Candlestick patterns cheat sheet (printable, with a quiz)
A one-page candlestick patterns cheat sheet you can print or save as PDF: doji, hammer, hanging man, shooting star, engulfing, each with its exact rule.
This cheat sheet lists the main single and two-candle patterns with a chart and the exact rule this site grades by: a doji's body is at most 10% of its range, a hammer's lower wick is at least twice its body, and so on. Print it or save it as PDF, then test yourself with the quiz below.
The cheat sheet
Doji
Rule: Body at most 10% of the candle's range.
Where: Anywhere; matters most after a long move
Suggests: Indecision: neither side won the period
Hammer
Rule: Body at most 35% of the range, lower wick at least 2x the body, after a fall of 2%+ over 5 candles.
Where: After a decline
Suggests: Buyers rejected lower prices; reversal possible, not confirmed
Hanging man
Rule: Same shape as a hammer, after a rise of 2%+ over 5 candles.
Where: After a rise
Suggests: Sellers appeared inside the uptrend; a warning, not proof
Shooting star
Rule: Body at most 35% of the range, upper wick at least 2x the body, after a rise of 2%+.
Where: After a rise
Suggests: Buyers could not hold higher prices; reversal possible, unconfirmed
Inverted hammer
Rule: Same shape as a shooting star, after a fall of 2%+ over 5 candles.
Where: After a decline
Suggests: Buyers tested higher prices; needs a higher close to matter
Bullish engulfing
Rule: A red candle, then a green candle opening at or below its close and closing at or above its open, with a bigger body.
Where: After a decline
Suggests: Buyers took over the period; needs follow-through
Bearish engulfing
Rule: A green candle, then a red candle opening at or above its close and closing at or below its open, with a bigger body.
Where: After a rise
Suggests: Sellers took over the period; needs follow-through
Quiz: name the pattern
How to use this sheet
Read each row from left to right: the shape, where it must appear, and what it suggests. The middle column is the one beginners skip, and it is the one that matters most. A hammer and a hanging man are the same candle; only the trend before them differs. A shooting star and an inverted hammer are also twins. If you remember one thing from this page, make it this: shape plus context, never shape alone.
Why the rules have numbers
Most cheat sheets say a hammer has a "long" lower wick and a "small" body. Long and small are opinions, which is how two people can look at the same chart and disagree. This sheet uses the numbers the site's charts are built and graded with, so each answer can be checked. Other sources use slightly different numbers; none of them is official.
What is not on this sheet
Three-candle patterns (morning and evening star, three white soldiers, three black crows), harami and piercing patterns are part of the course but do not have their own pages yet. They are coming once the patterns above have their full set of exercises.
Printing tips
Use your browser's print button or the button on this page, choose "Save as PDF" if you want a file, and keep the default margins. The menus, the quiz and the frequently asked questions are hidden on paper; the charts and the rules stay.
A word on reliability
A cheat sheet makes patterns look like rules of the market. They are not. No pattern on the sheet comes with a dependable success rate: research results depend on the market, the period and trading costs. Use the sheet to learn the vocabulary of charts, then judge each candle in its context.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free candlestick patterns PDF?
Yes: this page is the PDF. Use the print button and choose "Save as PDF" in your browser's print dialog. You get one page per section with every pattern, its mini chart and its exact rule, without menus or ads.
Which candlestick patterns should a beginner learn first?
Start with the doji, then the hammer and its twin the hanging man, then the shooting star and the inverted hammer, then engulfing patterns. Together they teach the two ideas every other pattern builds on: what the body and wicks show, and why the trend before a candle changes its meaning.
Do candlestick patterns work?
They describe what buyers and sellers did, which helps you read a chart. As trading signals on their own, no pattern on this sheet comes with a reliable success rate: research results depend on the market, the period and trading costs.