How is this different from the buzzer?

The buzzer is a race: several zones, one screen, and the first press locks everybody else out so you know who was first. The bell is the opposite of a race. It is one signal that anybody may give, and the page just counts and times it. Use the buzzer when the question is who, and the bell when the question is when.

Can I use it in a quiet room?

Yes. Turn the sound off and the bell still flashes when it is struck and the count still moves, so it works as a silent signal on a screen at the front of a room. That is the version to use in a library, an exam hall or a room next to a class that is still working.

What does the countdown do?

You set a length, start it, and the bell rings itself when the time is up. It is the end-of-round signal for a game where somebody would otherwise have to watch a clock, and it counts down on screen so the room can see it coming.

Does the count reset on its own?

No. The count and the clock keep going until you press New round, so a round that runs over is still one round. Nothing is stored between visits except which bell you chose and how long the countdown runs.

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The bell

One bell, one job. Ring to answer, ring for service, ring to end a round.

Made by the PaperCarnival team · Updated 2026-09-22

Not rung yet

Tap the bell, or press the space bar.

Which bell

Three strikes of the same bell, high to low. Tapping one plays it, so you can pick the one that carries in the room you are in.

Ring at the end of a countdown

Between 5 seconds and 10:00. Start it with the second button on the bar and the bell rings itself when the time is up.

Sound

With the sound off the bell still flashes and the count still moves, which is the version to use in a quiet room or a library.

Space ring · R new round

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One signal, and everybody knows what it means

A bell does one thing, and the whole value of it is that the thing it does never changes. A hotel desk bell means somebody is here. A kitchen pass bell means an order is up. A quiz bell means that round is over. Nobody has to be told the rule, because the rule is that there is only one, and a signal with one meaning cuts through a noisy room in a way that a voice does not.

One bell on the table between two teams is the oldest version of a quiz and still the best one in a small room, because whose hand got there first is something everybody watching can see. It stops working the moment the room is big enough that nobody agrees what they saw, and that is what the quiz buzzer is for: up to eight zones on one screen, and the first press locks the rest out. If what you actually need is the clock rather than the signal, the countdown timer is bigger and easier to read from the back.

Kept in this browser under pph.bell.voice and pph.bell.muted, and nowhere else. Accounts, printing, storage and what the page loads are answered on the FAQ.

Questions

How is this different from the buzzer?: The buzzer is a race: several zones, one screen, and the first press locks everybody else out so you know who was first. The bell is the opposite of a race. It is one signal that anybody may give, and the page just counts and times it. Use the buzzer when the question is who, and the bell when the question is when.
Can I use it in a quiet room?: Yes. Turn the sound off and the bell still flashes when it is struck and the count still moves, so it works as a silent signal on a screen at the front of a room. That is the version to use in a library, an exam hall or a room next to a class that is still working.
What does the countdown do?: You set a length, start it, and the bell rings itself when the time is up. It is the end-of-round signal for a game where somebody would otherwise have to watch a clock, and it counts down on screen so the room can see it coming.
Does the count reset on its own?: No. The count and the clock keep going until you press New round, so a round that runs over is still one round. Nothing is stored between visits except which bell you chose and how long the countdown runs.

The bell

One signal, and everybody knows what it means

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