Candlestick Patterns Cheat Sheet
40 essential bullish and bearish candlestick and chart patterns with actions, reliability ratings, and visual diagrams. Print it, save it, keep it next to your charts.
All 40 patterns on one page in 4K. Print it, save it, keep it next to your charts.
How to Use This Candlestick Patterns Guide
This candlestick patterns cheat sheet organizes 40 patterns into five categories: single-candle, two-candle, three-candle, chart continuation, and chart reversal. Each card shows the pattern shape, a reliability rating (low, medium, or high), and a recommended action.
Bullish candlestick patterns appear at the bottom of downtrends and signal that buyers are gaining control. Bearish candlestick patterns appear at the top of uptrends and signal that sellers are taking over. Indecision patterns can appear anywhere and require the next candle for confirmation.
No pattern works in isolation. Before acting on any signal, confirm it with volume analysis, support and resistance levels, and the prevailing trend direction. Patterns at key price levels with above-average volume carry the highest reliability.
Candlestick Patterns vs. Chart Patterns
This guide includes both candlestick patterns (formed by 1-3 individual candles) and chart patterns (formed by price action over many candles). Candlestick patterns like the Hammer and Morning Star provide short-term reversal signals. Chart patterns like the Head & Shoulders and Bull Flag reveal larger structural shifts and tend to produce bigger price moves.
Combining both types gives swing traders an edge: use chart patterns to identify the setup and candlestick patterns to time the entry. Learn more in our chart reversal patterns lesson and chart continuation patterns lesson.
Single-Candle Patterns
11 patterns formed by a single candlestick
Hammer
Long lower wick, small body near top. Buyers rejected lower prices.
Look to buy on confirmation
Inverted Hammer
Long upper wick at bottom. Buying pressure emerging.
Buy if next candle confirms
Shooting Star
Long upper wick, small body near bottom. Sellers rejected higher prices.
Look to sell or tighten stop
Hanging Man
Hammer shape after uptrend. Sellers mounted a significant attack.
Warning — wait for bearish confirmation
Doji
Open equals close. Neither buyers nor sellers won. Trend change possible.
Wait — direction depends on context
Marubozu
Full body, no wicks. Total buyer/seller conviction in one direction.
Strong momentum — trade with trend
Spinning Top
Small body, long wicks both sides. Tug-of-war between buyers and sellers.
Indecision — wait for next candle
Dragonfly Doji
Doji with long lower shadow, no upper shadow. Buyers rejected lower prices. Best at support levels.
Buy signal at support levels
Gravestone Doji
Doji with long upper shadow, no lower shadow. Sellers rejected higher prices. Best at resistance.
Sell signal at resistance levels
Long-Legged Doji
Doji with very long shadows both ways. Extreme indecision with large price swings.
Extreme indecision — wait for clarity
Bearish Marubozu
Long red body with no shadows. Opens at high, closes at low. Total seller conviction.
Strong bearish momentum — sell or avoid
Two-Candle Patterns
10 patterns formed by consecutive candle pairs
Bullish Engulfing
Green body completely covers prior red body. Buyers overwhelmed sellers.
Strong buy signal at support
Bearish Engulfing
Red body completely covers prior green body. Sellers overwhelmed buyers.
Strong sell signal at resistance
Piercing Pattern
Opens below prior low, closes above midpoint. Buyers fighting back.
Buy — bullish reversal signal
Dark Cloud Cover
Opens above prior high, closes below midpoint. Sellers taking control.
Sell — bearish reversal signal
Harami (Inside Bar)
Day 2 body fits inside Day 1 body. Volatility contracting before move.
Pause — breakout of range decides direction
Tweezer Bottom
Matching lows. Two candles tested the same price and buyers defended it.
Buy — double support test held
Bullish Kicker
Bearish marubozu then bullish marubozu with gap between them. Dramatic shift from selling to buying.
Very strong buy — dramatic shift from selling to buying
Bearish Kicker
Bullish marubozu then bearish marubozu with gap between them. Dramatic shift from buying to selling.
Very strong sell — dramatic shift from buying to selling
Tweezer Tops
Matching highs. Two candles tested the same price and sellers defended it.
Sell — double resistance test failed
Bearish Harami
Large bullish candle followed by small bearish candle contained within first body. Weakening buy pressure.
Pause — weakening buy pressure
Three-Candle Patterns
8 patterns formed by three consecutive candles
Morning Star
Large red, small star, large green. Dawn after the darkness.
Buy — strong bullish reversal
Evening Star
Large green, small star, large red. Dusk after the rally.
Sell — strong bearish reversal
Three White Soldiers
Three consecutive large green candles. Sustained buying pressure.
Strong bullish momentum — buy or hold
Three Black Crows
Three consecutive large red candles. Sustained selling pressure.
Strong bearish momentum — sell or avoid
Rising Three Methods
Long bullish, 3 small bearish (within first range), then long bullish closing above first. Continuation.
Continuation — trend resumes higher
Falling Three Methods
Long bearish, 3 small bullish (within first range), then long bearish closing below first. Continuation.
Continuation — trend resumes lower
Three Outside Up
Long bearish, bullish engulfing, then another bullish higher close. Strong confirmed reversal.
Strong reversal — confirmed bullish engulfing
Three Outside Down
Long bullish, bearish engulfing, then another bearish lower close. Strong confirmed reversal.
Strong reversal — confirmed bearish engulfing
Chart Continuation Patterns
5 multi-candle chart patterns that signal trend continuation
Bull Flag
Sharp uptrend (flagpole) then rectangular consolidation sloping down. Breakout continues trend.
Buy breakout above flag resistance
Bear Flag
Sharp downtrend (flagpole) then rectangular consolidation sloping up. Breakdown continues trend.
Sell breakdown below flag support
Ascending Triangle
Flat resistance top, rising support bottom. Higher lows pushing into resistance. ~70% break upward.
Buy breakout above flat resistance
Descending Triangle
Flat support bottom, falling resistance top. Lower highs pushing into support. ~70% break downward.
Sell breakdown below flat support
Symmetrical Triangle
Converging trendlines with lower highs and higher lows. Can break either way. Wait for breakout direction.
Wait for breakout direction — can break either way
Chart Reversal Patterns
6 multi-candle chart patterns that signal trend reversal
Head & Shoulders
3 peaks: middle (head) highest, two outer (shoulders) equal. Neckline connects troughs. Very high reliability.
Sell on neckline break — major top reversal
Double Top
Two peaks at same price level (M shape). Price rejected twice at resistance. Break below neckline = signal.
Sell on neckline break — M-shape reversal
Double Bottom
Two troughs at same price level (W shape). Price rejected twice at support. Break above neckline = signal.
Buy on neckline break — W-shape reversal
Cup and Handle
U-shaped cup (rounding bottom) then small handle consolidation. Classic continuation/breakout pattern. Very high reliability.
Buy breakout above handle resistance
Rising Wedge
Two converging upward-sloping lines. Rising with decreasing momentum. Often breaks down sharply.
Sell — rising with decreasing momentum
Falling Wedge
Two converging downward-sloping lines. Falling with decreasing momentum. Often breaks up sharply.
Buy — falling with decreasing momentum
Learn These Patterns in Depth
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