Nine of Swords (9 of Swords) tarot card from the 1909 deck by Pamela Colman Smith

Nine of Swords tarot card meaning

The Nine of Swords upright points to worry and sleepless thoughts, the kind of fear that grows larger in the dark than it is in daylight.

worry
anxiety
sleepless nights
overthinking
guilt

Draw a card Ask yes or no

Arcana	Minor, suit of Swords
Number	9 of Swords
Element	Air
Yes or no	No upright, maybe reversed

Written by Orbitarot · Sources: our own meanings; card art by Pamela Colman Smith, 1909; A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1910 · Updated October 7, 2026

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What the card shows

A figure in a white nightgown sits up in bed in a dark room, face buried in both hands. Nine swords hang flat in rows across the black wall behind, without touching the sleeper. A quilt patterned with red roses and astrological symbols covers the bed, and the side of the bed is carved with a small scene of a struggle. The swords are read as racing thoughts in the night, the gap between them and the figure as fears that are not yet real, and the rose quilt as comfort within reach.

Nine of Swords upright

The Nine of Swords is the card of the long night. Someone wakes in the dark and cannot stop the thoughts: what went wrong, what might go wrong, what other people might think. Notice that the swords hang on the wall. None of them actually touches the figure in bed. The weight of this card is mostly worry, not events.

That does not make the feeling small. Worry can be exhausting, and overthinking tends to feed on itself, especially when you are alone with it at night. Upright, the card suggests that your fears may be bigger than the facts. It invites you to bring them into daylight: write them down, talk them through with someone you trust, or ask for support from a friend or counselor if worry has been building for a while. Seen clearly, most problems shrink to a size you can handle. The quilt of roses is still there, a reminder that comfort and rest are close by.

Nine of Swords reversed

relief
hope
facing fears
reaching out
worry easing

Reversed, the Nine of Swords often means the worst of the worry is passing. You may be opening up about what has been keeping you awake, finding that the feared outcome did not happen, or simply sleeping a little better. Hope is returning.

In other readings, it can describe worries that have been pushed deep inside rather than shared, so they keep circling. If that sounds closer, let someone in. Saying a fear out loud often takes away much of its power, and you do not need to carry it alone.

Nine of Swords in love

Upright: Single, worry about rejection or past mistakes may keep you up at night. In a relationship, fears or guilt may be clouding how you see things, so talk them through before assuming the worst.

Reversed, worries about love are easing as you talk openly. Things may look brighter than you feared.

Nine of Swords for career and work

Upright: At work or school, stress about deadlines, mistakes or exams may be weighing heavily. Break problems into small steps and ask for help where you need it.

Reversed, work stress is starting to ease and things feel more manageable. Keep sharing the load.

Nine of Swords as feelings

They may feel anxious or guilty about something between you, and it may be on their mind late at night.

Nine of Swords as advice

Bring your worries into the daylight, talk them through and check them against the facts.

Nine of Swords in a tarot reading

The same card reads differently depending on where it lands. These are the readings our spreads use when Nine of Swords appears in each position. Try it in a three card reading, Celtic cross.

Upright

As the past	Worry kept you up before this. Sleepless nights and replayed fears have been shaping the way you see everything since.
As the present	Your mind is running in circles right now. Fears feel huge, especially at night, but they are larger in the dark than in daylight.
As the future or outcome	A stretch of worry may lie ahead. Even so, dread tends to shrink once fears are spoken aloud and tested against the facts.
As the obstacle	Overthinking is what holds you back. Imagined outcomes are taking up the space that clear, simple action needs.
As advice	Get the fear out of your head. Write it down, say it to someone you trust and check which parts are facts and which are guesses.

Reversed

As the past	A season of worry has begun to lift. You faced some fears, or shared them, and found they were smaller than you thought.
As the present	Relief is arriving. The worry is easing as you reach out, check the facts and let a little more light back in.
As the future or outcome	Calmer nights are coming into view. Fears are likely to lose their grip as you keep naming them and facing them.
As the obstacle	A last stubborn worry may linger. Holding on to it alone, in silence, keeps it bigger than it needs to be.
As advice	Keep reaching out. Tell someone what still troubles you, and keep testing your fears against what is actually true.

What A. E. Waite wrote about Nine of Swords in 1910

Waite designed this deck with Pamela Colman Smith and published its meanings in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910, public domain). His words, as printed:

Divinatory meaning:

Death, failure, miscarriage, delay, deception, disappointment, despair.

Reversed:

Imprisonment, suspicion, doubt, reasonable fear, shame.

Modern readers frame this as worry that grows larger in the dark than in daylight. Waite listed death, failure, miscarriage and despair outright, and his reversal of imprisonment, suspicion and reasonable fear stays grim where modern readers see worry starting to ease.

Is Nine of Swords a yes or no card?

Upright: No The figure sits awake with head in hands beneath nine swords, a picture of worry, so upright the card leans no.

Reversed: Maybe Reversed, the long night is ending and fears are losing their hold, so the answer lifts to maybe.

Ask your own question with the yes or no tarot. No cards at hand? The yes or no oracle answers with a pendulum.

Learn more: how to read reversed cards, how to read this card with others, what the number 9 means across the suits.

Questions

What does Nine of Swords mean in tarot?

The Nine of Swords upright points to worry and sleepless thoughts, the kind of fear that grows larger in the dark than it is in daylight. Reversed, the Nine of Swords suggests worry is starting to ease, as you share your fears, test them against the facts and see some light again. Yes or no: No upright, maybe reversed.

What does Nine of Swords reversed mean?

Reversed, the Nine of Swords suggests worry is starting to ease, as you share your fears, test them against the facts and see some light again.

Is Nine of Swords a yes or no card?

No when upright. The figure sits awake with head in hands beneath nine swords, a picture of worry, so upright the card leans no. When reversed, it leans maybe. Reversed, the long night is ending and fears are losing their hold, so the answer lifts to maybe.

What does Nine of Swords mean as feelings?

They may feel anxious or guilty about something between you, and it may be on their mind late at night.