How does the `::weight` suffix work?

Add `::` followed by a number at the end of a line, like `Pizza::3`, to make that item three times as likely to be picked as a line with the default weight of 1; lines without a suffix are all treated as weight 1.

What does 'no repeat until exhausted' do?

When enabled, each picked item is removed from the pool for subsequent picks, so you cycle through every item exactly once before the pool resets and repeats become possible again.

Can weights be decimals?

Yes, weights like `::0.5` or `::2.5` are accepted and simply scale that item's share of the total probability relative to the other items.

What happens if I give every item a weight of 0?

The tool requires the total weight across all items to be greater than zero, since a pool where nothing has any chance of being picked has nothing meaningful to pick from.

Random Item Picker - Pick a Random Line From a List Online

Overview

Introduction

Whenever you need to pick one thing from a list fairly (a name for a raffle, a task to tackle first, a restaurant for dinner), doing it by hand invites bias. This tool picks uniformly (or by weight) at random from a pasted list.

Beyond a single pick, it supports optional per-item weighting and a no-repeat mode for cycling through a list without repeats until it's exhausted.

What Is Random Item Picker?

A random selection tool: paste one item per line, optionally tag some lines with a `::weight` suffix, and get one item picked at random.

It's built for everyday decision-making and light gamification (raffles, standup order, menu picks) rather than statistically rigorous sampling.

How Random Item Picker Works

Each non-empty line is parsed for an optional trailing `::number` weight suffix; lines without one default to weight 1.

A weighted random pick draws a random number between 0 and the total weight, then walks the list subtracting each item's weight until it lands on the chosen item: an item with weight 3 has three times the chance of being landed on as one with weight 1.

In no-repeat mode, the picked item is excluded from the pool for the next pick; once every item has been picked once, the pool resets.

When To Use Random Item Picker

Use it to fairly choose a winner from a list of raffle entries or a name from a roster.

Use it to decide between options (restaurants, movies, tasks) when you want an unbiased, quick decision.

Often used alongside Random Wheel Spinner, Random List Generator and Text Line Shuffler.

Features

Advantages

Supports weighting individual items without needing to duplicate lines to bias probability.
The no-repeat mode guarantees every item gets picked exactly once per cycle, useful for round-robin style selection.
Works on any plain-text list pasted directly into the tool, no file upload needed.

Limitations

Weight parsing looks specifically for a trailing `::number`; an item whose text legitimately ends in `::3` for other reasons will be misread as a weight.
This uses `Math.random()`, which is fine for casual decision-making but not appropriate for anything requiring cryptographic fairness guarantees.

Examples

Simple even pick

Input

Pizza
Tacos
Sushi

Output

Tacos

Each of the three items has an equal 1-in-3 chance.

Weighted pick

Input

Pizza::3
Tacos::1
Sushi::1

Output

Pizza

Pizza has weight 3 against a total weight of 5, giving it a 60% chance versus 20% each for the others.

Best Practices & Notes

Best Practices

Use the no-repeat mode when you want to guarantee everyone or everything gets picked exactly once before repeats happen.
Double-check weight suffixes for typos, since a malformed suffix like `::abc` is treated as plain text and defaults to weight 1.

Developer Notes

Weighted selection uses a linear scan subtracting weights from a random draw (an O(n) method) rather than building a cumulative-distribution binary search, which is simpler to reason about and fast enough for typical list sizes of a few hundred items.

Random Item Picker Use Cases

Picking a raffle or giveaway winner fairly
Choosing a random name for standup order or a chore rotation
Deciding between a short list of options like restaurants or activities

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the `::` separator and expecting a number at the end of a line to be read as a weight automatically.
Setting every item's weight to 0, which leaves nothing with a chance of being picked.

Tips

Use whole-number weights for the clearest mental model of relative odds (e.g. weight 2 means 'twice as likely').
Turn on no-repeat mode for fair round-robin picking across a team or list.

Random Item Picker