Yes or No Tarot Cheat Sheet: Every Card's Answer (Love Edition)

Short answer: in a yes/no reading, most Cups and Pentacles lean yes, most Swords lean no, and Wands mean yes — with effort. In the Major Arcana, The Sun, The Star and The World are the clearest yeses; The Tower, Death, The Devil and The Moon are the clearest noes. The full cheat sheet, with what each Major Arcana card means for a love question, is below, followed by a scored three-card method, the cards that change their answer depending on the question (an ex, a text, a job), and how to tell how soon a yes will happen.

I review tarot readers, and “yes or no?” is the question they get most — and the one they most often warn against. Not because tarot can’t answer it, but because a single card is a snapshot. Use this sheet to read the snapshot honestly, and use a full love spread when the question is bigger than yes or no.

How to Ask a Yes or No Question

• One question, one subject. “Will he text me this week?” — not “Will he text me and does he still love me?”
• Make it about something that can actually happen. Tarot reads direction, not fate.
• One card gives you a clean answer (see how to do a single-card tarot reading). Three cards give you a majority — two yes and one no is “yes, with a catch”.
• Ask once. Redrawing until you like the answer turns the reading into noise.

Major Arcana: Yes, No or Maybe

Card	Answer	In a love question
0 The Fool	Yes	A fresh start; take the leap
I The Magician	Yes	You have what you need to make it happen
II The High Priestess	Maybe	Something is hidden; trust your intuition and wait
III The Empress	Yes	Warmth, attraction, love that grows
IV The Emperor	Yes	Commitment and structure — if you want stability
V The Hierophant	Maybe	Yes if you want something traditional and committed
VI The Lovers	Yes	A real connection — and a choice to make
VII The Chariot	Yes	Yes, if you go after it
VIII Strength	Yes	Yes, through patience and gentleness
IX The Hermit	Maybe	Not yet; he (or you) needs time alone
X Wheel of Fortune	Yes	Things are turning in your favour
XI Justice	Maybe	A fair outcome — what you put in comes back
XII The Hanged Man	Maybe	A pause; nothing moves until someone lets go
XIII Death	No	Not as it is now — an ending has to happen first
XIV Temperance	Yes	Yes, slowly and with balance
XV The Devil	No	Obsession or a trap; step back
XVI The Tower	No	A shake-up; don’t build on this
XVII The Star	Yes	Hope, healing, a gentle yes
XVIII The Moon	No	Unclear; something isn’t what it seems
XIX The Sun	Yes	The strongest yes in the deck
XX Judgement	Yes	A second chance; a call you should answer
XXI The World	Yes	Completion — a full-circle yes

If you would rather have a reader answer a yes-or-no question for you, best tarot readers on Kasamba ranks tested options.

Minor Arcana: The Suit Rule

If you only remember one thing, remember this:

• Cups (feelings) → mostly yes. Except the Four, Five and Eight of Cups, which mean no — disinterest, regret and walking away. The Seven of Cups is a maybe: too many options, not enough clarity.
• Pentacles (the material, the slow) → yes, but slowly. Except the Four and Five of Pentacles (no — holding back, or feeling left out in the cold). The Two and Seven of Pentacles are maybes: juggling, waiting for results.
• Wands (energy, desire) → yes, with effort. Except the Five and Ten of Wands (no — conflict, burden). The Two, Seven and Nine of Wands are maybes: planning, defending, guarded.
• Swords (thoughts, conflict) → mostly no. Except the Ace of Swords (yes — the truth cuts through). The Two and Six of Swords and the Swords court cards are maybes: undecided, moving on, or depending on a clear conversation.

Full Minor Arcana List

Suit	Yes	Maybe	No
Cups	Ace, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, Page, Knight, Queen, King	7	4, 5, 8
Pentacles	Ace, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, Page, Knight, Queen, King	2, 7	4, 5
Wands	Ace, 3, 4, 6, 8, Page, Knight, Queen, King	2, 7, 9	5, 10
Swords	Ace	2, 6, Page, Knight, Queen, King	3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10

The Three-Card Yes or No Method, Scored

One card is a snapshot; three cards give you a vote. This is the scoring system many readers use, and it turns a confusing spread into a clear answer:

1. Ask your question once, shuffle and lay out three cards left to right.
2. Score each card from the tables above: Yes = +1, Maybe = 0, No = −1.
3. Add them up.

