Kahoot! questions: How to use open-ended questions

Collect open-ended responses from your participants during Kahoot! games to encourage creative thinking and let them share their thoughts freely.  Whether you want to gather feedback, ideas, or opinions, open-ended questions gamify your teaching approach and inspire students to share their unique perspectives.

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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 30 seconds and 4 minutes. 
• Answer length: Participants can submit answers up to 250 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.

How to create a Kahoot! open-ended question

1. Start creating a kahoot.
2. Click the Add question button on the left-side panel and select the Open-ended option from the list.
   
3. Type your question at the top of the creator.
   
4. Select the time limit on the right-side panel. You can choose from 30 seconds to 4 minutes.
5. Find and insert media.
6. Save your kahoot.

How to host a Kahoot! open-ended question

1. Start hosting the kahoot with the open-ended question.
2. The question will be presented on the host’s screen.
3. Each player types in response and chooses a word to highlight.
   
4. When the time is up, the host can choose to display the answers or skip this step and move on.
   
5. If showing answers during the game, click on individual answers to expand and discuss them. 
   
6. Click on the icon in the top right corner of the answer card to hide it.
   

You can always review responses later. Go to the game report after your session to read through all submissions.

FAQ

Q: Do players earn points for open-ended questions? No, there are no points awarded for open-ended questions.

Q: What is the character limit for questions and answers? Your question can be up to 120 characters long. 
When answering, participants can submit responses up to 250 characters.

Q: How much time can I give players to answer? You can set the question timer anywhere between 30 seconds and 4 minutes.

Q: Can I use video prompts for these questions? Yes, you can embed Vimeo or YouTube videos to help prompt your audience. However, please keep in mind that YouTube videos are no longer supported for business and social users.

Q: I am a K-12 teacher. Can I use this feature? The Brainstorm feature is available for K-12 teachers on Kahoot!+ plans, provided you teach students over 16 years old. You will be asked to confirm your students' age via a pop-up window when adding this question type.

Q: Where can I see the responses after the game ends? You don't have to review everything live! All submitted responses can be accessed and reviewed later by checking the game report after your session.