Pattern comparisons
Many patterns look alike but mean different things, or mean the same thing at a different scale. Each comparison shows both diagrams, the differences that matter, and how to tell them apart on a real chart.
Chart patterns
Head and Shoulders vs Double TopBoth are bearish reversal patterns that form after an advance and confirm on a break of support. A double top has two peaks at roughly the same height. A head and shoulders has three, with the middle one clearly higher, so it shows one extra failed attempt by buyers before the break.Double Top vs Triple TopA triple top is a double top with one more failed test of the same high. Both are bearish reversals that confirm when price closes below the lows between the peaks. The third test makes the resistance more obvious, but it also means the pattern takes longer to form and more traders are watching the same level.Double Bottom vs Inverse Head and ShouldersBoth are bullish reversals that form after a decline and confirm on a break above resistance. A double bottom has two troughs at roughly the same level. An inverse head and shoulders has three, with the middle trough clearly deepest, showing sellers made one last lower low before failing.Rising Wedge vs Ascending TriangleBoth have rising lows, which is why they get confused. The difference is the upper line. An ascending triangle has flat resistance, so buyers keep pressing into the same level and the usual expectation is a break up. A rising wedge has resistance that also rises, but more slowly than support, so each push higher gains less ground and the usual expectation is a break down.Falling Wedge vs Descending TriangleBoth have falling highs. A descending triangle has flat support, so sellers keep pressing into the same floor and the usual expectation is a break down. A falling wedge has support that also falls, but more slowly than resistance, so each new low gains less ground and the usual expectation is a break up.Rising Wedge vs Falling WedgeThey are mirror images. In both, the two lines slope the same way and converge, which shows momentum fading in the direction of the slope. A rising wedge slopes up and usually resolves down. A falling wedge slopes down and usually resolves up.Ascending Triangle vs Descending TriangleThey are mirror images. An ascending triangle has flat resistance and rising lows: buyers are paying more each time while sellers hold one level. A descending triangle has flat support and falling highs: sellers accept less each time while buyers hold one level. The usual expectation is a break through the flat side.Symmetrical Triangle vs Bullish PennantA pennant looks like a small symmetrical triangle, but it follows a sharp, almost vertical move (the flagpole) and is short-lived. A symmetrical triangle can form anywhere, takes longer, and has no built-in direction. A pennant's bias is the direction of the flagpole.Bull Flag vs Bullish PennantBoth are bullish continuation patterns that follow a sharp rally. The difference is the pause. A bull flag drifts down or sideways between two parallel lines. A bullish pennant tightens between two converging lines. The flagpole, the confirmation and the usual target are the same.Bull Flag vs Bear FlagThey are the same pattern pointing opposite ways. A bull flag is a sharp rally followed by a small pause that drifts down, with a break up expected. A bear flag is a sharp drop followed by a small pause that drifts up, with a break down expected.Cup and Handle vs Rounding BottomBoth are gradual, U-shaped bullish patterns. A cup and handle adds a small pullback (the handle) near the old high before the breakout, which gives a tighter level to watch. A rounding bottom is just the U, usually after a long decline, and confirms on a break above the level where it started.Ascending Channel vs Rising WedgeBoth slope upwards. In an ascending channel the lines run parallel, which describes a steady uptrend that traders can trade within. In a rising wedge the lines converge, so each new high gains less ground, and the usual read is that the advance is running out of steam.Tweezer Bottom vs Double BottomBoth describe the same low being defended twice. A tweezer bottom does it in two consecutive candles with matching lows. A double bottom does it over many candles, with a rally between the two lows and a confirmation level at the top of that rally. A tweezer bottom is a quick signal; a double bottom is a larger structure with a clear breakout level.Double Top vs Double BottomThey are mirror images. A double top is two failed attempts at the same high after an advance, and it is bearish once price closes below the low between them. A double bottom is two defended lows after a decline, and it is bullish once price closes above the high between them.Bull Flag vs Rising WedgeA bull flag is a short pause after a sharp rally that drifts down or sideways, and it usually resolves upwards. A rising wedge slopes up with converging lines, showing each push higher gaining less ground, and it usually resolves downwards. The easiest tell is the slope of the pause: flags lean against the move, wedges lean with it.Bull Flag vs Falling WedgeBoth are bullish and both can drift downwards, which is why they are easy to mix up. A bull flag has parallel lines and must follow a sharp rally. A falling wedge has converging lines, can form after a long decline or as a pullback in an uptrend, and shows selling pressure fading.Bull Flag vs Ascending TriangleBoth are bullish and both usually break upwards. A bull flag is a short, downward-drifting channel right after a sharp rally. An ascending triangle has flat resistance and rising lows, so buyers press repeatedly into the same level until it breaks.Rising Wedge vs Bear FlagBoth slope upwards and both usually resolve downwards. A bear flag is a short, parallel bounce right after a sharp drop. A rising wedge has converging lines, can form after a long advance or as a weak rally in a downtrend, and shows buying pressure running out.Rising Wedge vs Bullish PennantBoth have converging lines, so they can look alike on a small scale. A bullish pennant is a small, roughly symmetrical pause right after a sharp rally, and it usually breaks up. A rising wedge has both lines sloping up, usually takes longer, and usually breaks down.
