How to make random groups
- Paste your names. Type or paste the names, one per line or separated by commas. A class list copied from a spreadsheet works.
- Choose how to split. Pick a number of groups, or a number of people per group.
- Make the groups. Press Make groups. Press it again for a new random draw.
- Share them. Copy the groups to paste into a message or slide, or print them.
How the groups are made
The tool shuffles the whole list, then cuts it into groups, so each person is equally likely to end up in any group and with anyone else. Sizes stay as even as they can: with a number of groups, no group is more than one person bigger than another. Press Make groups again for a new draw; nothing about the last draw carries over.
How many groups for your class?
Number of groups for a class of each size, with even sizes. Where a size doesn’t divide evenly, the brackets say how many groups are one smaller.
| Class | Groups of 2 | Groups of 3 | Groups of 4 | Groups of 5 | Groups of 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 10 | 7 (1 of 2) | 5 | 4 | 4 (4 of 5) |
| 24 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 5 (1 of 4) | 4 |
| 25 | 13 (1 of 1) | 9 (2 of 2) | 7 (3 of 3) | 5 | 5 (5 of 5) |
| 28 | 14 | 10 (2 of 2) | 7 | 6 (2 of 4) | 5 (2 of 5) |
| 30 | 15 | 10 | 8 (2 of 3) | 6 | 5 |
| 32 | 16 | 11 (1 of 2) | 8 | 7 (3 of 4) | 6 (4 of 5) |
Groups of three or four suit most group work: everyone gets to talk, and nobody can hide. Pairs suit quick discussion; fives and sixes suit projects with roles.
Ways to use it
- Classroom group work: a quick, fair group maker for teachers, so students work with new people each time.
- Teams for games and sport: split a club, a party or a staff day into even teams.
- Icebreakers and workshops: mix people who don’t know each other into discussion groups.
- Partners: groups of 2 make random pairs for peer review or a buddy system.
Seat the groups in a room
To put the groups at desks or tables, use the classroom seating chart generator (it has a groups-of-four layout and keep-apart rules) or the random seating chart generator, which shuffles a whole class into seats. For an event, the table planner seats guests at round or long tables.
Frequently asked questions
Are the groups really random?
Yes. The list is shuffled with your browser’s cryptographic random numbers, so every person is equally likely to land in any group, and each press gives a new draw.
What happens when the names don’t divide evenly?
With a number of groups, sizes differ by at most one. With groups of a size, the tool makes as few groups as it needs with even sizes (10 in groups of 4 gives 4, 3 and 3); untick “Even out the sizes” to keep full groups and put the leftovers together (4, 4 and 2).
How do I make random pairs?
Choose groups of a size and enter 2. With an odd number of names, one group has three people; untick “Even out the sizes” to leave one person on their own instead.
Can I keep two people apart or together?
Not in this quick tool. The classroom seating chart generator seats a class in groups of four and follows rules like “keep apart” and “sit together”. Open the classroom seating chart generator.
Are the names uploaded or saved?
No upload: the groups are made in your browser. The list is kept in this browser so it is still there next time; press Clear names to remove it.
How many names can I use?
Up to 1,000 names and 500 groups.