What does it mean when a tarot card is reversed?

A reversed card is one dealt upside down, and it describes the same subject as the upright card in a different condition: blocked, turned inward, taken to excess, or on its way out. It is rarely the opposite meaning. The table on this page sets each card's upright and reversed reading side by side, and the pairing is the fastest way to see that the two are versions of one thing.

Which tarot suit changes the most when reversed?

Wands, by a wide margin. Of the 14 Wands, 12 support the thing you asked about upright and 1 still does reversed. Cups fall from 10 to 2 and Pentacles from 10 to 1. The suit that moves least is Swords, from 5 to 3, because a suit that already describes difficulty has the least distance to fall.

Do all 78 tarot cards have a reversed meaning?

Every card can be read reversed and all 78 are listed here, though whether you use reversals at all is a decision you make before you shuffle rather than a property of the deck. 5 cards land in much the same place either way: The Hanged Man, Death, The Tower, The Sun and Four of Pentacles. Each of those describes a situation that is not waiting on anyone's willingness, which is why turning it over changes little.

Are reversed tarot cards bad?

Rarely, and the difficult cards are the clearest counterexample. The Devil reversed is often a chain coming off. The Tower reversed can describe a collapse that has been held off. Reversal describes a condition, so a card whose upright reading is hard often reads as that hardness easing.

78 cards · upright beside reversed

Reversed tarot card meanings

A reversed tarot card is one dealt upside down, and it reads as the same subject as the upright card in a different condition: blocked, turned inward, taken to excess, or in the process of resolving. Reading it as the opposite meaning is the misreading that makes The Sun reversed into misery and the Ten of Swords reversed into a pleasant afternoon. The table below gives all 78 cards with the upright and the reversed reading beside each other, and every row links to the full version on that card's page.

Setting the two columns next to each other is the point of this page. Reversal is the half of the deck that gets learned last and looked up most, and it is very hard to see what it is doing to a card while reading one card at a time.

Major Arcana

22 cards. 14 support the thing you asked about upright, 3 still do reversed.

Card	Upright	Reversed
The Fool	UprightA beginning that asks for faith instead of certainty.	ReversedA leap taken carelessly, or put off so long it has turned into fear.
The Magician	UprightYou already have what the situation needs.	ReversedPower that is scattered, or used to manipulate.
The High Priestess	UprightYou already know. It just has not reached words yet.	ReversedIntuition you talked yourself out of, or a secret that has started to cost you.
The Empress	UprightSomething is growing and needs care more than force.	ReversedGiving more care than you have left, or a block that is really exhaustion.
The Emperor	UprightStructure holds when your willpower runs out.	ReversedRigidity mistaken for strength, or authority that is not earned.
The Hierophant	UprightThe established way exists for a reason, and it may be worth using.	ReversedConvention followed long after it stopped being useful.
The Lovers	UprightA choice that can show you what you value.	ReversedA mismatch, or a choice made to please someone else.
The Chariot	UprightMoving forward by willpower, and it is not easy.	ReversedDrive without direction, or control that has become the obstacle.
Strength	UprightThe gentle approach beating the forceful one.	ReversedSelf-doubt, or a feeling held down instead of understood.
The Hermit	UprightStep back from the noise so you can hear your own answer.	ReversedIsolation that stopped helping, or advice refused out of pride.
Wheel of Fortune	UprightA situation changing because of circumstances, more than your choices.	ReversedA downturn, or resisting a cycle that will finish anyway.
Justice	UprightAn accounting, and a request that it be accurate.	ReversedUnfairness, or someone avoiding responsibility.
The Hanged Man	UprightA pause that will not end because you push against it.	ReversedStalling that calls itself patience, or a sacrifice made for nothing.
Death	UprightAn ending that may already be happening, and that asks to be allowed to finish.	ReversedAn ending you are resisting, kept going at a cost.
Temperance	UprightFinding the balance that works, slowly and by small adjustments.	ReversedImbalance, impatience, or a compromise that became avoidance.
The Devil	UprightA trap you are taking part in, and could leave.	ReversedThe grip loosening, and freedom coming back.
The Tower	UprightSomething that looked solid breaks, suddenly and without warning.	ReversedA collapse that is delayed, survived, or narrowly avoided.
The Star	UprightRecovery after something difficult, arriving quietly.	ReversedHope that has run out, or hope held back on purpose.
The Moon	UprightA situation you cannot see clearly yet. Give the decision time.	ReversedThe fog lifting, or a fear turning out to be smaller.
The Sun	UprightThings are good, and you are allowed to say so.	ReversedGood news you are discounting, a delay, or optimism used to avoid looking.
Judgement	UprightA call you can hear, asking for an answer.	ReversedA call ignored, or self-judgment that keeps you stuck.
The World	UprightSomething finished, and finished whole.	ReversedAlmost complete, or a finish you have not let yourself enjoy.

