Text Randomizer
Mix up any list or text. Shuffle lines for a random order, scramble words or letters for puzzles, or draw a number of random entries from a list, all with a fair, unbiased shuffle.
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
- Free to use
How to use Text Randomizer
- Paste your list or text into the left box, one item per line for lists.
- Choose what to shuffle: lines, words, words within lines, letters within words, or pick random lines.
- For picking, enter how many lines to draw.
- Select Shuffle again for a new order, then copy or download the result.
Text Randomizer features
Five modes
Shuffle lines, shuffle words, shuffle words within each line, scramble letters, or pick random lines.
Fair shuffle
Uses the Fisher–Yates algorithm with cryptographically secure random numbers, so every order is equally likely.
Random picks
Draw any number of entries without repeats, like names from a hat.
Readable scrambles
Optionally keep the first and last letter of each word in place.
One-click reshuffle
Get another random order instantly.
Private
Your list never leaves your browser.
When to use Text Randomizer
- Drawing winners or choosing an order for presentations and turns.
- Randomising quiz questions, flashcards or answer options.
- Splitting a class or team list into a random order.
- Creating word-scramble puzzles for lessons.
- Generating shuffled test data.
Text Randomizer FAQ
Is the shuffle really random?
Yes. Random numbers come from your browser’s cryptographic generator, and the Fisher–Yates method ensures each possible order has the same probability.
Can the same item be picked twice?
No. Picking draws from a shuffled copy of the list, so each line appears at most once.
What does keeping the first and last letter do?
It scrambles only the inner letters of each word. Such text is often still readable, a popular demonstration of how we recognise words by shape.
Can I use it for a prize draw?
Yes, for informal draws such as classroom turns, team orders or giveaways among friends. Where money or rules are involved, show the list and the shuffle live to the people taking part, so nobody has to take the result on trust.
Why did I get the same order twice?
With very short lists there are few possible orders, so repeats happen by chance. A list of three items has only six orders.
Shuffling fairly
A fair shuffle gives every possible ordering the same chance. The classic method, described by Fisher and Yates in 1938 and adapted for computers by Durstenfeld, walks through the list from the end, swapping each item with a randomly chosen item at or before its position. It needs only one pass and is provably unbiased when the random choices are.
Many quick implementations get this wrong. Sorting a list with a random comparison, a common shortcut, produces noticeably uneven results. Choosing swap positions with a random number reduced by a simple remainder also introduces small biases. This tool avoids both by using rejection sampling on cryptographically secure random values.
Random order has practical uses beyond games. Teachers shuffle questions so neighbouring students see different orders, researchers randomise the order of survey items to reduce bias, and testers shuffle data to make sure software does not depend on a particular order.
Scrambling letters inside words is a different kind of randomness, used for puzzles and reading experiments. Keeping the first and last letters fixed leaves text surprisingly legible for short, common words.