Yes or No Tarot: Which Cards Mean Yes, No and Maybe

Sometimes you don't want a full reading. You want one card and a straight answer. Tarot was not designed as a coin toss, but every card has a clear enough mood that readers have long sorted the deck into three piles: yes, no and maybe.

This page lists all 78 cards with their lean, upright and reversed. The leans are the same ones used by our yes or no tarot, so the list and the tool always agree.

How a card gets its lean

The rule is simple. Look at what the card shows.

• Yes: growth, success, joy, a beginning, an open door. Think of The Sun or the Ace of Wands.
• No: an ending, a loss, a quarrel, a trap. Think of the Three of Swords or The Tower.
• Maybe: waiting, secrets, a choice still open. Think of The High Priestess or The Moon.

Across the deck, upright cards lean yes far more often than no. That is one reason a single card should be read as a nudge, not a ruling.

The strongest yes cards

If one of these lands upright, the answer leans firmly towards yes:

• The Sun: the brightest card in the deck. Success, clarity, joy.
• The World: completion. What you are working towards arrives.
• The Star: hope returning after a hard time.
• Wheel of Fortune: luck turning in your favour.
• The four Aces: a new start in passion (Wands), love (Cups), clear thinking (Swords) or money (Pentacles).
• Nine of Cups: traditionally called the wish card.
• Six of Wands: victory and recognition.

The clearest no cards

These lean no when upright:

• Death: a chapter is ending. In our list it is a no both upright and reversed, because either way the old situation is not continuing as it was.
• The Tower: sudden upheaval; the ground is not steady enough to build on.
• The Devil: an unhealthy attachment. Not this way.
• Three of Swords: heartache.
• Ten of Swords: a painful, final ending.
• Five of Pentacles: a lean season; the resources are not there yet.

A no from the cards is rarely "never". More often it means "not like this" or "not now".

The maybe cards

A few cards refuse to pick a side, and that is their message:

• The High Priestess: you do not have all the information yet.
• The Hermit: step back and think before you act.
• The Hanged Man: wait; look at it from another angle.
• The Moon: things are not what they seem. It is a maybe both upright and reversed.

How reversed cards change the answer

When a card lands upside down, its energy is blocked, delayed or turned inward. For yes-or-no questions this usually moves the answer one step:

• a yes often becomes a maybe (the good outcome is possible but delayed), or a no for cards about action and honesty;
• a no often softens to a maybe (the worst is passing);
• a few cards flip. The Eight of Swords is a no upright, because you feel trapped, and a yes reversed, because the trap is opening.

For more on this, see how to read reversed tarot cards.

Major Arcana: yes or no

Card	Upright	Reversed
The Fool	Yes	No
The Magician	Yes	No
The High Priestess	Maybe	No
The Empress	Yes	Maybe
The Emperor	Yes	No
The Hierophant	Yes	No
The Lovers	Yes	No
The Chariot	Yes	No
Strength	Yes	Maybe
The Hermit	Maybe	No
Wheel of Fortune	Yes	No
Justice	Yes	No
The Hanged Man	Maybe	No
Death	No	No
Temperance	Yes	Maybe
The Devil	No	Maybe
The Tower	No	Maybe
The Star	Yes	Maybe
The Moon	Maybe	Maybe
The Sun	Yes	Maybe
Judgement	Yes	No
The World	Yes	Maybe

Suit of Wands: yes or no

Wands are the suit of fire, drive and action, so most of them lean yes when upright.

Card	Upright	Reversed
Ace of Wands	Yes	Maybe
Two of Wands	Yes	Maybe
Three of Wands	Yes	Maybe
Four of Wands	Yes	Maybe
Five of Wands	No	Maybe
Six of Wands	Yes	Maybe
Seven of Wands	Yes	No
Eight of Wands	Yes	Maybe
Nine of Wands	Yes	No
Ten of Wands	No	Maybe
Page of Wands	Yes	Maybe
Knight of Wands	Yes	No
Queen of Wands	Yes	Maybe
King of Wands	Yes	Maybe

Suit of Cups: yes or no

Cups speak of love and feelings. They are the cards to watch in relationship questions.

Card	Upright	Reversed
Ace of Cups	Yes	No
Two of Cups	Yes	No
Three of Cups	Yes	Maybe
Four of Cups	Maybe	Yes
Five of Cups	No	Maybe
Six of Cups	Yes	Maybe
Seven of Cups	Maybe	Yes
Eight of Cups	No	Maybe
Nine of Cups	Yes	Maybe
Ten of Cups	Yes	Maybe
Page of Cups	Yes	Maybe
Knight of Cups	Yes	No
Queen of Cups	Yes	Maybe
King of Cups	Yes	Maybe

Suit of Swords: yes or no

Swords deal with conflict and hard truths, and carry most of the deck's no cards.

Card	Upright	Reversed
Ace of Swords	Yes	No
Two of Swords	Maybe	No
Three of Swords	No	Maybe
Four of Swords	Maybe	No
Five of Swords	No	Maybe
Six of Swords	Yes	No
Seven of Swords	No	Maybe
Eight of Swords	No	Yes
Nine of Swords	No	Maybe
Ten of Swords	No	Maybe
Page of Swords	Yes	Maybe
Knight of Swords	Yes	No
Queen of Swords	Yes	No
King of Swords	Yes	No

Suit of Pentacles: yes or no

Pentacles cover money, work and home. Their answers are steady and practical.

Card	Upright	Reversed
Ace of Pentacles	Yes	Maybe
Two of Pentacles	Maybe	No
Three of Pentacles	Yes	Maybe
Four of Pentacles	Maybe	No
Five of Pentacles	No	Maybe
Six of Pentacles	Yes	Maybe
Seven of Pentacles	Maybe	No
Eight of Pentacles	Yes	Maybe
Nine of Pentacles	Yes	Maybe
Ten of Pentacles	Yes	Maybe
Page of Pentacles	Yes	Maybe
Knight of Pentacles	Yes	No
Queen of Pentacles	Yes	Maybe
King of Pentacles	Yes	No

How to ask a yes or no question

1. Make it a real yes-or-no question. "Should I apply for this course?" works. "What will happen with my career?" does not; that needs a full six-card reading.
2. Ask about your own choices. "Should I message him?" is better than "Does he love me?", because the first one is yours to act on.
3. Draw once. If you draw again until you get the card you want, you already know your answer.
4. Notice your reaction. If a "no" makes you feel relieved, that is useful to know. This is where a one-card reading earns its place.

Keep it in proportion

A one-card draw is for reflection and enjoyment. It is drawn at random and cannot foresee events, so please don't use it to settle questions of health, law, money or safety. For those, talk to people you trust and to qualified professionals.