Use this free online Guitar Chord Identifier when you know a fingering, fret pattern, or group of notes but do not know the chord name. Enter what each guitar string is doing—or select the notes you already know—and the tool will return the most likely supported chord name together with its notes, formula, intervals, root, bass note, and possible alternate names.
This is a reverse guitar chord lookup and chord name finder. Instead of choosing a name and receiving a diagram, you start with the shape or notes you are playing and ask: “What guitar chord is this?” The theory details help you check the answer.
- Identify a guitar chord from fret positions
- Include ringing open strings
- Exclude muted or unplayed strings
- Find a chord name from selected notes
- Check the root, bass, formula, and intervals
- Use the manual identifier without an account, microphone, or audio upload
Use the Guitar Chord Identifier
Reverse guitar chord lookup
Guitar Chord Identifier
Enter a guitar shape, fret positions, open strings, muted strings, or notes to identify the most likely chord name and understand the chord formula, notes, intervals, root, and bass note.
Note mode is useful when you already know the notes but not the chord name. Bass-note detection is clearest in fret-shape mode.
Manual chord identification does not require microphone access, audio upload, or account signup.
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How to Identify a Guitar Chord from Frets
Choose Fret shape when you know the position played on each string. The inputs follow standard guitar tuning from the thickest to the thinnest string: low E, A, D, G, B, and high E.
- Start with the low E string and work across all six strings.
- Select Open when a string rings without being fretted.
- Select the correct fret number when a string is pressed.
- Select Muted when a string does not sound.
- Choose Identify Chord.
- Check the detected notes before accepting the chord name.
Open and muted strings matter. A ringing open string adds a pitch to the chord; a muted string should not be included at all. Entering one unintended open string or choosing one fret incorrectly can create a different note set and produce a different result.
If the result looks wrong, select Clear and enter the shape again slowly. Confirm the string order, the fret on each sounding string, and every string that should be muted. The dedicated troubleshooting guide covers persistent input and result problems.
How to Find a Guitar Chord from Notes
Choose Select notes when you know the notes but not their shared chord name. For example, selecting C, E, and G gives the note set of a C-major triad. The tool compares your selection with supported chord formulas and proposes the most likely name.
Note mode is useful when you have worked out the pitches by ear, from notation, or from a fretboard reference. It works as a guitar chord namer when you have the notes but not a complete six-string fingering.
Fret-shape mode and note mode answer slightly different versions of the same question:
| Input mode | Best used when | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Fret shape | You know the exact guitar fingering | Preserves the lowest sounding note and bass context |
| Select notes | You know the pitch classes | Identifies the chord family without a full voicing |
When the lowest note matters, use fret-shape mode. A note-only set can show which chord family fits, but it does not describe exactly how the chord is voiced across the guitar strings.
Worked Example: Identify an Open G Chord
Suppose the shape you are playing is 320003, read from low E to high E:
| String | Low E | A | D | G | B | High E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fret | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Those frets produce G, B, D, G, B, and G. After repeated pitches are grouped, the chord contains the three pitch classes G, B, and D.
- Likely chord: G major
- Notes: G, B, D
- Formula: 1–3–5
- Intervals: root, major third, perfect fifth
- Root: G
- Bass: G
Measured from G, B is a major third and D is a perfect fifth. That creates the major-triad formula 1–3–5. The repeated G and B notes affect the voicing and sound, but they do not change the basic G-major identity. Because G is also the lowest sounding note, the chord is in root position rather than an inversion with another chord tone in the bass.
You can confirm the same chord family in note mode by selecting G, B, and D.
What the Chord Identifier Result Means
The first chord name is the quick answer, but the supporting fields explain why it fits. Use them to verify the result and understand shapes that are incomplete, inverted, or musically ambiguous.
| Result field | Meaning | How it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Likely chord | The supported name that best matches the entered notes | Gives you the leading answer for tabs, practice, or songwriting |
| Notes | The unique pitches produced by the selected frets or note buttons | Reveals an accidental open string or wrong fret |
| Formula | The interval pattern measured from the proposed root | Distinguishes major, minor, seventh, suspended, and other chord families |
| Root | The pitch that organizes and names the chord | Helps explain the chord’s harmonic identity |
| Bass | The lowest sounding pitch in the entered shape | Helps identify inversions and possible slash chords |
| Intervals | Each note’s relationship to the proposed root | Shows exactly which chord tones are present |
| Alternate names | Other supported interpretations of the same pitch-class set | Helps when key or progression context suggests another label |
Always check the Notes field first when the result surprises you. If the displayed notes do not match the strings you intended to play, correct the input before analyzing the chord name.
