Tarot Glossary

Every craft has its own vocabulary. Here are the tarot terms you'll meet most often, in plain English.

Arcana

Latin for "secrets." A tarot deck has two: the Major Arcana (22 cards) and the Minor Arcana (56 cards).

Major Arcana

The 22 trump cards, from The Fool (0) to The World (XXI). They represent life's big themes and turning points — see the Fool's Journey.

Minor Arcana

The 56 cards across four suits, covering the everyday texture of life. See the four suits.

Suit

One of the four Minor Arcana families: Wands (fire), Cups (water), Swords (air), Pentacles (earth).

Pip card

A numbered Minor Arcana card, Ace through Ten. In the Marseille tradition, pips show arrangements of the suit symbol rather than a scene.

Court cards

The sixteen Page, Knight, Queen and King cards — four per suit. They often represent people or the roles we play. See the court cards guide.

Querent

The person a reading is for — from the Latin for "one who seeks."

Significator

A card deliberately chosen to stand for the querent or the matter at hand before a reading.

Upright & reversed

Whether a card appears the right way up or upside-down. A reversal shifts, blocks, or internalises the card's meaning.

Spread

The layout of cards, where each position carries a set meaning — like past/present/future. See all spreads.

Elemental dignities

A reading technique where the elements of neighbouring cards strengthen or weaken one another (fire+air and water+earth reinforce; opposites complicate).

Cartomancy

Divination or reflection using cards — tarot is one form of it.

Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS)

The hugely influential 1909 deck by A. E. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith, the basis of most modern decks. See its history.

Tarot de Marseille

The classic French woodcut pattern that shaped tarot for centuries — and inspires our house-style deck. See its history.

Oracle & Lenormand

Other card systems often confused with tarot; see tarot vs oracle vs Lenormand.

Clarifying card

An extra card drawn to shed light on a confusing or ambiguous card in a spread.

Stalker / repeating card

A card that keeps appearing across your readings — worth paying attention to. Track yours in the journal.

Combination

The meaning of two or more cards read together, which goes beyond either card alone. Try the combination lookup.