How to Play Dreidel – Printable Rules for Classrooms and Families
A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top played during Hanukkah. Each side shows a Hebrew letter. Together the letters stand for Nes Gadol Haya Sham – “a great miracle happened there.” In Israel the last letter is different: Nes Gadol Haya Po – “a great miracle happened here.”
The four letters
| Letter | Name | Yiddish | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| נ | Nun | nisht – nothing | Nothing happens. Next player. |
| ג | Gimel | gants – all | Take the whole pot. |
| ה | Hey | halb – half | Take half the pot (round up if odd). |
| ש | Shin | shtel arayn – put in | Put one piece into the pot. |
| פ | Pey | (Israel only) | Same as Shin: put one piece in. |
Rules in 5 steps
- Give every player the same number of pieces – 10 to 15 coins, chocolate gelt, nuts or raisins.
- Everyone puts one piece into the middle (the pot).
- Take turns spinning the dreidel. Read the letter facing up and follow the table above.
- When the pot is empty (or has one piece left), everyone puts in one piece again.
- A player with no pieces left is out. The last player with pieces wins – or stop when it is time for latkes.
Ideas for the classroom
- Letter practice: before each spin, the player says the letter's name and sound out loud.
- Probability: on a fair dreidel each letter should come up about 1 in 4 times. Spin 40 times, tally the letters and compare the result with 10 each.
- Counting and halves: younger players practise counting the pot and halving it when Hey comes up.
- Miracle phrase: ask why the letters are different in Israel – the answer is “here” instead of “there.”
Quick facts
- Hanukkah 2026 begins on the evening of Friday, 4 December and lasts eight nights.
- “Dreidel” comes from the Yiddish word for “to turn.” In Hebrew the top is called a sevivon.
- Hanukkah and Chanukah are both correct spellings of the same Hebrew word.
Want the story behind the game, the letters and the famous “cheating problem”? Read our full guide: How to Play Dreidel: Rules, Letters and the Cheating Problem.
© MoT Team · emohtee.com – free to print and share for non-commercial use.
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