☰ Cards, readings & spreads
Tarot cheat sheet
Every card in the deck reduced to what you need in the middle of a reading: three keywords upright, three reversed, and how the card answers a yes-or-no question. Read it below, or print the three-page PDF and keep it next to the deck.
How to read the sheet
- Upright keywords: the core of the card’s upright reading.
- Reversed keywords: the same card upside down. Usually the same force blocked, overdone or turned inward, rarely its plain opposite.
- Yes No Unclear how the card answers a yes-or-no question when it lands upright, as in the one-card reading.
- Numbers: 0–XXI for the Major Arcana; A for the Ace, 2–10, then P, Kn, Q and K for the court.
Major Arcana
22 cards, 0 to XXI. The order is Rider–Waite–Smith: Strength is VIII and Justice is XI.
IThe Magician
Upright: will, manifestation, resourcefulness
Reversed: manipulation, untapped talent, scattered focus
IIThe High Priestess
Upright: intuition, the unspoken, inner knowing
Reversed: secrets kept too long, ignored instinct, surface reading
IIIThe Empress
Upright: abundance, nurture, creation
Reversed: smothering, creative block, neglecting yourself
IVThe Emperor
Upright: structure, authority, boundaries
Reversed: rigidity, domination, absent leadership
VThe Hierophant
Upright: tradition, teaching, shared belief
Reversed: dogma, breaking with convention, hollow ritual
VIIThe Chariot
Upright: drive, control, victory
Reversed: scattered effort, losing the reins, aggression
XWheel of Fortune
Upright: turning point, cycles, luck
Reversed: resistance, bad timing, repeating the loop
XIJustice
Upright: consequence, truth, fairness
Reversed: imbalance, avoiding accountability, unfairness
XIIThe Hanged Man
Upright: suspension, new perspective, surrender
Reversed: stalling, pointless sacrifice, stuck
XIIIDeath
Upright: ending, transformation, clearing
Reversed: clinging, stalled change, fear of letting go
XVThe Devil
Upright: attachment, dependency, the trap you chose
Reversed: breaking free, seeing the chain, release
XVIThe Tower
Upright: sudden collapse, revelation, forced change
Reversed: delayed collapse, averted disaster, clinging to ruins
XVIIThe Star
Upright: hope, renewal, clarity after damage
Reversed: lost faith, discouragement, self-doubt
XVIIIThe Moon
Upright: illusion, anxiety, the unclear
Reversed: clarity returning, fear released, truth surfacing
XIXThe Sun
Upright: clarity, success, vitality
Reversed: temporary dimming, delayed joy, forced optimism
XXJudgement
Upright: reckoning, awakening, calling
Reversed: self-criticism, ignoring the call, avoiding review
XXIThe World
Upright: completion, wholeness, arrival
Reversed: unfinished, delayed closure, loose ends
Wands
Fire: action, drive and creative energy. Ace to Ten, then Page, Knight, Queen and King.
2Two of Wands
Upright: planning, the wider world, decision
Reversed: playing safe, fear of leaving, poor planning
3Three of Wands
Upright: expansion, foresight, ships coming in
Reversed: delays, narrow thinking, waiting badly
4Four of Wands
Upright: celebration, home, milestone
Reversed: postponed joy, instability, tension at home
5Five of Wands
Upright: friction, competition, clashing
Reversed: avoiding conflict, resolution, inner tension
6Six of Wands
Upright: recognition, victory, confidence
Reversed: private win, ego, unrecognised effort
7Seven of Wands
Upright: defending, standing ground, challenge
Reversed: overwhelmed, giving up ground, defensiveness
10Ten of Wands
Upright: burden, overload, carrying it alone
Reversed: putting it down, delegating, collapse
PPage of Wands
Upright: curiosity, beginner's energy, message
Reversed: restlessness, unfocused, bad news
KKing of Wands
Upright: vision, leadership, conviction
Reversed: arrogance, domineering, empty ambition
Cups
Water: emotion, relationship and intuition. Ace to Ten, then Page, Knight, Queen and King.
2Two of Cups
Upright: mutual attraction, partnership, equal exchange
Reversed: imbalance, disconnect, one-sided
6Six of Cups
Upright: nostalgia, innocence, the past returning
Reversed: stuck in memory, idealising, letting go
7Seven of Cups
Upright: too many options, fantasy, unclear choice
Reversed: clarity, deciding, disillusion
8Eight of Cups
Upright: walking away, search for meaning, deliberate exit
Reversed: staying too long, drifting back, fear of leaving
9Nine of Cups
Upright: satisfaction, wish granted, contentment
Reversed: smugness, hollow win, wanting more
10Ten of Cups
Upright: harmony, family, lasting happiness
Reversed: strained bonds, picture-perfect only, disconnection
PPage of Cups
Upright: tenderness, creative spark, a message of feeling
Reversed: immaturity, moodiness, guarded
QQueen of Cups
Upright: empathy, intuition, emotional depth
Reversed: overwhelm, martyrdom, emotional leaking
KKing of Cups
Upright: emotional control, counsel, steadiness
Reversed: suppression, manipulation, volatility
Swords
Air: thought, conflict and truth. Ace to Ten, then Page, Knight, Queen and King.