Cups

14 cards. 10 support the thing you asked about upright, 2 still do reversed.

Card	Upright	Reversed
Ace of Cups	UprightFeeling becoming available to you again.	ReversedFeeling held back, or an offer you cannot take in.
Two of Cups	UprightA connection that goes both ways, equally.	ReversedAn imbalance, or feeling that goes only one way.
Three of Cups	UprightThe people who hold you up, and the relief of being with them.	ReversedFeeling isolated, or a circle that is no longer good for you.
Four of Cups	UprightAn offer you cannot bring yourself to look at right now.	ReversedInterest coming back, or a withdrawal that has run its course.
Five of Cups	UprightA loss that has all of your attention right now.	ReversedTurning around: acceptance, and what is left coming back into view.
Six of Cups	UprightThe past showing up in the present, and welcome.	ReversedNostalgia that has become a place you live.
Seven of Cups	UprightToo many options, and most of them are imaginary.	ReversedClarity arriving, and one option becoming solid.
Eight of Cups	UprightLeaving something that is not broken at all.	ReversedStaying after you have stopped wanting to, or turning back.
Nine of Cups	UprightGetting exactly the thing you asked for.	ReversedGetting what you wanted, and finding it does not satisfy.
Ten of Cups	UprightHappiness that has other people in it.	ReversedA picture of happiness that does not match how it feels.
Page of Cups	UprightAn unexpected offer of feeling, or news of one.	ReversedEmotional immaturity, or a message that never arrives.
Knight of Cups	UprightA romantic offer, made sincerely and openly.	ReversedCharm with no follow-through behind it.
Queen of Cups	UprightFeeling deeply without being carried off by it.	ReversedFeelings that have become overwhelming, or absorbed from others.
King of Cups	UprightStaying steady when emotions run high.	ReversedCalm that has turned cold and hard to reach.

Pentacles

14 cards. 10 support the thing you asked about upright, 1 still does reversed.

Card	Upright	Reversed
Ace of Pentacles	UprightA real opportunity you can pick up and start.	ReversedAn opportunity missed, delayed, or thinner than promised.
Two of Pentacles	UprightKeeping several things in the air at once.	ReversedSomething is about to be dropped, or already has been.
Three of Pentacles	UprightSkilled work being recognized while it is happening.	ReversedWork that is not valued, or a team that is not working.
Four of Pentacles	UprightHolding on tightly, for reasons that made sense once.	ReversedDelay, opposition, or the grip loosening.
Five of Pentacles	UprightHardship, with help closer than it looks.	ReversedRecovery beginning, or disorder getting worse.
Six of Pentacles	UprightGiving and receiving, with power in between.	ReversedEnvy, giving with strings, or a debt that became leverage.
Seven of Pentacles	UprightStopping to look at what has not ripened yet.	ReversedEffort producing nothing, or patience turned to being stuck.
Eight of Pentacles	UprightGetting good by doing the same thing again and again.	ReversedRepetition without care, or effort aimed at the wrong thing.
Nine of Pentacles	UprightComfort you built yourself, enjoyed on your own.	ReversedBad faith, empty plans, or independence turned to isolation.
Ten of Pentacles	UprightSomething built that will outlast the person who built it.	ReversedLoss and chance, or family money as a problem.
Page of Pentacles	UprightBeginning to learn something practical and real.	ReversedWaste, or a plan that never gets past planning.
Knight of Pentacles	UprightDoing what you said you would, slowly and completely.	ReversedStagnation, or reliability that has stopped moving.
Queen of Pentacles	UprightCare shown as quiet, practical competence.	ReversedFear and mistrust, depletion, or care turned to control.
King of Pentacles	UprightHaving built something, and being good at holding it.	ReversedWealth turned into control, or weakness under a solid surface.

