, or open Wheel settings and tap a quick fill for 1–5, 1–6, 1–20, 1–30, 1–50, or 1–52.
  • Type extra numbers into the add bar to extend the range, or remove slices to shrink it.
  • Read the number the wheel rests on. Every slice is cut to an identical angle, so no number is favored.
  • Copy the share link if you need to prove it. The link replays the same spin for anyone who opens it.

How do you get a random number between 1 and 100?

One wheel holds up to 52 slices, so 1 to 100 does not fit honestly on a single spin. The fix is to spin the digits instead of the numbers: load the 0–9 quick fill, spin once for the tens digit and once for the ones, and read the two results together. Two presses give a fair, evenly distributed pick from 0 to 99, with 100 as a simple house rule if you want it in the pot.

It is the same trick tabletop players use with two ten-sided dice, and it stays exactly as fair as a hundred-slice wheel would be, because each digit is an independent equal-chance draw. It is also more readable: a hundred labels on one wheel would shrink past the point of being legible on a phone.

Which range should you spin?

Every range below is one tap in Wheel settings. The wheel behaves identically for all of them; only the number of slices changes.

RANGEQUICK FILLWHAT IT IS FOR
1 to 51–5Small groups, star ratings, picking a lane
1 to 61–6A dice roll when there is no dice in the house
1 to 101–10The default: scores, rankings, quick picks
1 to 201–20D20 rolls and classroom lists
1 to 301–30A day of the month
1 to 501–50Raffle tickets and numbered entry lists
1 to 521–52A full deck of cards, the wheel's ceiling
0 to 990–9, spun twiceTens digit first, then the ones

Why use a number wheel instead of picking a number yourself?

Because people are terrible at being random. Ask a room to think of a number from 1 to 10 and seven comes up far more than its share, while one and ten barely appear: our brains avoid the edges and chase "random-feeling" middles. The wheel has no favorite numbers and no edges to avoid.

It's also public in a way a thought never is. "I was totally thinking of three" convinces nobody; a wheel slowing down in front of the whole room, or a replay link in the group chat ends the argument before it starts.

What do people use a random number picker for?

Teachers spin for which exercise the class reviews. Game nights use it for tie-breaks and turn order: assign each player a number, spin, highest goes first. Pub quizzes spin for which round gets double points. And if you've numbered raffle tickets or list entries, one spin picks the winning number with everyone watching.

Teachers and quiz writers often want it on their own page rather than a tab away. The free embeddable wheel drops a number wheel into any site or lesson page with one copy-paste snippet, with the range already set the way you left it.

Fair questions

What's the biggest range the wheel can hold?
52 numbers on a single wheel, which is a full deck of cards. For anything larger, spin in two stages: one wheel for the tens digit, one for the ones, which gives you a fair 0 to 99 in two spins.
How do you generate a random number between 1 and 100?
Load the 0–9 quick fill and spin twice, reading the first result as the tens digit and the second as the ones. Each digit is an independent equal-chance draw, so the combined number is evenly distributed across the whole range.
Is this random number generator truly random?
Every number on the wheel gets an identical slice, and each spin takes its seed from your browser's cryptographic random number generator rather than a shuffled list. The wheel cannot be weighted, which is exactly the point, and the seed in the share link lets anyone replay the spin and check.
Can it do decimals or negative numbers?
The wheel spins whatever you type, so −5, 2.5, or ⅞ are all fine. Each entry is just a label with an equal chance.
Does the wheel avoid repeating numbers?
Not by default, each spin is independent, so repeats can happen, like rolling the same number twice on a die. To never repeat, switch on "Remove the winner after each spin" in Wheel settings.

Sources and references

Every spin here is decided by a cryptographic random seed drawn from a browser API defined by a public standard. The specification behind that fairness claim is below, so it can be checked rather than taken on trust.

The getRandomValues method generates cryptographically strong random values.

Source: W3C, Web Cryptography

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