2Two of Swords
Upright: stalemate, avoidance, blindfolded choice
Reversed: decision made, information arriving, release
3Three of Swords
Upright: heartbreak, painful truth, rupture
Reversed: healing, releasing pain, forgiveness
5Five of Swords
Upright: hollow victory, conflict cost, winning badly
Reversed: making amends, walking away, regret
6Six of Swords
Upright: transition, moving on, calmer water
Reversed: unable to leave, carrying it along, return
7Seven of Swords
Upright: deception, strategy, acting alone
Reversed: coming clean, caught, self-deception
8Eight of Swords
Upright: feeling trapped, self-imposed limits, paralysis
Reversed: seeing the way out, release, new perspective
10Ten of Swords
Upright: rock bottom, definite ending, the worst done
Reversed: recovery, surviving, slow return
PPage of Swords
Upright: curiosity, watchfulness, new ideas
Reversed: gossip, scattered thinking, suspicion
KnKnight of Swords
Upright: decisive action, directness, speed
Reversed: rashness, aggression, no follow-through
QQueen of Swords
Upright: clear judgement, honesty, independence
Reversed: coldness, bitterness, harsh words
KKing of Swords
Upright: authority, logic, judgement
Reversed: cold rule, manipulation, rigid thinking
Pentacles
Earth: money, work and the material world. Ace to Ten, then Page, Knight, Queen and King.
AAce of Pentacles
Upright: opportunity, new resource, solid start
Reversed: missed chance, poor timing, shaky foundation
2Two of Pentacles
Upright: juggling, adaptability, balance
Reversed: dropping something, overcommitted, disorganised
3Three of Pentacles
Upright: craft, collaboration, recognised skill
Reversed: poor teamwork, unrecognised, sloppy work
4Four of Pentacles
Upright: holding on, security, control
Reversed: letting go, generosity, loss of grip
5Five of Pentacles
Upright: hardship, exclusion, lack
Reversed: recovery, help accepted, coming inside
6Six of Pentacles
Upright: generosity, give and take, fair exchange
Reversed: strings attached, imbalance, dependency
7Seven of Pentacles
Upright: patience, assessment, slow growth
Reversed: impatience, wasted effort, poor return
8Eight of Pentacles
Upright: diligence, practice, mastery in progress
Reversed: going through the motions, perfectionism, cutting corners
9Nine of Pentacles
Upright: independence, earned comfort, self-sufficiency
Reversed: dependence, hollow luxury, overwork
10Ten of Pentacles
Upright: legacy, family wealth, lasting structure
Reversed: family friction, short-term thinking, unstable legacy
PPage of Pentacles
Upright: studying, new venture, practical curiosity
Reversed: procrastination, unfocused, wasted potential
KnKnight of Pentacles
Upright: reliability, method, slow progress
Reversed: stagnation, stubbornness, boredom
QQueen of Pentacles
Upright: practical care, resourcefulness, grounded
Reversed: self-neglect, smothering, material worry
KKing of Pentacles
Upright: material mastery, provision, established success
Reversed: greed, rigidity, status obsession
Using a cheat sheet without leaning on it
Look at the card before you look it up. What is drawn there, a figure walking away, a wall, a cup held out, is what the three keywords compress, and the picture is what you will remember next time. The sheet is for the moment the picture does not come back.
The position in the spread decides which keyword applies. “Ending” in a past position is read as something already finished; in the position for what comes next, as the direction the situation is taking. The keywords stay the same, the question each position asks does not.
- Learn the suits first. Four elements cover 56 of the 78 cards: Wands are fire, Cups water, Swords air, Pentacles earth.
- Add reversals later. Read every card upright until the upright line comes without the sheet, then switch reversals on.
- Use it as flashcards. Fold the page so only the thumbnails show, name the card and its keywords, then unfold and check.
Print the deck to go with it
The same 78 woodcut cards are free to print at real tarot size, 70 × 120 mm, with backs for two-sided printing, crop marks and a page of instructions.
Printable tarot cards →Questions
Is the tarot cheat sheet free to print?
Yes. Both PDFs, US Letter and A4, are free to download and print for personal use, with no sign-up. Please do not sell them or upload them elsewhere; link to this page instead.
What is on the tarot cheat sheet?
All 78 cards: the number, the name, three upright and three reversed keywords, the yes-or-no verdict and a small picture of the card. Page 1 has the Major Arcana and a key to the four suits, page 2 Wands and Cups, page 3 Swords and Pentacles.
Where do the yes-or-no verdicts come from?
They are the verdicts the site’s one-card yes-or-no reading gives for a card drawn upright: 48 cards read as yes, 20 as no and 10 as unclear, which means the card does not settle the question and it is worth asking again with more detail.
Is it enough to learn tarot from keywords?
Keywords are an index, not the reading. They help you recall a card while the spread is on the table; the full meaning, the symbols and how the card reads in love or work are on each card’s own page, linked from every name here.
