Random letter generator wheel: 20 letters like the Scattergories die, and when to remove used letters

2026-11-05

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Somebody has to pick the letter, and nobody wants to be the one who "always picks S".

A random letter generator wheel takes the job away from people, and the spin on screen is half the fun of the round.

This post covers how to set one up, which letters to leave out, and when you should remove a letter after it comes up.

1. Setting up the letters

The Wheel Spinner on ZAGO.TO takes up to 20 entries, so you cannot fit all 26 letters on one wheel.

That sounds like a limit until you look at the game most people are spinning for.

The Scattergories letter die has 20 faces. It leaves out Q, U, V, X, Y and Z, because almost nothing fits "a vegetable that starts with X".

Type the other 20 letters, one per entry, and the wheel matches the die exactly.

| Setup | Letters | Good for | |---|---|---| | Scattergories 20 | A to Z minus Q, U, V, X, Y, Z | Categories games, word association | | Kids 18 | Also drop J and K | Younger players, animal and food rounds | | Full alphabet | Two spins: A to M, then N to Z | When every letter must be possible |

For the full alphabet, make a two-slice wheel that says "A to M" and "N to Z", spin it, then spin a 13-letter wheel for that half.

Two spins, 26 letters, and every letter keeps the same 1 in 26 chance.

▲ Twenty letters, same as the die, nobody argues

Entries are remembered on this device, so the 20 letters are waiting next time you open the page. They are not synced anywhere, so a second phone starts from scratch.

2. Four rounds that start with one letter

Alphabet quiz: spin a letter, call a category, first person to name a fruit, a country or a movie starting with it wins the point
Scattergories: one letter, 12 categories, three minutes. Unique answers score, duplicates cancel
Song round: name a song or an artist starting with the letter, no repeats across the table
Drawing prompt: everyone draws something that starts with the letter, the group guesses

The quiz version is the one filling YouTube right now, and it works with no paper.

Press Copy result link after the spin and the letter lands in the group chat, so remote players see the same wheel.

▲ Spin once, then pick the category

3. When to remove a used letter

Leaving every letter on the wheel means the same letter can come up twice in a night. Fine for a quick quiz, annoying for Scattergories where you already filled a sheet for B.

Turn on Remove winner and each letter drops off after it is drawn. Twenty letters give you twenty rounds with no repeats. Restore removed puts them all back for the next game night.

| Mode | Repeats | Use it when | |---|---|---| | Keep all letters | Yes, 1 in 20 each spin | Quick quiz, young kids | | Remove winner | No | Scattergories sheets, tournament rounds | | Weights | Rare letters less often | Set J and K to weight 1, common letters to 2 |

The same remove-and-spin pattern runs a number draw without repeats, covered in random number wheel.

It also calls on students one at a time, covered in random name picker for classrooms.

▲ Remove after each draw, restore for the next game

Three lines to remember

The wheel holds 20 entries, which is exactly the Scattergories die once you drop Q, U, V, X, Y and Z.
For a true A to Z, spin a two-slice "A to M / N to Z" wheel first, then a 13-letter wheel.
Turn on Remove winner for no repeats, and Restore removed to reset for the next game.

Set up the 20 letters once in the Wheel Spinner and they stay on this device for next time. No sign-up, and the page shows an ad card when you use it.

Other tools: Word Counter · Days Until