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What are the rules of dreidel?
Everyone puts one piece of gelt in the pot, then you take turns spinning. Nun means nothing happens. Gimel means you take the whole pot. Hey means you take half. Shin means you put one piece in. When the pot is empty, everyone adds a piece. If you have to pay and can't, you're out. The last player with gelt wins.
What does Nun mean on a dreidel?
Nun (נ) means nothing happens. You don't take anything and you don't put anything in. Your turn is over and the dreidel moves to the next player. Nun stands for Nes, the Hebrew word for "miracle."
What does Gimel mean on a dreidel?
Gimel (ג) is the best spin on the dreidel. You take everything in the pot. Since the pot is now empty, every player still in the game puts in one piece to start it again. Gimel stands for Gadol, Hebrew for "great."
What does Hey mean on a dreidel?
Hey (ה) means you take half of the pot. If the pot has an odd number of pieces, most people round up, so with 7 pieces you'd take 4. Hey stands for Haya, Hebrew for "happened."
What does Shin mean on a dreidel?
Shin (ש) means you put one piece of gelt into the pot. If you land on Shin and have nothing left to give, you're out of the game. Shin stands for Sham, Hebrew for "there."
What does Peh mean on a dreidel?
Peh (פ) shows up on dreidels made in Israel, in place of Shin. It stands for Po, Hebrew for "here," so the letters read "A great miracle happened here." In the game, Peh works exactly like Shin: you put one piece into the pot.
What do the letters on a dreidel stand for?
The four Hebrew letters on a dreidel, Nun (נ), Gimel (ג), Hey (ה) and Shin (ש), stand for Nes Gadol Haya Sham: "A great miracle happened there." In the game they double as instructions: nothing, take all, take half, and put one in.
How many sides does a dreidel have?
A dreidel has four sides, each marked with one Hebrew letter: Nun, Gimel, Hey and Shin (or Peh on Israeli dreidels). It also has a handle on top for spinning and a point on the bottom that it spins on, but only the four lettered sides count in the game.
How many players can play dreidel?
Two or more. There's no official maximum, but dreidel plays best with 3 to 6 people. With a bigger group, give everyone fewer pieces or split into two circles so nobody waits forever for a turn.
How much gelt do you need to play dreidel?
Plan on about 10 pieces per player, so 40 pieces for four people. Use 5 each if you want a shorter game or you're playing with little kids. And buy extra, because some of it will get eaten.
Is dreidel a game of luck?
Yes. Dreidel is pure luck. With a fair dreidel every spin has the same 1-in-4 chance of each letter, and nothing a player decides changes the outcome. The only built-in edge goes to whoever spins first, and it's small.
When do you play dreidel?
Dreidel is a Hanukkah game. Most families play during the eight nights of Hanukkah, usually after lighting the menorah. In 2026, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12.
What is a dreidel called in Hebrew?
In Hebrew a dreidel is a sevivon (סביבון), pronounced seh-vee-VOHN. It comes from a Hebrew root meaning "turn," just like the Yiddish word dreidel comes from dreyen, "to turn." The plural is sevivonim.
Why do Israeli dreidels have different letters?
Because the Hanukkah miracle happened in Israel. Dreidels everywhere else say Nes Gadol Haya Sham, "A great miracle happened there." In Israel, the Shin (for Sham, "there") is swapped for a Peh (for Po, "here"), so the dreidel reads "A great miracle happened here."
Where did the dreidel come from?
The dreidel started as a European spinning-top game called totum or teetotum. Jews in German-speaking lands played their own version, and over time its letters were tied to the Hanukkah phrase "A great miracle happened there." By the 20th century it was the Hanukkah game.
Why do people play dreidel with chocolate gelt?
Gelt is Yiddish for money. Giving coins at Hanukkah goes back centuries in Eastern Europe. In the 1920s an American candy company, Loft's, started selling chocolate coins wrapped in gold and silver foil, and chocolate gelt has been the classic thing to play dreidel with ever since.
How do you spin a dreidel?
Hold the handle between your thumb and middle finger, stand the point on a hard, smooth surface, and snap your fingers apart fast. A quick, clean twist with the dreidel standing straight up gives you the longest spin.
How do you make a dreidel?
Print our free paper dreidel template, cut it out, fold it into a cube and glue the tabs. Then push a short pencil through the two marked dots so the point sticks out the bottom. It takes about 15 minutes, and it actually spins.
How long does a game of dreidel last?
It depends on how many people play and how much gelt each person starts with. Two players with 10 pieces each usually take about 130 to 140 spins. Four players with 10 each can take several hundred. Most families set a time limit or use fewer pieces.
What happens if the dreidel falls off the table?
It doesn't count. Spin again. The same goes for a dreidel that leans against something or lands on its handle or point.
Is dreidel gambling?
It's a game of chance, but it's traditionally played for chocolate, nuts or candy, so nobody's risking anything more than a snack.
Can you play dreidel online?
Yes, right here. Play against the computer, pass one phone between two players, or set up a Family Table for three or four.
Have a question we didn't cover? The full dreidel guide has a lot more, or you can just go play a game.
Updated October 2026