Swords

14 cards. 5 support the thing you asked about upright, 3 still do reversed.

Card	Upright	Reversed
Ace of Swords	UprightClarity arriving all at once, ready to use.	ReversedConfusion, or a truth used as a weapon.
Two of Swords	UprightA decision avoided by refusing to look at it.	ReversedThe blindfold coming off, and the choice becoming obvious.
Three of Swords	UprightPain caused by something that turned out to be true.	ReversedThe pain easing, or a hurt held after the wound has closed.
Four of Swords	UprightRest that you need, more than rest you indulge in.	ReversedRest resisted, or a recovery period ending.
Five of Swords	UprightA win that costs more than it was worth.	ReversedThe fight ending, or the start of repair.
Six of Swords	UprightMoving to calmer water, carrying what happened.	ReversedA departure that keeps on not happening.
Seven of Swords	UprightTaking a shortcut you would rather not explain.	ReversedBeing caught, confessing, or dropping the scheme.
Eight of Swords	UprightFeeling trapped by something looser than it feels.	ReversedThe limits lifting, or seeing they never held.
Nine of Swords	UprightThe fear that comes, and grows, at night.	ReversedThe worst of it passing, or the fear said out loud.
Ten of Swords	UprightThe worst has happened, and has finished happening.	ReversedThe aftermath, and recovery beginning.
Page of Swords	UprightAlert curiosity, and information on its way.	ReversedGossip, scattered attention, or suspicion without evidence.
Knight of Swords	UprightMoving fast, and asking the questions later.	ReversedHaste that breaks something, or a charge with no direction.
Queen of Swords	UprightSeeing clearly because you have been fooled before.	ReversedColdness, or guardedness that protects nothing.
King of Swords	UprightDecisions made on principle, more than preference.	ReversedReason used to dominate, or rules without judgment.

Wands

14 cards. 12 support the thing you asked about upright, 1 still does reversed.

Card	Upright	Reversed
Ace of Wands	UprightA spark with energy behind it, worth acting on.	ReversedA spark that never turns into anything.
Two of Wands	UprightStanding somewhere safe and thinking about leaving.	ReversedPlanning that has quietly taken the place of going.
Three of Wands	UprightWatching for something you have already sent out.	ReversedDelays, or plans that do not bring back what you expected.
Four of Wands	UprightArriving somewhere worth stopping to celebrate.	ReversedA celebration that does not feel like one.
Five of Wands	UprightFriction, with nobody real to fight against.	ReversedConflict avoided, or a fight that turned personal.
Six of Wands	UprightWinning somewhere other people can see it.	ReversedCredit that never comes, or a win carried badly.
Seven of Wands	UprightHolding ground that other people want from you.	ReversedA defense that has become too costly to keep up.
Eight of Wands	UprightSpeed, and several things arriving at once.	ReversedDelay, or too much landing at once to take in.
Nine of Wands	UprightStill standing, and expecting more of the same.	ReversedDefenses that have outlived what caused them.
Ten of Wands	UprightCarrying so much you cannot see past it.	ReversedPutting some of it down, or collapsing under it.
Page of Wands	UprightExcited about something you have not tested yet.	ReversedExcitement that never turns into anything.
Knight of Wands	UprightGoing at something with everything you have.	ReversedRecklessness, or energy that will not last.
Queen of Wands	UprightBeing fully yourself, in public, and having it work.	ReversedConfidence acted, or jealousy under the warmth.
King of Wands	UprightA vision, and the authority to lead people toward it.	ReversedArrogance, or a vision nobody else shares.

