Yes or no tarot

How the yes or no answer is worked out

Every card in the deck has an answer upright and an answer reversed. The tool shuffles all 78 cards, draws one, and reads the answer for the way it landed.

• Upright: the card’s usual lean. The Sun upright is a yes; the Tower upright is a no.
• Reversed: most yes cards drop to maybe or no, because a reversal usually delays or blocks the theme. A few hard cards turn the other way: the Devil reversed is a yes to breaking free, and the Tower reversed softens to maybe.

With reversals on, each draw has a 30% chance of coming up reversed, so about three draws in ten are upside down. Untick “Include reversed cards” and every card gives its upright answer. Tarot sources don’t agree on every card, so the result always shows the reason next to the answer. If the answer and the reason seem to pull apart, go with the reason.

How to ask a good yes or no question

The quality of the answer depends almost entirely on the question. A few rules that help:

• Make it about you. “Should I message her?” gives you something to act on. “Does she like me?” asks the card to read someone else’s mind.
• Keep it to one thing. “Should I move and change jobs?” is two questions. Ask them separately.
• Give it a time frame. “Is this a good month to ask for a raise?” is easier to read than “Will I get a raise?”.
• Prefer “should I” to “will I”. A card can comment on a choice; it can’t promise an outcome.

What to do with a maybe

A maybe isn’t a failed reading. It usually means one of three things: you don’t have enough information yet, the outcome depends on a choice you haven’t made, or the timing is off. Read the reason for clues. The Seven of Cups says you have too many options; the Four of Pentacles says you’re holding on too tightly. Then rephrase the question around that clue and ask again tomorrow, or lay out a three-card yes or no spread for more detail.

How many cards say yes, no or maybe

Out of 78 cards, 49 lean yes upright, 15 say maybe and 14 lean no. Reversed, the balance shifts toward maybe. So a reversed draw often gives a softer answer.

A few patterns are worth knowing. Aces are fresh starts and lean yes. Cups about happiness and connection, like the Nine and Ten of Cups, are strong yeses. The painful Swords (Three, Nine, Ten) and the hardship Fives lean no. Cards about waiting or indecision, such as the Two of Swords and Four of Pentacles, say maybe. Court cards describe a person or an attitude, so read them as “yes, if you act like this”.

For the reasoning behind each of the 22 big cards, upright and reversed, see Major Arcana yes or no meanings. For all 78 answers on one page, print the tarot cheat sheet.

Other ways to get a yes or no from tarot

This page uses the most common method, one card with a set answer. Readers with their own deck use a few others:

• Upright means yes, reversed means no. Simple and fast, but it ignores what the card says, so a reversed Sun counts as a no.
• Three cards, majority wins. Draw three and count the yes and no cards. It gives you a clearer answer and a bit of story. Try the yes or no spread for a version with set positions.
• “Yes, if” and “no, if”. Draw two cards: one for what makes the answer a yes, one for what makes it a no. Useful when you already sense the answer is conditional.

Whatever method you use, decide on it before you shuffle, including whether you read reversals. Our guide to reading reversed tarot cards covers the choices.

When a single card isn’t enough

One card is good for a quick check. For a decision with real stakes, give yourself more room: try a three-card reading (situation, action, outcome works well for decisions), the decision spread, or see what two cards mean together.