Total	What it means
+3	A strong, clear yes
+2	Yes
+1	Leaning yes: yes, with a catch (look at the one card that isn’t a yes; it’s the catch)
0	Undecided: the outcome depends on a choice you or someone else hasn’t made yet
−1	Leaning no, or “not yet”
−2	No, for now
−3	A clear no to this question as you asked it; the cards are usually pointing to a better question

Want more nuance? Give the cards positions: card 1 = the situation, card 2 = what’s in the way, card 3 = the likely outcome, and count the third card twice. A yes in the outcome position outweighs a no in the obstacle position, which is often exactly the shape of a real situation: yes, once you get past this.

Worked example: “Will he reach out this month?” → Page of Cups (yes, +1), Four of Swords (maybe, 0), Six of Cups (yes, +1, counted twice = +2). Total +3: yes. The Four of Swords in the middle says he’s taking time first; the Page and Six of Cups say a sweet, nostalgic message is coming.

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Yes or No by Question: the Cards That Change Their Answer

The cheat sheet gives each card’s general answer, but some cards answer certain questions much more strongly than others. These are the ones readers watch for:

Your question	Strong yes cards	Cards that mean “not yet” or no
”Will my ex come back?”	Judgement (a second chance), Six of Cups (the past returns), Two of Cups, the Lovers, Wheel of Fortune	Eight of Cups (walking away), Death (the old relationship is over), Three of Swords, Five of Cups
”Will he text / call me?”	Page of Cups (a sweet message), Eight of Wands (news, fast), Page of Swords (a message), Knight of Cups, Ace of Cups	Four of Cups (not paying attention), the Hermit (needs space), Four of Swords (a pause), Seven of Swords
”Does he like me?”	Two of Cups, Knight of Cups, the Lovers, the Empress, Ace of Cups, Ten of Cups	Four of Cups, Five of Pentacles, Eight of Cups, Seven of Swords
”Is he / she the one?”	The Lovers, Two of Cups, Ten of Cups, the Hierophant (commitment), the World, Four of Wands (celebration, home)	The Devil (attachment without health), the Moon (illusion), Three of Swords
”Will I get the job?”	Six of Wands (victory), Three of Pentacles, Eight of Pentacles, Ace of Pentacles, the Chariot, the Sun	Five of Pentacles, Ten of Wands (overload), Five of Wands (tough competition, a maybe)
“Will the money come through?”	Ace, Nine and Ten of Pentacles, Wheel of Fortune, the Empress, Six of Pentacles	Four and Five of Pentacles, Seven of Pentacles (still waiting)
“Should I do it?”	The Chariot (go), the Fool (leap), the Magician (you’re ready), Ace of Wands	Four of Swords (rest first), the Hanged Man (wait), Seven of Cups (get clearer first)

The same card can be a yes to one question and a no to another. The Hermit is a no to “will he call?” but a yes to “should I take time for myself?”. That’s why the most reliable yes-or-no readings start with a precise question.

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How Soon? Adding Timing to a Yes

A yes is good; a yes with a timeframe is better. After your yes-or-no draw, pull one more card and ask, “When?”

The timing card	Common reading
Eight of Wands, the Chariot, Knight of Wands, any Ace	Fast: days to a couple of weeks
Wands	Spring, or within weeks
Cups	Summer, or within a few weeks to months
Swords	Autumn, or “after a conversation or decision”
Pentacles	Winter, or slowly over months
The Hanged Man, Four of Swords, the Hermit	A wait: something has to settle first
Wheel of Fortune	Suddenly, when things turn

Many readers also read the number on the card as days, weeks or months (a Three = about three weeks). For how professional readers time predictions, see psychic predictions for 2027.