Read across a row

The reversed column works best read beside the upright one. Read The Hermit's two entries together and the reversal is recognizably the same card with the solitude turned from a choice into a state. Read them apart and it looks like two unrelated ideas that happen to share a name, which is how a reader ends up with 156 things to hold instead of 78.

This is also the test for whether a reversal you have been handed is any good. If the reversed line could be swapped onto a different card without anyone noticing, it was written to fill a slot. If it only makes sense as that card's difficulty, it was written by somebody looking at the picture.

The suits do not take reversal equally

Across the deck, 51 of the 78 cards support the thing you asked about upright and 10 still do reversed. That much is widely known. What is less obvious is that the loss is not spread evenly. Wands fall from 12 to 1, Cups from 10 to 2, Pentacles from 10 to 1, and the Major Arcana from 14 to 3. Swords go from 5 to 3.

Swords barely move because a suit that already describes difficulty has almost no distance left to fall. Reversal takes something away from a card, and the cards with the most to lose are the ones that were promising the most. That is the whole mechanism, and it explains why a reversed spread full of Wands feels like a wall while a reversed spread full of Swords often feels lighter than the upright version would have.

The sharper version of that is in the Swords column itself. Turned over, the suit's flat refusals fall from 8 to 6 while its undecided readings rise from 1 to 5. Reversal leaves Swords ambiguous, which for the suit of conflict and hard truths is closer to relief than to bad news.

A reversed meaning is the same card, under strain

The common way to get stuck here is to treat the right-hand column as homework: 78 more definitions, learned separately, recalled separately. Nobody finishes that, and the people who try tend to read worse than the people who never started, because a memorized reversal arrives with no sense of which of the four conditions is in play.

The version that works is smaller. Learn the upright card until you can say what it wants. Then ask what it looks like when it cannot have it. The reversed entries above are written as the answer to that question, which is why they are short here and long on the card's own page. If you want the four conditions in full, and how to tell which one a spread is asking for, reversed tarot cards is the longer treatment.

Common questions

What does it mean when a tarot card is reversed?: A reversed card is one dealt upside down, and it describes the same subject as the upright card in a different condition: blocked, turned inward, taken to excess, or on its way out. It is rarely the opposite meaning. The table on this page sets each card's upright and reversed reading side by side, and the pairing is the fastest way to see that the two are versions of one thing.
Which tarot suit changes the most when reversed?: Wands, by a wide margin. Of the 14 Wands, 12 support the thing you asked about upright and 1 still does reversed. Cups fall from 10 to 2 and Pentacles from 10 to 1. The suit that moves least is Swords, from 5 to 3, because a suit that already describes difficulty has the least distance to fall.
Do all 78 tarot cards have a reversed meaning?: Every card can be read reversed and all 78 are listed here, though whether you use reversals at all is a decision you make before you shuffle rather than a property of the deck. 5 cards land in much the same place either way: The Hanged Man, Death, The Tower, The Sun and Four of Pentacles. Each of those describes a situation that is not waiting on anyone's willingness, which is why turning it over changes little.
Are reversed tarot cards bad?: Rarely, and the difficult cards are the clearest counterexample. The Devil reversed is often a chain coming off. The Tower reversed can describe a collapse that has been held off. Reversal describes a condition, so a card whose upright reading is hard often reads as that hardness easing.

Every card here has a page with the reversed meaning in full, alongside what it says about love, work, and money, and what a reversal does to its answer. Start from the card meanings, or from the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana hubs.

If the question you brought is a closed one, the same 78 cards are collected as yes or no leanings on yes or no tarot. If you are still deciding whether to read reversals at all, reversed tarot cards makes the case both ways.

There is also a page on what Reflecta is, if the waitlist is a step too early.