Who am I game: random words to guess
The who am I game needs one thing: a word that everyone knows except the guesser. This wheel supplies it – the guesser looks away, the others spin and see who or what the guesser is. Then the guessing starts with yes-or-no questions. Ready-made sets: animals, jobs and traditional story characters; you can add your own.
Source: W3C Recommendation, W3C Web Cryptography API – getRandomValues(). Updated: .
How it is calculated
In the who am I game everyone knows the word – except the person who has to guess it. The wheel draws one word from the list. The “Animals” set has 18 words, so each one comes up with a probability of 1 in 18, about 5.56%.
How to play who am I with the wheel
- The guesser turns around or closes their eyes.
- Another player presses Spin the wheel, shows the word to the group and hides the screen again.
- Write the word on a sticky note and put it on the guesser’s forehead, or hold the phone above their head.
- The guesser asks yes-or-no questions: “Am I an animal?”, “Can I fly?”, “Do I live in a story?”.
- A “yes” means they may ask again; after a “no” it is the next player’s turn. Whoever needs the fewest questions wins.
The three ready-made sets
| Set | Examples | Good questions to start with |
|---|---|---|
| Animals | Penguin, Hedgehog, Sloth | Do I have fur? Can I swim? Do I live in a hot country? |
| Jobs | Firefighter, Vet, Referee | Do I wear a uniform? Do I work outside? Do I work with children? |
| Story characters | Cinderella, Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes | Am I from a fairy tale? Am I a real person? Do I have magic? |
With “All (54)” each word has a probability of 1 in 54, about 1.85%. The story characters come from traditional fairy tales, legends and old novels that every generation knows – no figures that belong to a film studio or a brand.
Who am I for kids, adults and seniors
- Kids: start with animals; younger children may also ask “Am I big?” or “What sound do I make?”.
- Adults: load “All (54)” and set a limit of 20 questions.
- Seniors: jobs and story characters bring back memories and lead to conversation – nobody needs to hurry.
- Classroom: type in vocabulary from your lesson – countries, planets, historical figures – and practise asking questions.
Write your own words
Clear the text box and type one word per line, up to 500 lines. Your list stays in this browser; “Share this wheel” puts it into a link for the group. Tick “Remove the winning entry from the wheel” so that no word comes up twice in one evening.
More guessing games
For acting instead of asking, use the charades generator; for drawing, the what to draw wheel. A quieter round with questions: would you rather questions.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play the who am I game?
One player gets a secret word they cannot see – on a sticky note or the phone above their head. They ask yes-or-no questions until they guess who or what they are.
What are good words for who am I?
Words that everyone in the group knows: animals, jobs and fairy-tale characters work for all ages. This wheel has 54 of them in three sets.
Is there a who am I game for kids?
Yes. Start with the “Animals” set – penguin, giraffe, snail – and let younger children ask about size, sound and color.
How many questions can a player ask?
There is no fixed rule. A common way: keep asking as long as the answers are “yes”, pass the turn after a “no”, or set a limit of 20 questions.
Can I play who am I online?
Yes. In a video call the host spins and sends the word privately to everyone except the guesser, who then asks questions out loud.
Are there famous people on the list?
No living people. The story characters come from traditional fairy tales, legends and old novels, such as Robin Hood or Sherlock Holmes.
Can I use my own words?
Yes. Type them in the text box, one per line. The list stays in your browser.
How do I stop the same word coming up again?
Tick “Remove the winning entry from the wheel”. Every word drawn leaves the wheel until you put them back.
Sources and legal basis
- W3C Recommendation: W3C Web Cryptography API – getRandomValues()
- MDN Web Docs – Crypto.getRandomValues()
As of: · Editorial policy
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