Dreidel game night for Hanukkah 2026
A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top and a favourite Hanukkah game. Spin it on your phone, keep score of the pot and play with family, friends or new people. No dreidel at home? No problem. Play with sweets or buttons, no money.
When is Hanukkah 2026?
According to Hebcal, Chanukah for Hebrew year 5787 begins at sundown on Friday, 4 December 2026 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, 12 December 2026.
Dreidel is played in Jewish homes all over the world, and local rules may vary. This page uses the basic version described by My Jewish Learning.
Spin the dreidel
Pick the number of players. Everyone starts with 10 tokens and adds 1 to the pot. Pass the phone or tap Spin on each turn.
Tap Spin to start. The result and what to do appear here.
The four letters
The letters stand for the phrase Nes gadol haya sham, "a great miracle happened there". In Israel the fourth letter is Pei, and the phrase becomes Nes gadol haya po, "a great miracle happened here".
- נNun: nothing. You do nothing.
- גGimel: everything. Take the whole pot.
- הHei: half. Take half of the pot.
- שShin (Pei in Israel): put in. Add 1 token to the pot.
How to play dreidel
- Any number of people can play. Here we use 2 to 6. Each player starts with the same number of tokens, about 10 to 15. Use chocolate coins, sweets, raisins, nuts or buttons.
- At the start of each round, everyone puts 1 token in the middle pot. When the pot is empty or has only 1 token, everyone puts in 1 more.
- On your turn, spin the dreidel once and look at the letter on top.
- Do what the letter says: Nun nothing, Gimel take the whole pot, Hei take half, Shin or Pei put 1 in.
- When you run out of tokens you are out. The last player with tokens wins, or stop after a set time and let the biggest pile win. Then share the sweets.
Variations for adults
- Spin and tell: when someone spins Shin, they share a Hanukkah memory or a favourite family food. A quick way to get to know people.
- Teams: play in pairs, one spinner and one counter. Good for a bigger table.
- Timed game: set 15 minutes. When time is up, the biggest pile wins and picks the next song or snack.
- Gelt style: use chocolate coins as tokens. The winner shares the pile with everyone at the end, so nobody leaves empty-handed.
Spending Hanukkah with new people
- Dreidel is an easy game to join. The rules take one minute, so a newcomer can sit down and play at once.
- Bring a bag of chocolate coins or sweets to share. It gives you something to do with your hands and a reason to start talking.
- If you are new to the tradition, say so. Most hosts love to explain what the letters mean.
More for game night
Looking for a winter event to join alone? Comealone.app lists events you can go to by yourself.
Questions
When is Hanukkah 2026?
Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday 4 December and ends at nightfall on Saturday 12 December 2026, according to Hebcal. Candles are lit each evening.
What do the letters on a dreidel mean?
Nun means nothing, Gimel everything, Hei half and Shin put in. Together they stand for the phrase "a great miracle happened there". In Israel the fourth letter is Pei, meaning "here".
What can we play with instead of money?
Use chocolate coins, sweets, raisins, nuts or buttons. This page counts plain tokens and has no betting, so it is fine for all ages.