How to use the letter wheel
- The wheel starts with all 26 letters, from A to Z.
- Press Spin or tap the wheel to get a random letter.
- Use the quick lists above the entry box to switch to Vowels, Consonants, or the alphabet without Q, X and Z.
You can also edit the letters yourself. Type one letter per line, or add pairs like “ch” and “sh” for phonics practice.
Word games to play with a letter wheel
- Category race: pick a category, such as animals, foods or cities. Spin a letter. Everyone writes an answer that starts with that letter, and the first to finish wins the round.
- Five things: spin a letter and name five things that start with it in thirty seconds.
- Story chain: spin a letter, then each person adds a sentence that uses a word starting with it.
- Room hunt: spin a letter and find something in the room that starts with it.
- Person, place, thing: name one of each for the letter before the timer runs out.
Why leave out hard letters?
Letters like Q, X and Z start very few words in most categories, which can stall a game. The “No Q, X or Z” list keeps the game moving. For older players who like a challenge, put them back in.
For phonics and early reading
Teachers and parents can use the wheel to practise letter sounds. Spin, say the sound, then think of a word that starts with it. Load Vowels to work on vowel sounds, or type in blends like “bl”, “st” and “tr”. Press Full screen so the letter is big enough for a whole class to read from the back of the room.
Make it a whole-class game
Split the room into teams. Spin a letter, call out a category, and give every team thirty seconds to write as many answers as they can. Score one point for each answer that no other team thought of. Remove each letter after it has been played, and the game ends when the wheel is empty. Full screen keeps the letter big enough for every team to see.
Spell a word, one letter at a time
For a quick spelling game, spin three or four letters and see who can make the longest word using them. Keep each letter on the wheel so letters can repeat, or remove each one after it comes up so they cannot.
Fair letters every time
Each letter on the wheel has the same chance, picked with your browser’s secure random numbers. To make sure each letter comes up only once, press Remove this entry after each spin, and the wheel gets smaller as you go. For numbers instead, try the random number wheel.