OpenGuitarChords
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Chord finder

Two taps to any of the 144 chord shapes, plus every voicing up the neck.

chords
166 shapes
grid
12 roots x 12 types
neck
frets 0 to 15
audio
strummed in browser
the chord findertap a root, then a chord type
CC majorBeginner
C chord on a simulated guitar fretboard (frets 0-15)321C voicing at fret 112C voicing at fret 334C voicing at fret 5567C voicing at fret 889C voicing at fret 10101112131415EADGBe
Root
Type

NotesCEG

Full C page

C major, notes C, E, G, beginner friendly

What is a guitar chord finder?

A guitar chord finder is a lookup tool that turns a chord name into the finger positions that produce it. You choose a root note (C through B) and a chord quality such as major, minor or seventh, and the tool returns the matching shape: a chord diagram, the note spelling, every playable voicing up the fretboard, and an audio preview you can hear. This finder covers 166 shapes. The core grid is 12 roots × 12 qualities = 144 combinations, and on top of that sit 25 slash, add9 and half-diminished voicings taken from the songs in our library. Every shape is checked against the same chord database that renders the 65 chord pages on this site, and each result links through to a full page with fingering tips and the songs that use it. If you are holding a shape and want its name instead, the chord identifier works in the opposite direction.

166chord shapes with a diagram and audio
12 × 12root and quality grid combinations
0-15frets mapped on every voicing
Learn & referenceExamples, charts and deeper explanation

How do I find a chord on this page?

  1. Tap a root, then a chord type. The first strip is the twelve roots, the second is the quality. Two taps reach any of the 144 grid shapes, no menus involved.
  2. Compare every voicing up the neck. The bright fret numbers on the board, or the pills below it, switch between every playable position of the same chord. Turn on All notes to see every chord tone across the whole fretboard.
  3. Listen, then go deeper. Hear the chord strummed, copy a link to share the exact shape, or open the full page for the theory and the songs that use it.

New to chord boxes? How to read a chord diagram walks through the dots, numbers and X marks in two minutes.

Which guitar chords should I learn first?

These eight open chords need no barre and between them cover thousands of songs. Each diagram opens the full page for that chord, with every voicing up the neck and the songs that use it.

What are the different types of guitar chords?

Twelve chord qualities cover almost everything in a song sheet. The formula column shows the scale degrees each quality stacks on top of its root, so you can see why a minor chord sounds darker than a major one and what a seventh adds.

Chord typeAt CFormulaHow it sounds
MajorC1 - 3 - 5the bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to
MinorCm1 - ♭3 - 5the darker, moodier counterpart of the major chord
Dominant 7thC71 - 3 - 5 - ♭7a tense, bluesy chord that wants to resolve down a fifth
Major 7thCmaj71 - 3 - 5 - 7a soft, jazzy chord heard all over neo-soul and bossa
Minor 7thCm71 - ♭3 - 5 - ♭7the smooth workhorse of funk, R&B and lo-fi
Suspended 4thSuspended chordsCsus41 - 4 - 5an airy, unresolved sound that hangs before resolving to the major chord
Suspended 2ndSuspended chordsCsus21 - 2 - 5an open, ringing voicing with a modern folk flavour
SixthSixth chordsC61 - 3 - 5 - 6a warm, vintage chord that sits between major and minor moods
Minor 6thSixth chordsCm61 - ♭3 - 5 - 6a noir-ish, jazzy colour straight out of film soundtracks
DiminishedDiminished chordsCdim1 - ♭3 - ♭5an unstable, tense chord that repeats every three frets
AugmentedAugmented chordsCaug1 - 3 - ♯5a mysterious, floating chord with a raised fifth
Power ChordPower chord shapesC51 - 5the root-and-fifth engine of rock, punk and metal: neither major nor minor

Popular guitar chords

The shapes most players look up first. Each one opens a full page with every voicing up the neck, the theory, and real songs that use it.

C chordG chordD chordA chordE chordF chordB chordAm chordEm chordDm chordBm chordF#m chordC7 chordG7 chordD7 chordA7 chordE7 chordB7 chordCmaj7 chordGmaj7 chordAm7 chordEm7 chordDm7 chordCadd9 chordG/B chord

Browse chord families

One page per chord type: all twelve roots side by side, with audio for every shape and the theory behind the family.

All 166 chordsDiminished chordsAugmented chordsSixth chordsSuspended chordsPower chord shapesAdd9 chordsExtended and altered chordsSlash chords and inversions

Chord finder FAQ

How do I find a chord on this page?
Tap a root note in the first strip, then a chord type in the second. The board, the note spelling and the audio update instantly, and the voicing pills under the board walk you through every playable position of the same chord. Two taps reach any of the 144 root-and-quality combinations in the grid. The board starts on the Neck view, which shows the chord across the whole fretboard from the open strings to the 15th fret; switch to Chord box if you prefer the textbook diagram, and turn on All notes to light up every chord tone across the neck. For slash chords such as G/B and song voicings such as Cadd9, which do not fit the two-tap grid, use the popular chords grid below or the full chord index. Every result links on to a full page with fingering tips and the songs that use the chord.
What do the dots and numbers on a chord diagram mean?
The vertical lines are the six strings, low E on the left. The horizontal lines are frets. A numbered dot tells you which finger (1 is index, 4 is pinky) presses that string at that fret, an O means play the string open and an X means do not play it. When a diagram starts at a higher fret it is labelled, for example 3fr, so the top line of the box is the 3rd fret rather than the nut. Our guide to reading chord charts walks through the dots, numbers and X marks with pictures.
Which guitar chords should a beginner learn first?
Start with the eight open chords: C, A, G, E and D major, plus A minor, E minor and D minor. None of them needs a barre, all of them ring freely, and between them they cover thousands of songs. Learn the five majors first, because those shapes cover the widest range of keys, then add the three minors that most beginner songs use. Practise them in pairs that share fingers rather than one at a time: C to Am moves a single finger, Em to Am moves two. When those eight ring cleanly at a slow tempo, add F and Bm, the two barre shapes that unlock the remaining keys. Every one of them is a single tap away in the grid above.
What is the difference between the chord finder and the chord identifier?
They work in opposite directions. The finder starts from a name: you say Cmaj7, it shows the shape. The identifier starts from your fingers: you tap the frets you are holding on a virtual neck and it names the chord. If you have a shape in your hand, use the identifier; if you have a name in a song sheet, use this page.
How many guitar chords are there?
In theory, thousands: every root can carry dozens of qualities, and each chord has several playable voicings up the neck. In practice a working vocabulary is much smaller. The 166 shapes in this finder cover every chord that appears across our song library, and the full chord index groups them all by family.

By Chiye · Updated