<P> Wheel of Fortune ranks as the longest - running syndicated game show in the United States, with over 6,000 episodes aired . TV Guide named it the "top - rated syndicated series" in a 2008 article, and in 2013, the magazine ranked it at No. 2 in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever . The program has also come to gain a worldwide following with sixty international adaptations . The syndicated series' 35th season premiered on September 11, 2017 . </P> <P> The core game is based on Hangman . Each round has a category and a blank word puzzle, with each blank representing a letter in the answer, and punctuation revealed as needed . Most puzzles are straightforward figures of speech that fit within a mostly static list of categories, and this list has evolved over the course of the series . Crossword puzzles were added to the rotation in 2016 . In such rounds, a clue bonding the words in the puzzle is given instead of a traditional category, and contestants win by solving all the words in the crossword . The titular Wheel of Fortune is a roulette - style wheel mechanism with 24 spaces, most of which are labeled with dollar amounts ranging from $500 to $900, plus a top dollar value: $2,500 in round 1, $3,500 in rounds 2 and 3, and $5,000 for round 4 and any subsequent rounds . The wheel also features two Bankrupt wedges and one Lose a Turn, both of which forfeit the contestant's turn, with the former also eliminating any cash or prizes the contestant has accumulated within the round . Each game features three contestants, or occasionally, three two - contestant teams positioned behind a single scoreboard with its own flipper . The left scoreboard from the viewer's perspective is colored red, the center yellow, and the right blue, with the contestants' positions determined by a random selection prior to taping . </P> <P> A contestant spins the wheel to determine a dollar value and guess a consonant . Calling a correct letter earns the value before the corresponding flipper, multiplied by the number of times that the letter appears in the puzzle . Calling a correct letter keeps the wheel in the contestant's control, allowing the contestant to spin again, buy a vowel for a flat rate of $250, or attempt to solve the puzzle . Contestants may continue to buy vowels so long as they have enough money to keep doing so, until all of the vowels in the puzzle have been revealed . Control passes to the next contestant clockwise if the wheel lands on Lose a Turn or Bankrupt, if the contestant calls a letter that is not in the puzzle, calls a letter that has already been called in that round, fails to call a letter within five seconds of the wheel stopping, or attempts unsuccessfully to solve the puzzle . The only exception is the Free Play wedge, on which the contestant may call a consonant for $500 per occurrence, call a free vowel, or solve the puzzle, with no penalty for an incorrect letter or answer . </P> <P> In the first three rounds, the wheel contains a Wild Card and a Gift Tag, while two 1⁄2 Car tags are present in rounds two and three only (except on episodes with two - player teams). The Wild Card may be used to call an additional consonant after any turn (for the amount that the contestant has just spun) or taken to the bonus round to call an extra consonant there . The Gift Tag offers either a $1,000 credit toward purchases from, or $1,000 in cash courtesy of, the sponsoring company, and the 1⁄2 Car tags award a car if the contestant wins the round (s) in which he or she claims both . Unlike the other tags, the 1⁄2 Car tags are replaced in subsequent rounds unless the car is won . A special wedge in the first two rounds awards a prize which is described by the announcer if won . All of the tags and the prize wedge are located over the $500 wedges, so calling a letter that appears in the puzzle when landed upon awards both the tag / wedge and $500 per every occurrence of that letter in the puzzle . The first three rounds also contain a special wedge which, if won and taken to the bonus round, offers an opportunity to play that round for $1,000,000 . A contestant must solve the puzzle in order to keep any cash, prizes, or extras accumulated during that round except for the Wild Card, which is kept until the contestant either loses it to Bankrupt or uses it . Bankrupt does not affect score from previous rounds, but it does take away the Wild Card, individual 1⁄2 Car tags, and / or million dollar wedge if any was claimed in a previous round . Contestants who solve a round for less than $1,000 in cash and prizes ($2,000 on weeks with two - contestant teams) have their scores increased to that amount . </P>

What does it mean to buy a vowel on wheel of fortune
find me the text answering this question