How the Guitar Chord Lookup Works
In fret-shape mode, the identifier converts every sounding string and fret into a pitch. Each fret raises the open-string pitch by one semitone. Open strings remain part of the note set, muted strings are ignored, and repeated notes are recognized as part of the voicing.
The resulting pitch classes are compared with supported interval formulas. A major triad uses 1–3–5, a minor triad uses 1–♭3–5, and a dominant seventh uses 1–3–5–♭7. The tool considers possible roots, reports the formula and intervals, and uses the lowest sounding pitch to provide bass-note context.
Chord names come from notes rather than visual shapes alone. The same chord can appear in several fretboard positions, and different-looking shapes can contain the same essential pitches. Learn the fret-to-pitch relationship with the guitar string notes guide or study guitar chord theory.
Why One Guitar Shape Can Have More Than One Chord Name
A chord identifier can produce a strong theory-based match, but notes do not always determine one exclusive label. The clearest name can depend on the root, bass, missing or added tones, key, and function inside a progression.
The bass note may differ from the root
The root is the pitch that names the chord. The bass is the lowest pitch that actually sounds. If a C-major chord has E in the bass, C/E may be more informative than C alone. Read about guitar chord inversions and slash chords for more examples.
Guitar voicings repeat or omit notes
Six strings do not always create six different pitches. Guitar shapes commonly repeat a root, third, or fifth, and practical voicings sometimes omit a chord tone. Repetition usually changes the texture more than the basic identity, while an omitted or added pitch can make the result less certain.
The progression can decide the best label
The surrounding chords often reveal how an ambiguous note set functions. The bass line, melody, key, and expected resolution can make one valid name easier to understand than another. Treat the result as the leading supported interpretation, then confirm it within the song.
The longer guide on how to identify guitar chords explains shape recognition, note analysis, and musical context in more depth.
Tips for More Reliable Chord Identification
- Enter only strings that actually sound. A lightly touched or intentionally skipped string should be marked Muted.
- Check low E to high E order. Reversing the string order changes both the notes and the bass.
- Use the correct fret number and verify the displayed notes. One fret changes a pitch by a semitone; the note list quickly exposes an input error.
- Use standard tuning for the fret controls. The interface is labeled E–A–D–G–B–E and does not show a capo or alternate-tuning selector.
- Use note mode when necessary. If a capo or different tuning changes the sounding pitches, select the actual notes.
- Compare alternate names with the song. Prefer the label that best explains the bass movement, key, and progression.
Guitar Chord Identifier FAQ
What guitar chord is this?
Enter the fret used on every sounding string, mark open strings as Open, and mark unplayed strings as Muted. Select Identify Chord to see the likely name, notes, formula, root, bass, intervals, and supported alternate names.
Can I identify a guitar chord from its fingering?
Yes. Use Fret shape mode and enter each string from low E to high E. This is the best way to find a guitar chord name when you know the exact shape and want the bass note preserved.
Can this chord name finder work from notes?
Yes. Use Select notes when you know the pitch classes but do not know the chord name. The tool compares the selected note set with supported formulas.
Do open strings count as part of a chord?
Yes. Every open string that rings contributes a note and can change the chord name. Select Open only when that string is genuinely part of the voicing.
Do muted strings count?
No. A muted or unplayed string does not contribute a sounding pitch, so it should be excluded by selecting Muted.
Why does the tool show another possible name?
The same pitch-class set can support several interpretations. Use the proposed root, bass note, song key, and surrounding chords to decide which name communicates the musical function most clearly.
Can it identify a guitar chord by sound?
No. The verified homepage tool uses manual fret-shape and note selection. It does not listen through a microphone or analyze an audio upload.
Does the fret input support alternate tunings or a capo?
The current inputs are labeled for standard E–A–D–G–B–E tuning and do not show a capo control. For another setup, work out the actual sounding pitches and use Select notes, or use a tool that explicitly supports that tuning and capo position.
Is the first result always the only correct chord name?
No. It is the leading supported match for the entered notes. Complex, incomplete, or context-dependent voicings may have another reasonable label. Verify the notes and consider the progression before choosing a final symbol.
For additional tool questions, visit the complete GuitarChordIdentifier FAQ.
Continue After You Find the Chord Name
Once you know the chord, choose the next resource based on what you want to do:
- Create a guitar chord diagram to turn a fingering into a visual reference.
- Play the chord when you want to hear a named chord.
- Compare guitar chord voicings to explore other shapes and registers for the same harmony.
- Build a chord progression to place the identified chord into a sequence for writing or practice.
These are separate follow-up tasks. For the broad reverse-lookup question—finding the name of an unknown guitar shape or note set—the homepage Guitar Chord Identifier remains the primary tool.