Within the Wheel of Fortune fandom, a number of terms are used to define certain characteristics of the show which may not be self-evident.
See also Gameplay elements.
Terms[]
- "Bonus" category/"Bonus" question
Any of the now-defunct line of categories (see List of categories) where, after solving, a contestant could answer an additional question related to the puzzle for further money.
- Cardboard
Anything attached to the Wheel which is not a dollar amount and can be removed. These include the Million-Dollar Wedge, Mystery Wedges, and Prize Wedge; temporary elements such as the Home Wedge and XL Wedge; and retired ones such as the Free Spin, Gift Tag, ½ Car, Surprise, 25 Wedge, Double Play, and $10,000 Wedge.
- Category chimes
The four-note chime that plays at the start of each round when the host reveals the category of that round's puzzle.
- Category strip
The text appearing on the lower third (also known as a "chyron"), indicating the category of the puzzle or other relevant text to home viewers.
- Contestant backdrop
The displays or other set pieces behind each contestant. For most of the show's history (until 1996), these were individual props colored red, yellow, and blue. Seasons 14 and 15 used either no backdrops or individual set pieces which rotated weekly; partway into Season 16, a video screen was added behind the contestants. On Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and the regular version's 40th season, this was replaced by a giant Wheel of Fortune sign, sometimes nicknamed the "blooming onion" due to its protruding rays.
- Contestant window
The picture-in-picture shot of a contestant, typically seen at the bottom right of the screen during the Bonus Round; also formerly used during shopping rounds.
- Friday Finals
A tournament format where the three highest-scoring contestants (regardless of whether or not they proceed to the Bonus Round) on the Monday-Thursday episodes of a given week compete for a rematch on that week's Friday episode (sometimes with an additional prize awarded to the winner of that episode). While a few specially-themed weeks used this beforehand, it did not gain its name until Season 14.
- High Rollers chimes
The six-tone chime indicating a "bonus" question; so named because the sound originated on the Wink Martindale-hosted version of High Rollers (1987-88).
- "Null" cycle
A cycle of turns in which all three contestants consecutively make moves which do not affect the score, letters revealed in the puzzle, or cardboard in possession. These include any of Lose a Turn, a Bankrupt when the contestant does not have anything to lose to it, and/or an incorrect consonant. Since the late 1990s, the show typically edits out such cycles.
- "Only vowels remain" beeps
The four beeping sounds (originally eight until 1988) which occur when the only remaining letters in a puzzle are vowels.
- Opening chant/Title chant
The pre-recorded crowd chant of the show's title ("Wheel! Of! Fortune!") which occurs at the beginning of most episodes.
- Penalty wedge
A collective term for any wedge that takes away the contestant's turn (namely, Bankrupt and Lose a Turn).
- "Pity Thousand"
Since Season 23, the $1,000 consolation money (formerly $500 starting in Season 20) offered to contestants who finish the game without any money.
- "Popup" score graphics/display
Since Season 24, a graphic partway into Round 3 (and sometimes also Round 4 if it does not begin as a Speed-Up) which appears at the top of the screen, showing each contestant's name and score.
- Prize copy
The description of any given prize; typically read by the announcer, but sometimes by Pat, Vanna, and/or a celebrity.
- Traditional logo
The logo which has the words "Wheel of Fortune" written in a circle surrounding a stylized graphic of the Wheel; so named because this graphic has been used since the second and third pilot episodes.
- Trilon
The individual segments of the 1975-97 puzzle boards. Each piece of the board was a three-sided prism mounted vertically on a pole. One side was shiny green, one side was a white blank, and one side held the individual letter tiles that made up each puzzle.
- "Trip Puzzle"
A slang term for the Prize Puzzle, as it has offered a trip on all but four occasions.
- Two-row logo
The altered version of the show's logo, with the words "Wheel of" written on one row and "Fortune" on the second, typically with a graphic of the Wheel replacing the "O" in "of".
- Wheel Watcher
An unofficial term for the show's fan base. The term originated in 1987 when advertisements for the show used the song "I'm a Wheel Watcher", a jingle recorded by Kool & the Gang (to the tune of "Girl Watcher" by The O'Kaysions)
- Wheel Watchers Club
An online program introduced in 2003 (although evidence suggests it had a "soft opening" in Southern California markets in late 2002), where home viewers may sign up to get a randomly-assigned "SPIN ID" (an alphanumerical code). Said codes are then drawn randomly at various points in the show to assign prizes to the corresponding viewer. Previously, these could also be used to acquire points through Sony Rewards as well.
- White Thing
An unofficial term for the plastic tubes used during Seasons 38 and 39 to spin the Wheel. These were enacted as a means of minimizing cross-contact during the COVID-19 pandemic.