How many face shapes are there?

It depends on the chart. This guide and the detector on this site use seven: oval, oblong, round, square, heart, diamond and triangle. Other charts list fewer or more, and the names vary: oblong is also called long or rectangle, heart is sometimes called an inverted triangle, and triangle is also called pear-shaped. Whatever the names, the shapes are told apart by the same few measurements: face length, forehead, cheekbone and jaw width, plus the jaw corners and chin.

How do I measure my face shape at home?

Pull your hair back and face a mirror with your head level. Measure your face length from the center of the hairline to the bottom of the chin, then the width of your forehead at the brow line, your cheekbones at their widest and your jaw between its corners. Divide the length and the other two widths by the cheekbone width, and compare the results with a face shape chart. The free detector on this site does the same from one photo, in your browser.

Is one face shape better than the others?

No. A face shape describes proportions, not how good anyone looks, and every shape has haircuts, frames and necklines that suit it. Oval is often used as the reference shape in styling guides, which makes it a convenient starting point for advice, not a goal. Knowing your shape simply helps you choose styles that frame and balance your own proportions.

Can a face be between two face shapes?

Yes. The shapes are ranges, and a face can sit near the border of two, such as oval and oblong or round and square. When the top two are close, the detector on this site says "Between Oval and Oblong," for example, instead of forcing one label. In that case, read the guides for both shapes and use the suggestions from each that suit you.

Do men and women have the same face shapes?

Yes. The same seven shapes and the same measurements apply to every face, whatever your gender or style. What changes is the toolkit you use to work with your shape: haircuts, glasses, beard styles, makeup contour and accessories each come with their own suggestions, and you can pick whichever fit how you present.

Face Shapes: The 7 Types and How to Tell Yours

What a face shape is, and the four measurements behind it

Face shapes describe the outline of your face seen straight on: how long it is compared with how wide, and where it is widest. The names are shorthand for where a haircut, frame or neckline should add width or length.

Each shape comes down to four measurements, plus two details:

Length: from the center of the hairline to the chin.
Forehead width: straight across at the brow line.
Cheekbone width: at the widest point; the other widths are compared with it.
Jaw width: straight across between the jaw corners.
Jaw corners and chin: soft or angular corners, a narrow or broad chin.

Two faces of the same length can differ in shape, because width can sit high, middle or low.

Types of face shapes: all 7 at a glance

Charts disagree on how many types of face shapes there are. This face shape chart in words uses the same seven shapes and rules as the scanner on this page. The cut-offs are still being tuned on annotated test photos.

Oval

An oval face is 1.3 to 1.5 times as long as its cheekbone width, widest at the cheekbones, with a jaw no wider than the forehead and soft jaw corners. Its nearest look-alike, oblong, is longer and barely tapers. Most cuts, frames and necklines keep its balance, so choose by taste and upkeep; more on the oval face shape.

Oblong

An oblong face is at least 1.5 times as long as its cheekbone width, with forehead, cheekbones and jaw within about 10% of each other. Oval is shorter and tapers toward the jaw; some charts call oblong a long or rectangle face. Side volume, bangs and wider frames add width, with little height on top; see the oblong face shape.

Round

A round face is at most 1.25 times as long as its cheekbone width, widest at the cheekbones, with a jaw at least 0.8 times that width and soft corners. