Tarot Card Encyclopedia

Complete guide to all 78 Rider-Waite Tarot cards — select a card to explore its detailed meaning.

Quick answer

A Rider-Waite deck has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana (numbered 0-21) plus 56 Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana is split into four suits — Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles — with 14 cards each: Ace through Ten, then the four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King).

Major Arcana 22 cards

Wands 14 cards

Cups 14 cards

Swords 14 cards

Pentacles 14 cards

What is the difference between the Major and Minor Arcana?

The 22 Major Arcana cards, numbered 0-21, point to life stages and overarching themes. The 56 Minor Arcana cards are grouped into Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles, covering action, emotion, thought and material matters respectively, and speak to more concrete everyday situations.

Practise reading with the Holy Triangle spread