Generate a random letter

Letters made to measure

Decide how many letters you need, whether they should be uppercase or lowercase, and whether repeats are allowed. Without repeats you can draw up to 26 unique letters — the complete alphabet.

Perfect for word games

A fair starting letter keeps games like Categories exciting, because nobody can predict the round. A random letter is also a good prompt for reading and writing practice, naming things or brainstorming. Every letter is drawn with equal probability.

Using repeats — and turning them off — on purpose

Whether you generate letters with or without repeats changes the result fundamentally. Without repeats each letter appears at most once, which is why you can draw a maximum of twenty-six characters. That suits you when you need a set of unique initials or starting letters.

With repeats allowed the same letter may come up several times, which makes sense for longer sequences or practice drills. The uppercase and lowercase setting additionally controls whether you get classic capitals or lowercase forms.

• Pick a count between one and twenty-six letters
• Turn repeats off when every letter has to be unique
• Set uppercase or lowercase to match your purpose
• Note the result down before you generate a new one

Creative ideas beyond the classic word game

Random letters are more than the starting signal for a well-known paper game. You can use them to kick-start your creativity whenever nothing else comes to mind. Draw a letter, for example, and write down as many words with it as you can in two minutes.

Randomly generated letters also work nicely for small writing exercises. Take three characters and build the openings of a short story or a rhyme from them. In the classroom they serve as a neutral prompt that favors nobody and still involves everyone. What matters is that you match the difficulty to your group. Single capital letters are plenty for younger children, while experienced players also enjoy longer mixed sequences.