SPIN A DREIDEL
No dreidel? Spin one here. Each letter (nun, gimel, hei or shin) has an equal chance, the rules are below, and the optional tracker keeps the pot and everyone's tokens for 2 to 6 players. Hanukkah 2026 runs from sundown on December 4 to nightfall on December 12.
Each letter has a 1 in 4 (25%) chance.
Dreidel letters
- נNunNothing happens. Pass the dreidel.
- גGimelTake the whole pot.
- הHeiTake half the pot. Round up if the pot is odd.
- שShinPut one token in the pot.
Pot and score tracker
Turn this on to play with 2 to 6 players. The tracker keeps the pot, everyone's tokens and whose turn it is.
How to play dreidel
1.Share out the tokens
Give every player the same number of tokens: 10 to 15 each works well. Chocolate gelt, pennies, nuts, raisins or buttons all do the job.
2.Fill the pot
Everyone puts one token into the middle. This is the pot. Whenever the pot is empty, everyone puts one in again.
3.Take turns spinning
Go around the circle. On your turn, spin the dreidel and do what the letter on top says: nothing, take all, take half or put one in.
4.Last player in wins
If you have to put a token in and have none left, you are out. Keep going until one player has everything, or set a timer and the player with the most tokens wins.
Dreidel letters and what they mean
Together the four letters stand for Nes Gadol Haya Sham, "A great miracle happened there," recalling the Hanukkah story of the oil that burned for eight days.
| Letter | Name | Hebrew word | Yiddish | In the game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| נ | Nun | Nes (miracle) | nisht (nothing) | Nothing happens. Pass the dreidel. |
| ג | Gimel | Gadol (great) | gants (all) | Take the whole pot. |
| ה | Hei | Haya (happened) | halb (half) | Take half the pot. Round up if the pot is odd. |
| ש | Shin | Sham (there) | shtel arayn (put in) | Put one token in the pot. |
| פ | Pe | Po (here) | – | Put one token in the pot, the same as shin. |
In Israel, dreidels carry pe (פ) for Po, "here," in place of shin:Nes Gadol Haya Po, "A great miracle happened here." Tick "Israeli dreidel" above to spin one.
House rules to agree first
Dreidel has no official rulebook, so families play it a little differently. The tracker on this page uses the most common version: one token each in the pot to start and whenever it empties, half the pot rounded up on hei, and you're out when you can't pay.
Popular variations include everyone adding a token before every round, putting in two on shin, or rounding hei down. Pick one before the first spin so nobody argues over the last piece of gelt.
The spin is fair: the letter is chosen before the animation starts, and the method is written up onhow random selection works. To decide who spins first, use therandom name picker.
Dreidel FAQ
When is Hanukkah 2026?
Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026, when the first candle is lit, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12, 2026. It runs for eight nights, from 25 Kislev in the Hebrew calendar.
Is the virtual dreidel fair?
Yes. Nun, gimel, hei and shin each have exactly a 1 in 4 (25%) chance. The letter is chosen with your browser's Web Crypto API the moment you press spin, and the animation only shows it. A wooden or plastic dreidel can favor one side if it is unevenly made; this one cannot.
What happens when you spin hei and the pot is odd?
The most common rule is to round up: with 5 in the pot, you take 3 and leave 2. The score tracker uses that rule. Some families round down or leave the odd token in the pot instead, so agree before you start.
What do the letters on a dreidel mean?
They are the first letters of "Nes Gadol Haya Sham": "A great miracle happened there." On dreidels made in Israel, pe replaces shin for "Nes Gadol Haya Po": "A great miracle happened here." In the game the letters also stand for Yiddish words: nisht (nothing), gants (all), halb (half) and shtel arayn (put in).
How long does a game of dreidel take?
It can run a long time, because gimel keeps refilling the pot for everyone. With 10 tokens each, set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes and let the player with the most tokens win when it goes off.
Can I use this on a phone or a projector?
Yes. Pass the phone around the table, or put the page on a TV or classroom projector and let each player press the button. Turn on the tracker to keep the pot and scores for 2 to 6 players.