One player is chosen to be Mr Wolf (the name usually remains "Mr Wolf" irrespective of the gender of the player). Mr Wolf stands at the opposite end of the playing field from the other players, facing away from them. A call-and-response then takes place: all players except Mr Wolf chant in unison "What's the time, Mr Wolf?", and Mr Wolf will then answer in one of two ways:

If Mr Wolf calls a time of day - usually an hour ending in "o'clock" ("Three o'clock!"). The other players will then take that many steps towards Mr Wolf, counting the steps out loud as they go ("One, two, three!"). They then ask the question again.

If, on the other hand, Mr Wolf calls "Dinner time!" (or, occasionally, "Lunch time!" or "Midnight!") Mr Wolf will turn and chase the other players back to their starting point. If Mr Wolf successfully touches a player, that player becomes the new Mr Wolf for the next round.