How to Make a Spin Wheel

Option 1: make it online (5 minutes)

This is the fastest route and the wheel stays editable afterwards.

• Open the wheel generator and clear the default options.
• Type or paste your entries, one per line — names, prizes, chores, numbers.
• Pick colours that keep neighbouring slices distinct, and shorten long labels.
• Set the spin speed and duration in the settings tab, then test two or three spins.

Option 2: make it from paper (20 minutes)

A paper wheel is cheap, needs no electricity and is great for a classroom or a stall.

• Cut a circle from card — about 25 cm across works well.
• Divide it into equal sectors with a protractor: 360° divided by the number of options.
• Write one option in each sector and colour alternate slices so they are easy to read.
• Cut a pointer from stiff card and fix it at the centre with a split pin, or lay a paperclip on the pin as the needle.
• Push a pencil through the centre and spin, or hold the pin and flick the disc.

Design rules that keep a wheel readable

Most bad wheels fail for the same three reasons: too many slices, too much text and colours that blend together.

• Keep it to 6–12 slices; beyond that, labels get cramped.
• Use two or three words per label and cut anything in brackets.
• Alternate light and dark colours instead of using random hues.
• Keep the same font size for every label so no option looks more important.

Making sure the result is fair

Equal slices are only half the job — the spin itself must be unpredictable. On a paper wheel, a firm flick from a random starting position is enough for casual use. Online, the angle is randomised, so the chance of each slice always matches its size.