Candlestick patterns
Hammer vs Hanging ManThey are the same shape: a small body near the top of the range and a long lower wick. The only difference is where it appears. After a decline it is a hammer, a sign buyers rejected lower prices. After an advance it is a hanging man, a warning that sellers were able to push price sharply lower during the session.Hammer vs Inverted HammerBoth appear after a decline and have a bullish bias. A hammer has a long lower wick: sellers pushed price down and buyers drove it back up. An inverted hammer has a long upper wick: buyers tried to push higher but could not hold it. The hammer is usually treated as the stronger of the two because it closed near its high.Shooting Star vs Inverted HammerThey are the same shape: a small body near the bottom and a long upper wick. After an advance it is a shooting star, showing buyers pushed higher and were rejected. After a decline it is an inverted hammer, an early sign buyers are testing higher prices.Doji vs Spinning TopBoth show indecision. A doji opens and closes at or very near the same price, so it has almost no body. A spinning top has a small but visible body with wicks on both sides. A doji is a more extreme stalemate; a spinning top is a milder one.Dragonfly Doji vs HammerBoth have a long lower wick and little or no upper wick, and both are read as bullish after a decline. A hammer has a small body near the top of the range. A dragonfly doji has no real body at all: it opened, fell, and closed back at or near the open and the high.Gravestone Doji vs Shooting StarBoth have a long upper wick and little or no lower wick, and both are read as bearish after an advance. A shooting star has a small body near the bottom of the range. A gravestone doji has no real body: it rallied, then closed back at or near the open and the low.Bullish Engulfing vs Bullish HaramiBoth are two-candle bullish patterns after a decline, but they are opposites in structure. In a bullish engulfing, a large green body completely covers the previous red body, showing buyers took over. In a bullish harami, a small green body sits inside the previous large red body, showing selling has paused rather than reversed.Piercing Line vs Bullish EngulfingBoth follow a red candle in a decline with a strong green candle. In a piercing line, the green candle closes above the midpoint of the red body but not above its open. In a bullish engulfing, the green body covers the whole red body. Engulfing shows a more complete takeover by buyers.Morning Star vs Bullish Abandoned BabyBoth are three-candle bullish reversals: a large red candle, a small middle candle, then a large green candle. An abandoned baby is a rarer, stricter version where the middle candle is a doji that gaps away from the candles on both sides, leaving it isolated.Morning Star vs Evening StarThey are mirror images. A morning star forms after a decline: a large red candle, a small candle, then a large green candle closing well into the first candle's body. It is bullish. An evening star forms after an advance with the colours reversed, and it is bearish.Doji vs HammerA doji opens and closes at almost the same price, so it has almost no body, and on its own it shows indecision. A hammer has a small but real body near the top of its range and a long lower wick, and after a decline it shows buyers rejected lower prices. A dragonfly doji sits between the two: a doji with a long lower wick.Doji vs Shooting StarA doji has almost no body and on its own only shows indecision. A shooting star has a small body near the bottom of its range and a long upper wick, and after an advance it shows buyers pushed higher and were rejected. A gravestone doji sits between them: a doji with a long upper wick.Doji vs Long-Legged DojiBoth open and close at or near the same price. A standard doji can have short wicks and simply shows a quiet, balanced session. A long-legged doji has long wicks on both sides, showing price swung widely in both directions before settling where it started: a bigger, more volatile stalemate.
Market structure and smart money concepts
CHoCH vs BOSBoth describe price breaking a swing point, but in opposite directions relative to the trend. A break of structure (BOS) is with the trend: a new higher high in an uptrend or a new lower low in a downtrend, confirming continuation. A change of character (CHoCH) is against the trend: the first break of the swing that kept the trend intact, an early warning it may be reversing.Fair Value Gap vs Order BlockBoth come from smart money concepts and both mark areas price may revisit after a strong move. An order block is a candle: the last opposite-coloured candle before the move. A fair value gap is a space: the gap between the first and third candles' wicks inside a fast three-candle move. They often sit next to each other, with the order block at the start of the move and the gap just above or below it.Order Block vs Supply and Demand ZonesBoth mark the place a strong move started, on the idea that unfilled orders may remain there. An order block is precise: the last opposite-coloured candle before the move. A supply or demand zone is usually wider: the whole small consolidation, or base, before the move.
Educational content only, not financial advice. Chart patterns describe probabilities, not certainties, and every pattern can fail. See our disclaimer.