Word Wheel

Word Wheel

Word Wheel is a fun vocabulary game for pre-intermediate and above students. In this game nine letters are shown on a wheel. The nine letters make one word but students have a time limit to guess the word. During this time they must also make as many words as they can from the letters, each of which must include the key letter which is displayed in the middle (in green). Award teams five points for guessing the main word correctly and one point for each word they make using the letters. The team with the most points wins!

How to play

  1. Put students in pairs or small groups or on their own for higher levels.
  2. Display the word wheel and do one example of the game so everyone understands how to play.
  3. Explain to students that they have to use the nine letters to create words. Each word must contain the key letter in green. For example, as in the picture below, students could make words like: Point, Paint, Nap and so on.Word Wheel Online game ESL
  4. For each dictionary word created one point in awarded. If the students are able to guess the nine letter word they are giving five points. In the example in the picture the nine letter word is IMPORTANT. Allow 2 minutes or so for each round. You can extend this time depending on what the teacher sees as appropriate.
  5. The winning player/team is the one with the most points at the end of the game or round.


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Find more games and activities on our YouTube Channel