Random Word Generator
Get random English words for writing prompts, games, brainstorming and vocabulary practice. Choose the word type, first letter, length and syllables, or switch to Pictionary and charades for party games.
- 23,500 English words
- Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs
- Letter, length and syllable filters
- Party game mode
lighthouse
Every word comes up once before any repeats.
What is a random word generator?
A random word generator picks words at random from a word list, so you get ideas you would not have come up with yourself. This one draws from about 23,500 English words, each tagged with its part of speech, its number of syllables and how common it is. Ask for one word or up to 500 at a time, keep to everyday words or dig into rare ones, and narrow the list by first letter, ending, letters it contains, length and syllables. A set never repeats a word, and every word that matches your filters has exactly the same chance of being picked.
How to use the random word generator
- Leave Word list on All English words, or pick a topic such as Objects, Animals, Food or Christmas.
- Choose a word type (any, nouns, verbs, adjectives or adverbs) and how common the words should be.
- Add filters if you need them: the first letters, the ending, letters the word must contain, the length in letters and the number of syllables.
- Set how many words you want and press Generate. Tap any word to copy it, or copy or save the whole set as a list.
- For a party game, open the Pictionary and charades tab to show one word at a time with a timer and team scores.
Why use this random word generator
- Filters that work togetherCombine word type, first and last letters, letters it must contain, length and syllables, and see how many words match before you press Generate.
- Clean word listSwear words, slurs and adult terms are removed, so you can show it on a classroom screen without checking every word first.
- Common to rareKeep to everyday vocabulary for children and English learners, or pick rare words to stretch advanced readers and writers.
- Private and fastThe list loads once and every set is picked on your device with the Web Crypto API. Nothing is sent to a server.
- Party mode built inOne tap switches to Pictionary and charades with categories, difficulty levels, a round timer, team scores and printable cards.
What people use random words for
- Writing prompts. Draw three nouns and build a story, poem or scene around them.
- Brainstorming. Put a random word next to your problem to break out of the usual ideas for names, slogans and products.
- Teaching and spelling. Pick words by syllable count or first letter for phonics, spelling tests and vocabulary games.
- Songwriting. Use a random noun and verb as the hook for a new lyric or rhyme.
- Word games. Start a round of Pictionary, charades, Hangman or a categories game.
- Design and testing. Fill mock-ups and test data with real words instead of lorem ipsum.
Random words by length
Common words picked from the list, grouped by length. Set Min letters and Max letters to the same number to get words of one length.
3-letter words
big, cue, joy, sea, red, bow, jaw, rap, wet, rip
4-letter words
torn, coup, norm, duty, bear, foot, nest, snap, back, spin
5-letter words
sworn, alone, scope, hello, elder, dream, sight, delay, about, allow
6-letter words
boyish, valued, behalf, makeup, viewer, fourth, filter, scarce, afford, prefer
7-letter words
covered, telling, balloon, offence, article, economy, decline, beneath, conceal, tighten
8-letter words
featured, accurate, probable, entrance, twenties, listener, diabetes, dissolve, honestly, diagnose
How it compares with other random word sites
| This generator | Typical random word sites | |
|---|---|---|
| Word types | Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs | Usually nouns, verbs and adjectives |
| Filters at the same time | First letters, ending, contains, length and syllables | One or two filters at a time |
| How common | Common, less common or rare | One list, or a huge list full of obscure words |
| Offensive words | Removed | Often left in the larger lists |
| Party games | Pictionary and charades with timer, teams and printable cards | Separate pages or apps |
| Where it runs | In your browser, nothing sent to a server | Often fetched from a server for each click |
Where the words come from
The dictionary list was built from three free, openly licensed sources. Word frequency comes from the 12dicts word lists by Alan Beale (public domain), which sort English words into frequency classes. Parts of speech come from WordNet 3.0 from Princeton University, keeping only the word types each word is actually used as. Syllable counts come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary from Carnegie Mellon University. Rude, hateful and adult words were then removed. Licence texts are in this file.
| Level | Words | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 4,950 | prior, odds, cigarette, academic, regret, become |
| Less common | 8,310 | wiry, fir, nighttime, melody, grotesque, misguide |
| Rare | 10,295 | Loaded only when you choose Rare or All levels |
Example: three words for a story prompt
Set How many to 3, Word type to Nouns and How common to Common, then press Generate. You might get harbor, lantern and gravity. Now write a 100-word story that uses all three. Press Generate again for a new set. Your last 30 sets stay under Earlier sets, so you can go back to one you liked.
What to expect from the result
The list holds standard English words in their base form. Plurals, past tenses and proper nouns (names of people, places and brands) are left out, and so are rude, hateful and adult words. Syllable counts come from a pronouncing dictionary and follow American pronunciation, so a few may differ from how you say a word. A word that has several uses, like "run", appears under each word type it belongs to. Definitions are not included.
Random word generator FAQ
How many words are in the list?
About 23,500. Roughly 5,000 are common words most people use every day, 8,300 are less common and 10,300 are rare. Choose the level under How common. The Pictionary and charades mode adds about 1,280 hand-picked words and phrases for party games.
Can I get only nouns, verbs or adjectives?
Yes. Pick Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives or Adverbs under Word type. Words with more than one use, like "light" or "run", appear under every type they belong to. There are also pages set up for random nouns, random verbs and random adjectives.
How do I get random 5 letter words?
Type 5 in both Min letters and Max letters. Add a letter in Starts with if you want 5-letter words that begin with it, or a letter in Contains to practice a particular sound.
Are the words really random?
Yes. The generator uses your browser's cryptographic random number source and gives every matching word the same chance. A set never contains the same word twice, but a word can come up again in a later set.
Can I use it for Pictionary or charades?
Yes. Open the Pictionary and charades tab for words chosen to be drawn or acted, sorted into categories and easy, medium and hard levels, with a timer, team scores and printable cards.
Is the word list safe for kids and classrooms?
Yes. Swear words, slurs, sexual terms and other words that would be awkward on a classroom screen are removed from the list before it reaches your browser.
Is it free, and is anything sent to a server?
It is free with no sign-up, no limits and nothing to install. The word lists load into your browser and every pick happens on your device, so nothing you choose or type is sent anywhere. Once the page has loaded, it keeps working without a connection.
More random tools and party games
Draw a single random letter for a categories game, split players into random teams or spin a wheel of names to choose who goes first. For the holidays, print Christmas bingo cards, draw names for Secret Santa or run a White Elephant gift swap.