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What to Do With a “Maybe”

The maybe cards (the High Priestess, the Hanged Man, the Hermit, Justice, the Seven of Cups, the Twos) aren’t non-answers. They’re telling you the outcome isn’t fixed yet. Three ways to get more out of one:

• Draw one clarifier card and read it as the tie-breaker.
• Turn the question around: “What would make this a yes?” The card you draw is the missing piece.
• Check the timing: many maybes mean “yes, but not yet”. Pull a timing card from the table above.

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Tips for a Clearer Yes or No

• Write the question down before you shuffle. It keeps you from drifting to a different question mid-draw.
• Shuffle until it feels done, then cut with your non-dominant hand if that’s your habit. There is no wrong way.
• “Jumper” cards (a card that falls out while you shuffle) are treated by many readers as an extra message. Read it alongside your draw.
• Note the date and the answer. Yes-or-no tarot gets more meaningful when you see how your answers played out.
• Use a reader for the big ones. For a question that matters, a live reader can tell you why the answer is yes or no, and what to do with it. See the best tarot reading sites or free tarot readings online.

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Reversals in a Yes or No Reading

A common rule: a reversed yes card becomes “not yet” or “yes, with delays”; a reversed no card softens to “maybe”. Many readers skip reversals entirely for yes/no questions to keep the answer clean — that is what I would do if you are just starting out.

When Yes or No Isn’t Enough

If you draw three cards and get yes, no, maybe, the deck is telling you the question is too narrow. Switch to a spread that asks why — the will he come back spread or the is he thinking about me spread — or take the question to a reader who will tell you what the cards actually show, not what you hoped they would.

For what each card means beyond yes and no, see tarot card meanings for beginners.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you do a yes or no tarot reading?

Ask one clear question that can be answered yes or no, shuffle, and draw one card. Check it against the cheat sheet. For more nuance, draw three and go with the majority; a mix of yes and no usually means “not yet” or “it depends on you”.

Which tarot cards mean yes?

In the Major Arcana, the clearest yes cards are The Sun, The Star, The World, The Lovers, The Empress, The Magician, The Chariot, Strength, the Wheel of Fortune and Judgement. Most Cups and most Pentacles also lean yes.

Which tarot cards mean no?

The Tower, Death, The Devil and The Moon are the clearest no cards in the Major Arcana. In the Minor Arcana, most Swords lean no, as do the Five of Cups, Eight of Cups, Five of Wands, Ten of Wands, Four of Pentacles and Five of Pentacles.

Do reversed tarot cards mean no?

A common rule is that a reversed yes card becomes “not yet” or “yes, with delays”, and a reversed no card softens to “maybe”. Many readers skip reversals entirely for yes/no questions to keep the answer clean.

How many cards should I pull for a yes or no tarot reading?

One card gives a clean, quick answer. Three cards give a majority vote: score each card yes +1, maybe 0 and no −1, then add them up. +2 or +3 is yes, +1 is “yes with a catch”, 0 depends on a choice not yet made, and a negative total means no or not yet.

What does a maybe card mean in yes or no tarot?

That the outcome isn’t fixed yet. Draw one clarifier card as a tie-breaker, ask “what would make this a yes?”, or pull a timing card: many maybes mean “yes, but not yet”.

Which tarot cards say yes, he will text?

The Page of Cups (a sweet message), the Eight of Wands (fast news), the Page of Swords (a message), the Knight of Cups and the Ace of Cups. The Four of Cups, the Hermit and the Four of Swords suggest a pause first.

How do I ask tarot when something will happen?

After your yes or no draw, pull one more card and ask “when?”. Fast cards such as the Eight of Wands, the Chariot and the Aces mean days to weeks; Wands suggest spring, Cups summer, Swords autumn and Pentacles winter; the Hanged Man and the Four of Swords mean a wait.

Can I get a free yes or no tarot reading?

Yes. Pull your own cards with this cheat sheet, or use a free online generator. For a live reader, Kasamba gives new clients 3 free minutes, Purple Garden a $30 credit and Keen 5 minutes for $1, which is enough for one yes or no question with a short explanation.