What is the name of the spinning top played during Hanukkah?

The spinning top played during Hanukkah is called a dreidel. In Hebrew, it is commonly called a sevivon.

A dreidel has four sides, each marked with a Hebrew letter: nun, gimel, hei and shin. In the traditional game, players contribute tokens to a central pot, then spin the top to determine whether they take nothing, half the pot, all of it or add to it. Chocolate coins, called gelt, are often used as tokens.

The Yiddish word dreydl comes from a word meaning “to turn.” The familiar letters are also popularly interpreted as the initials of “A great miracle happened there,” referring to Hanukkah’s oil miracle. In Israel, many dreidels use pe instead of shin, changing “there” to “here.”

A common mix-up is treating the dreidel as a Hanukkah religious obligation. It is a traditional game, while lighting the Hanukkah candles and reciting blessings are the central ritual practices.