Yes or No Tarot Cards List: All 78 Cards, Upright and Reversed

This yes or no tarot cards list covers the full deck: all 78 cards, upright and reversed, in one place. These are the same answers the yes or no spread on ArcaLuna gives, so you can use the list with a paper deck or to check your own reading.

The short version: upright, 50 cards say yes, 15 say no and 13 say maybe. Reversals almost always soften the answer, and 55 of the 78 cards turn into a maybe.

How a card becomes a yes or a no

The answer comes from what the card is about in the Waite–Smith deck.

• Yes. The card is about movement, growth, partnership, success or a clear choice: the Sun, the Star, the World, the Ace of Cups, the Nine of Cups.
• No. The card is about loss, an ending, a dead end or dependence: the Tower, Death, the Devil, the Three and Ten of Swords, every Five.
• Maybe. The card is about waiting, choosing or uncertainty: the Moon, the Hanged Man, the High Priestess, Justice, the Two of Swords.

A "no" on this list means "not now" or "not in this form". It isn't a final verdict. If you ask "should I move this month?" and pull the Tower, the card is saying the plan rests on assumptions worth testing before you go.

Yes or no tarot cards reversed

A reversed card shows the same theme, delayed or bent out of shape. That's why most answers turn into a maybe: "yes" becomes "yes, but later", and "no" softens into "hard for now".

There are exceptions:

• 19 cards say no when reversed. These are cards whose reversed meaning gets in the way by itself, such as the Magician (tricks), the Lovers (discord), the Chariot (losing direction), the Wheel of Fortune (a bad turn), and the Ace and Knight of Swords.
• 4 cards say yes when reversed. The Moon and the Four and Seven of Cups, where the reversal clears up confusion. The Sun stays a yes either way.

If you don't read reversals, use the Upright column only.

Major arcana: 14 yes, 4 no, 4 maybe

Among the major arcana, only the Hermit, Death, the Devil and the Tower say no. If you pull one of them, reread the section above: it means "not now", and the card points to what to check.

Wands: almost always yes

Wands are about action and drive, so 12 of the 14 cards say yes upright. Only the Five (conflict) and the Ten (overload) say no.

Cups: yes, when the question is about feelings

Cups cover relationships and emotions, and 10 cards say yes. The Five (regret) and the Eight (walking away) say no, while the Four (apathy) and the Seven (too many options) say maybe.

Swords: the only suit with more no than yes

Swords are about thoughts, conflict and decisions. Six cards say no, four say yes and four say maybe. When a Sword answers, the question often comes down to worry or an argument, and it helps to ask again about what you can do yourself.

Pentacles: yes for work and money

Pentacles cover work, money and the body, and 10 cards say yes. Only the Five says no, while the Two, Four and Seven say maybe, the cards where the outcome depends on patience.

Yes or no questions that get a useful answer

A single-card yes or no reading works best when the question is short and about something you can influence.

1. One question at a time. "Should I apply for this job?" rather than "Will I find a job, and will I like it there?"
2. The near future. A week or a month, not "someday".
3. Your own action. "Should I text first?" tells you more than "Are they thinking about me?"
4. Not a substitute for a professional. For health, legal or big money questions, a card can help you sort out how you feel, but the decision belongs with a doctor, lawyer or financial adviser.

If you'd rather not look things up in a table, the yes or no tarot reading on ArcaLuna draws from all 78 cards and shows the answer with its meaning.

Ask a yes or no question

For questions that aren't yes or no, there's a different ritual: a tarot card of the day gives you a theme for the whole day. Here's how to do a daily tarot pull in five minutes.