Random Pairing Generator for One List or Two: how it works
This random pairing generator does two jobs. Paste one list, such as a class, a team or a chess club, and it splits the list into random pairs, with a plan for the odd one out. Or paste two lists, such as students and topics, and it matches each line in the first with a line in the second. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
One list: random pairs in one press
Open the One list tab, paste your names one per line and press Make pairs. The list is shuffled and then cut into twos, so every possible partner is equally likely and the order you typed in makes no difference. With an odd number you choose what happens: Make one group of three, which suits lab partners and discussion work, or One sits out, which suits games played one against one. The person sitting out gets a card of their own.
Two lists: match A to B
Open the Two lists tab when the two sides are different kinds of thing: students and essay topics, players and characters, mentors and new starters, an older class and its reading buddies. Press Match the lists and list B is shuffled against list A, one to one. If the lists are different lengths, Leave extras unmatched shows what is left over under its own heading, so nothing is dropped without you seeing it. Reuse list B deals list B again, which is right when six topics have to cover thirty students.
Rules, reshuffles and paper
A keep-apart rule names two lines that must not be paired: two friends who distract each other, last week's partners, or a student and the topic they presented last term. The shuffle is repeated until every rule holds, and if your rules make that impossible the page tells you which one it had to break. Press Make pairs again, or Match the lists on the second tab, and the draw starts again from scratch. Copy puts the pairs on your clipboard as plain text, and Print gives a clean numbered sheet.
Tips
- Make the pairs where everyone can see the screen. A draw the class watched is a draw nobody argues with.
- To avoid repeat partners, add last round's pairs as keep-apart rules before you shuffle. A class of 24 needs 23 rounds before everyone has worked with everyone else once.
- For a fair knockout bracket, pair one list at random for round one. For seeded brackets, put the top half in list A and the bottom half in list B.
- Matching people to jobs works best when the jobs list is a little longer than the people list.
- Do not use this page for a secret gift exchange. Every pair is shown on one screen, so whoever runs the draw sees who has whom.
Questions and answers
What does a pair randomizer do with an odd number of names?
It asks you, because the right answer depends on the activity. Make one group of three keeps everyone working and is the usual choice in a classroom. One sits out leaves a single name in its own card, which is what you want for games, sparring or chess, where three cannot play.
How do I use the random pairing generator with two lists?
Choose the Two lists tab, paste the first list into List A and the second into List B, one line each, and press Match the lists. Each line in A gets one line from B, shown in the order of list A so it is easy to read out. The two lists never mix: a name in A is never paired with another name in A.
Are the pairs really random?
Yes. The list is shuffled in your browser with every order equally likely, then cut into twos. Ten people can be split into pairs in 945 different ways, and twenty people in 654,729,075 ways, so a repeat of the whole draw is very unlikely. Repeat partners from one draw to the next are common, though, which is what keep-apart rules are for.
Can I stop two people being paired together?
Yes, with a keep-apart rule. Pick the two names and the generator reshuffles until they are in different pairs. Use rules lightly. Each one removes some possible draws, and a long list of rules can leave no draw that satisfies them all. When that happens the page names the rule it could not keep.
Are the names I type stored anywhere?
Only in your own browser, so the list is still there the next time you open the page on the same device. Nothing is sent to us or to anyone else. That is also why there is no share link here: a link would have to carry the names. Use Copy or Print to pass the pairs on.