Fun
Random Pair Generator
Paste names below and split them into random pairs or groups of three, shuffled fairly on your device.
0 names in the list
Options
Runs entirely on your device — names are never uploaded.
Play and explore in your browser. No account needed.
Frequently asked questions
What happens when the number of people is odd?
You choose under Options. “Rotate them into an existing pair” makes one trio, so 9 people become three pairs and one group of three. “Pair them with the organizer” adds “Organizer (you)” to the leftover, so 9 people become five pairs, one of which is with you. In groups-of-3 mode, one or two leftovers are either spread into existing groups or grouped with the organizer the same way.
How does “avoid repeat pairs” work?
The tool remembers every pairing from earlier rounds in this session. For each new round it tries up to 300 different shuffles and keeps the one with the fewest people meeting someone they have already been paired with. If some repeats cannot be avoided, it says how many, instead of silently repeating.
How many rounds can I run before partners repeat?
With an even number of people, n − 1 rounds of all-new partners are possible in theory: 4 people allow 3 rounds, 10 people allow 9, 20 people allow 19. The tool searches randomly rather than building a fixed round-robin timetable, so it finds repeat-free rounds easily early on but may report a repeat or two in the last possible rounds, especially with small groups.
How random are the pairs?
The list is shuffled with the Fisher–Yates algorithm using crypto.getRandomValues, the browser’s cryptographically secure random generator, with rejection sampling so every arrangement is exactly equally likely. The order you typed the names in has no effect on who ends up together.
Is the history saved if I reload the page?
No. Rounds are kept only while the page is open, which is enough for one class or one workshop. If you are rotating partners over several days, press Copy after each round and keep the list — pasting the same names again tomorrow starts a fresh history. Clear history resets the memory without clearing the names.
Can I use this for a gift exchange or Secret Santa?
For swaps where two people exchange gifts with each other, yes — each pair simply swaps. For a classic Secret Santa, where everyone gives to one person and receives from a different person, use a Secret Santa generator instead, since pairs are mutual by definition.
About this tool
Paste one name per line, click Generate, and the list is split into random pairs — or trios, with one tick. Every click after that is a new round, and earlier rounds stay listed below the result, so you can run partner rotations for a whole lesson, sprint or speed-networking session from one screen. Copy gives you the current round as plain text in the form “Pair 1: Alice & Bob”, ready for a chat, a slide or a whiteboard.
Worked examples. 12 students in pairs: six pairs. 13 students with the default setting: five pairs and one trio. 13 students with “pair with the organizer”: seven pairs, one of them including you. 14 people in groups of 3: four trios, with the two leftovers each joining a different trio to make two groups of four — or, with the organizer setting, a final group of the two leftovers plus you.
Typical uses are language-exchange and speaking-practice partners, pair programming and code-review buddies, lab partners, peer marking, PE drills, 1:1 coffee chats in a team, and mutual gift swaps. For recurring pairings, turn on “Avoid repeat pairs across rounds” before the second round, so each person meets someone new; the tool reports honestly when the group is too small for a completely fresh round.
Each line counts as one person, so two identical names are treated as two people but look the same in the results and in repeat checking — add an initial to tell them apart. To keep someone out of the pairing, such as the facilitator, leave them off the list and use the organizer option when the count is odd. Names stay on your device; nothing is uploaded or stored.