Kahoot! questions: How to use word cloud
Word clouds allow you to collect short, free-form poll responses and see the results represented as a dynamic visual cloud.
By using this feature, you can create engaging, interactive learning experiences that foster discussions and the exchange of ideas among your audience.
Specifications
When creating a word cloud question, keep the following specifications in mind:
- Question length: Questions can be up to 120 characters.
- Time limit: The timer can be set between 20 seconds and 4 minutes.
- Answer length: Participants can submit answers up to 20 characters.
- Points: There are no points awarded for word cloud questions.
- You can upload an image, choose one from our image library, or embed a YouTube* or Vimeo video.
The Brainstorm feature is available for K-12 teachers on Kahoot!+ plans who teach students over 16 years old.
To unlock this feature, you will be asked to confirm that you teach older students via a quick pop-up window directly on the platform when adding this question type to your kahoot.
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How to create a Kahoot! word cloud question
Follow these steps to add a word cloud to your kahoot:
- Start creating a kahoot.
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Click the Add question button on the left-side panel and select the Word cloud option from the list.
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Type your question at the top of the creator. (For example: "What is the first word that comes to your mind when you think of 'happiness'?", "What is one word you would use to describe your favorite book?")
- Select the time limit on the right-side panel.
- Find and insert media.
- Save your kahoot.
How to host a Kahoot! word cloud question
During a live session, word clouds encourage everyone to participate by sharing spontaneous thoughts.
- Start hosting a live game with the word cloud question.
- The question will be presented on the host’s screen.
- Participants type their answers as free-form text up to 20 characters on their own devices.
- When the time is up, participants’ answers will be visualized as a word cloud on the big screen.
Popular responses submitted by multiple players will be displayed in a larger font, making it easy to identify common themes. This makes it a great moment to pause, discuss, and reflect with your audience.
FAQ
Q: Can players submit multiple answers to a single word cloud? No, each player can only submit one answer per word cloud question.
Q: What if I want players to write a longer response? Word clouds are strictly designed for short answers of up to 20 characters. If you want participants to type detailed responses with more context, check out our guide on Kahoot! questions: How to use open-ended questions.
Q: Can I collect word cloud answers before the session starts? Currently, word clouds are part of active gameplay, meaning participants must join live using a PIN or QR code to submit their answers.
Q: Why do answers show up before the timer ends in Preview mode? In Preview mode, the word cloud animation is designed to auto-play and reveal answers as they come in to quickly simulate the flow for the creator. This is completely normal. To avoid revealing answers early to real participants, always use a normal live game mode on the big screen for your audience rather than projecting Preview mode.
13 comments
It would be great to allow players to enter more than one word for open ended questions.
Hi KAHOOT__lruf164!
The Word Cloud feature in Kahoot! is designed for short answers, typically one or two words. If you want players to provide longer answers, you should use the Open-Ended feature instead. This feature allows participants to type in more detailed responses, providing more context and depth to their answers, see more here: Kahoot! questions: How to use open-ended questions.
It would be great to have an option for individual respondents to enter multiple responses in a word cloud.
Hello, I am a teacher, and I would like to use the word cloud feature in Kahoot. Which subscription plan do I need to sign up for? Please let me know the most affordable option.
Hi there, The availability of the word cloud question type depends on your plan. Word Cloud question type is not currently available with our current individual K-12 school plans due to Children's Data Privacy laws.
How can I enable multiple answers to one single word cloud question?
Hello JensBrandes, Each player can submit only one answer, up to 20 characters. Unlike traditional quiz questions, word cloud questions don’t award points or show a leaderboard. Instead, they encourage everyone to participate by sharing spontaneous thoughts or ideas. Popular responses appear larger in the cloud, making it easy to identify common themes or sentiments among the group.
Since the word clouds don't award points, is it possible that in the future there will be an option for students to submit multiple responses for this type of question? If I ask students to respond with words they associate with DNA, for example, students might have several thoughts or words in response; it'd be great to not have to limit them to just the first word they thought of.
Thank you so much for your detailed feedback! We have passed your suggestion along for further review to the appropriate team.
Can I setup a word cloud question that populates the answers as soon as they are given? Essentially be able to leave a word cloud open before a session begins and allow people to answer and see answers without having to click next?
Hello!
Currently, Word Clouds are part of the active gameplay, meaning a PIN or QR code is required to participate live. However, I’ve shared your input with the relevant team to explore how we can populate responses more dynamically in the future.
In preview mode, the answers to the word cloud automatically show up on the big screen instead of waiting for the time limit to be up. This obviously causes issues because it reveals answers to participants. Can I adjust this?
Hello, in Preview mode, the word cloud animation is designed to auto-play and reveal answers as they come in. There’s currently no setting to delay/hide the word cloud answers until the timer ends in preview. Preview is meant to simulate the flow quickly for the creator, not to be used as a live display to participants.To avoid revealing answers to participants:
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