planchette

American  

[plan-shet, -chet] / plænˈʃɛt, -ˈtʃɛt /

noun

1. a small, heart-shaped board supported by two casters and a pencil or stylus that, when moved across a surface by the light, unguided pressure of the fingertips, is supposed to trace meaningful patterns or written messages revealing subconscious thoughts, psychic phenomena, clairvoyant messages, etc.

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planchette British  

/ plɑːnˈʃɛt /

noun

1. a heart-shaped board on wheels, on which messages are written under supposed spirit guidance

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Etymology

Origin of planchette

From French, dating back to 1855–60; planch, -ette

Explanation

A planchette is a small triangular board used in automatic writing, a phenomenon associated with spiritualism. Although planchettes today are most commonly associated with the three-legged plastic moving window that comes with Ouija boards, the original devices predate the Ouija and included a pencil in place of one of the legs. Anyone from a psychic medium to curious parlor game player would then lay their fingertips atop the board, and the pencil would move, seemingly without any direction from the user, writing out answers to questions asked aloud. The word came into English in 1860 as the name of this device. In French, planchette means "little plank."

Example Sentences

After asking it the standard sort of questions that we both suspected the other was moving the planchette to answer: “Does so and so like me back?”

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025

But as a teenager — bored, lonely, with a vague taste for the occult — I read tarot cards and messed around with Ouija boards, mortified when the planchette would glide toward some crush’s name.

From New York Times • Jan. 2, 2020

When she asked what they should call it, the planchette spelled out “Ouija”, which the board told her meant “good luck”.

From The Guardian • Oct. 30, 2016

I felt like a teen-ager playing with a Ouija board and trying not to move the planchette deliberately.

From The New Yorker • May 9, 2016

“Never known planchette so cooperative,” Arthur said confidingly to Theodora.

From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson