How to use it
- List the optionsType one option per line, such as the places to eat or the movies to watch. Add *2 or *3 after an option you like more.
- Choose one spin or eliminationFor a single answer, just spin. To narrow a long list, switch on Elimination in Options so each spin knocks one option out.
- Spin and agreeClick the wheel, press SPIN, or hit Space. The result shows the option and its chance on that spin. Keep going until one is left.
What the decision wheel does
- Works as a decision maker wheel for any number of options: list them, spin, and the wheel picks one.
- Turns priorities into weights: write *2 or *3 after an option and its slice grows to match.
- Runs elimination rounds on a wheel of choices: each spin knocks out the picked option until one is left.
- Is a random choice generator that shows its odds: the result says what chance the winning option had.
Weights as honest priorities
A plain decision wheel treats every option equally, which is fine when you truly have no preference. Most real choices are not like that. One person leans toward the pizza place, another is neutral, and a third will only be a bit disappointed by tacos. Weights let you put that information on the wheel instead of arguing about it first.
Add a star and a number after an option. Pizza *3 is three times as likely as an option with no star. Think of the number as a count of tickets: how many tickets does this option deserve? A good rule is to give weights that match real feeling. If you would be happy with an option two times as much, make it *2. Do not inflate a number to win, because the wheel will faithfully hand you the result you rigged.
For group decisions, a clean method is to ask everyone to add one point to each option they would accept and one extra to their top choice. Sum the points and use them as weights. Options nobody can stand end up with no points and stay off the wheel. The wheel then works as a tiebreaker that respects the room, not a coin that ignores it.
How weights become chances
The chance of an option is its weight divided by the total of all weights. The result shows that percentage on every spin, labeled as a weighted wheel, so nobody has to do the arithmetic by hand. The table works through a four-option dinner as an example.
Notice that a weight is not a guarantee. An option with a 10% chance still wins one spin in ten, and that is fine: the wheel is stating how likely each option is, not who is entitled to win. If a 10% option winning would feel unacceptable to anyone, remove it before you spin.
| Option | Weight | Total weight | Chance per spin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pizza | *4 | 10 | 40% |
| Tacos | *3 | 10 | 30% |
| Sushi | *2 | 10 | 20% |
| Salad bar | *1 (or no star) | 10 | 10% |
Elimination rounds: last one standing
With Elimination switched on, a spin does not choose a winner; it picks an option to knock out. The result shows it as out, the slice disappears, and the wheel shrinks. When one option remains, the wheel announces it as the last one standing. It turns a nervous single draw into a short, suspenseful series, which suits a long list or a crowd that wants to watch.
One thing surprises people: with weights, the heavy options are the most likely to be knocked out first, so they are less likely to be the last one standing. In the example below, the option with weight 5 is hit first half the time. If you want the favorites to win, use plain spins without elimination. If you want a gentle underdog story, use elimination. Either is fine, as long as everyone knows which one is on.
If your weights are all equal, elimination changes nothing about fairness: each option has the same chance of surviving. It simply changes the pacing, and it gives the group time to react. Some people use that pause to quietly rule out an option they could not live with, which is useful information too. Because every knock-out is logged in the Results tab, you also get a ranking from worst to best at the end, which is handy for a ranked shortlist.
| Option | Weight | Knocked out on first spin | Last one standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | *5 | 50% | 3.4% |
| B | *3 | 30% | 9.2% |
| C | 1 | 10% | 43.7% |
| D | 1 | 10% | 43.7% |
Settling restaurants, movies and weekend plans
For a group dinner, list the places that everyone has said yes to, not every place in town. Four to eight options keep the wheel readable. Give the place someone is dying to visit a *2, and leave the rest at 1. After the spin, treat the result as final and move on to the booking, because the point was to stop discussing.
For movie night, try elimination. Each knock-out is a small event, the group reacts to every one, and the last title standing feels earned. Put each person's pick in once, so no one with a long list dominates. If two people suggest the same title, keep the line once with *2 rather than twice.
For weekend plans, mix sizes. A hike, a board game afternoon and a trip to the market are different amounts of effort, so weigh them by how many people actually want each. Then spin once for the main plan and a second time, on a smaller list, for the bonus activity. Two small decisions are easier to accept than one large one. When it is just one question, the yes or no wheel is quicker.
Keeping the wheel useful
Keep the list honest. Do not add an option you would be unhappy with just to fill space. The wheel cannot unwind a bad option once it lands. Remove duplicates and sort the list so you can see what you have, and shuffle if you want a fresh arrangement of slices.
Use Remove the winner after each spin if you want to pick several things in a row, for example a ranked set of three activities. Use the everyone once before anyone twice option when the wheel is a rotation, such as who chooses the next game. Both are in Options.
For a two-way choice with a question, the yes or no wheel is simpler. For a pick from a long list of names, the name picker is simpler still. The decision wheel earns its place when you have three or more options that are not equally attractive.
A last tip is to set the spin time to match the mood. A short spin of two or three seconds keeps a quick lunch choice moving, while a longer one builds suspense for a family vote. Present mode strips the page down to the wheel and the result, which is helpful on a TV or projector when the whole table is watching.
Fair picking and privacy
Each pick uses the browser's cryptographic random generator, with weights counted as whole shares, so every option gets exactly its proportional share. The winner is chosen before the wheel moves, the animation stops at a random point inside that slice, and the chance of the pick is shown with every result. The page on whether spin the wheel is random explains the method and lets you test it.
A decision wheel is often shared with the people it affects, so copy the link before you start and send it around: everyone then sees the same options and weights. The link shows every option to whoever opens it. Your own copy of the wheel and the knock-out record in the Results tab stay on this device until you clear them.
Questions
How does a decision wheel work?
You list your options, one per line, and spin. The wheel picks one using cryptographic randomness and shows its chance. Each option is a slice sized by its weight, so a plain list gives equal slices and an option written as Pizza *3 gets three times the share.
How do I make a weighted decision wheel?
Add a star and a number after an option, such as Tacos *2. The number is the share of the wheel that option gets. Its chance is the weight divided by the total of all weights, so with weights 4, 3, 2 and 1 the total is 10 and the first option has a 40% chance. The result shows that percentage after each spin.
What does elimination mode do?
Turn on Elimination in Options and each spin knocks the picked option out of the wheel. The wheel keeps shrinking until one option is left, which is announced as the last one standing. Weights still apply on each spin, so a heavier option is picked for knock-out more often than a lighter one.
Do higher weights make an option more likely to win with elimination?
Not to be the last one. A heavy option is more likely to be picked, so it is more likely to be knocked out early. With weights 5, 3, 1 and 1, the first option survives to the end only 3.4% of the time.
How many options can I put on the wheel?
A handful works best for reading the slices, usually 3 to 12. You can add more, because the entry list works like the one on the main wheel. If a long list is hard to read on a phone, use Elimination so each spin removes one option and the wheel becomes easier to read as it shrinks.
Can I use the decision wheel for a group choice?
Yes. Collect the options everyone accepts, give a *2 to a strong preference, and agree beforehand that the spin is final. Elimination is a nice format for movies or restaurants, because the group sees the field narrow and every person gets to react to each knock-out.
Is my list of options private?
Your options never leave the browser; the most recent wheel is kept in this device's storage and nothing goes to a server. A copied link holds the whole wheel after the # sign, so whoever you give it to can read every option, even though servers do not receive that part.