Guitar chords

Every guitar chord, drawn and playable. Tap a chord to open it, then hit Play to hear exactly what's drawn, slow it down, or flip it left-handed.

The 16 chords to learn first

How to learn your first guitar chords, in order

All guitar chords

Twelve roots across, fifteen chord types down. Sharps and flats: C♯ is the same key as D♭, E♭ as D♯, F♯ as G♭, A♭ as G♯ and B♭ as A♯, so each chord appears once under its usual name.

Type

C♯

E♭

F♯

A♭

B♭

major

minor

dominant seventh

major seventh

minor seventh

suspended fourth

suspended second

add 9

diminished

augmented

major sixth

minor sixth

dominant ninth

diminished seventh

half-diminished

Reading a guitar chord diagram

A chord box is the neck standing up in front of you. The six vertical lines are the strings, low E on the left and high E on the right; the horizontal lines are frets, with the thick bar at the top standing for the nut. A dot is where a fingertip goes, and the number in it says which finger: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. An o above a string means play it open, an x means leave it silent. When a diagram starts higher up the neck, the fret number is printed on the left, like "5fr".

Every diagram on this site also prints the shape as a line of fret numbers, low string first. x-3-2-0-1-0 is C: skip the low E, 3rd fret on the A string, 2nd on the D, open G, 1st on the B, open high E. That line is handy when you jot chords into your own practice notes.

Open chords, barre chords, and why both matter

Open chords use unfretted strings, so they ring and are easier on the hand; C, A, G, E, D, Am, Em and Dm are the classic set. Barre chords lay the index finger across several strings like a movable nut. They take more strength, but one barre shape slides up and down the neck to give you every root: the E-shape with the root on the 6th string and the A-shape with the root on the 5th. Learn F as an E-shape barre at the 1st fret and Bm as an A-shape barre at the 2nd, and you can reach any major or minor chord.

If a barre is hard today, most chord pages here show a smaller version on the top four strings. It sounds lighter and still fits the song.

Guitar chord questions

What are the basic guitar chords?

C, G, D, A, E, Am, Em and Dm. They are all open chords (no barre) and together they cover a huge share of beginner songs. F and Bm come next, and they are your first barre chords.

How many guitar chords are there?

Every chord type can start on any of the 12 notes, so 15 common types give 180 chords, each with several shapes. Most songs use a handful from the same key.

What do the numbers on a chord diagram mean?

Numbers in the dots are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. An x above a string means don't play it; an o means play it open. A thick bar is a barre, one finger across several strings.

Why does my chord buzz?

Usually a fingertip isn't close enough to the fret wire, or a finger is touching the next string. Press just behind the fret, come down on your fingertips, and check each string one at a time.

Updated September 2026. Also see a printable guitar chord chart.