Word Cloud (Open Ended) in Poll Everywhere 2.0

In this article:

A Word Cloud poll collects open-ended single-word or short-phrase responses and displays them visually as a cloud; the more frequently a word appears, the larger it is rendered on screen. The cloud updates live as responses come in.

Use case: Quick pulse checks, icebreakers, brainstorming, and capturing the most common words or themes from an audience.

Words that appear more frequently are displayed in a larger font size relative to less common words. The cloud automatically arranges and resizes words as new responses come in. Duplicate words (even with different capitalisation) are combined and counted together.

Creating a Word Cloud poll

1. From the Home page, click Open-Ended in the category tabs.
2. Click Word Cloud.
3. The editor opens. Click the question title and type your prompt (e.g. "Describe today's session in one word").
4. Participants type their own words.

How participants respond

Participants navigate to your join code or scan the QR code, type a word or short phrase, and tap Submit. Each submitted word is added to the cloud in real time.

Participants see a text input field, type their word or phrase, and tap Submit. If multiple responses per participant are enabled, they can submit additional words.

Sample screenshots showing the participant experience on mobile devices and web browsers:

Presenting

Click Present to go live. The cloud fills in real time as words arrive. Use Lock to stop new submissions when you're ready to discuss results.

together.

Settings reference