How many cards are in a tarot deck?

A standard tarot deck has 78 cards: 22 major arcana and 56 minor arcana (16 court cards and 40 numbered cards across four suits: cups, swords, wands, and pentacles).

What is the difference between upright and reversed meanings?

An upright card carries the card's direct energy; a reversed card usually signals the energy blocked, delayed, or turned inward. Many readers use only upright meanings: both are valid approaches.

What do the four tarot suits mean?

Cups relate to emotions and relationships, swords to thought and conflict, wands to action and creativity, and pentacles to work and the material world.

Tarot Card Dictionary

All 78 cards of the tarot: the 22 major arcana and the 56 minor arcana: with their upright and reversed meanings. Search by name or filter by suit.

Reading the 78 cards

The major arcana tell the Fool's journey: the large arcs of growth, from the leap of The Fool to the completion of The World. The minor arcana are the everyday grammar of that journey: cups for feeling, swords for thought, wands for action, pentacles for the material. A reading mixes both: the big theme (major) and the daily texture (minor).

Reversed cards are a matter of school, not law. Some readers never reverse; others read reversal as the same energy slowed or turned inward. Both approaches produce honest readings: the dictionary gives you both so you can find your own method.

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Frequently asked questions

Do reversed meanings make a reading more accurate?

Not inherently: they add texture. A reversed card can signal blockage, delay, or inner focus, but a reader who only uses upright meanings can read the same nuance from position and context.

Which suit should I learn first?

The majors give you the big arcs; the minors give you the daily grammar. Most readers find the court cards (king, queen, knight, page) the hardest to differentiate: the dictionary's filter makes comparing them easy.