A yes or no wheel is the smallest possible version of a decision tool, which is exactly why it gets used for everything from what to have for lunch to arguments nobody wants to keep having.
Spin it above for a straight 50/50 answer. Below you will find how to add a Maybe, how to change the odds on purpose, and the one situation where you should close this page instead.
What is a yes or no wheel?
A yes or no wheel is a free spinner holding two options, Yes and No, each taking half the wheel. Spin it and it lands on one, giving you an instant answer with no reasoning and no deliberation attached.
It is a coin flip with an animation and a bigger target.
The animation is not decoration. Watching a result arrive feels more like an event than seeing a word appear, which is the whole reason people use a wheel rather than picking in their head.
How do you use the yes or no wheel?
Press spin and take the answer. Nothing to set up and nothing to type, because both options are already on the wheel. Add a third slice for Maybe, or change the odds, if a straight 50/50 is not what you want.
Three ways people run it:
- Straight 50/50, the default, for a fast decision
- Yes, No and Maybe, for questions where hedging is a real answer
- Weighted, where one side is deliberately larger
Three setups and when each fits
| Setup | Odds | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Yes or No | 50/50 | Genuine toss-ups and settling arguments |
| Yes, No, Maybe | Roughly a third each | Questions where "not yet" is a real outcome |
| Weighted | Whatever you set | When you already lean one way and want to admit it |
| Yes, No, Ask again | Roughly a third each | A running gag rather than a decision |
| Custom two options | 50/50 | Any binary choice that is not literally yes or no |
Can you change the odds?
Yes. Weighting a slice makes it take a larger arc and win proportionally more often, so a 70/30 wheel lands on Yes roughly seven times in ten. The weights stay visible next to the options rather than hiding inside a setting.
Two honest uses for this and one dishonest one.
The honest ones are modelling a real probability and admitting a preference you already hold. The dishonest one is handing someone a wheel that looks even and is not, which is why the weights are shown on the face of it.
For the full setup, see weighted wheel of names.
When should you not use it?
When the decision matters and you would override an answer you dislike. A wheel is for choices where either outcome is genuinely acceptable, and using one on a decision that carries real cost just delays the thinking.
There is a simple test for this, and it takes about five seconds.
Before you spin, decide which answer you are hoping for. If you have one, you already made the decision and the wheel is a way of avoiding responsibility for it. If you genuinely have no preference, spin away, because either outcome is fine by definition.
Three decisions a wheel handles well:
- Choices where both options are fine and deciding is the only cost
- Settling a disagreement where neither side has the stronger case
- Breaking a loop where you have gone back and forth for too long
Can you keep the question on the wheel?
Type the question above the wheel before you spin and it stays with the wheel when you share the link. Whoever opens it sees the question and the answer together rather than a naked Yes sitting with no context.
This matters more than it sounds for group decisions.
A screenshot of a wheel landing on No proves nothing on its own. The same screenshot with the question printed above it settles the argument, which is the actual job when two people have been going round in circles.
Two ways people use that:
- Share the link before spinning, so everyone watches the same wheel land
- Screenshot after the spin, with the question visible, as a record of what was agreed
Is the yes or no wheel random?
Yes. Each side has exactly the same chance on every spin unless you weight it yourself. The draw comes from your browser's own cryptographic random source, and the animation simply shows you a result that was already decided.
A run of five Yes results in a row surprises people, and it happens roughly once in every 32 sets of five.
Short lists repeat far more than intuition expects. Two options repeat the most of all.
More at how our randomness works.
What other decision wheels are there?
Decision wheels differ in how many options they hold, and the right one depends on how many ways your question can go. Pick the shape that matches the decision rather than forcing a binary onto something with four answers.
- What to eat wheel for the most common real decision people bring here
- Wheel of names for any list of options you type yourself
- Random number wheel for picking a number instead of a side
- Would you rather wheel for two options as a game rather than a decision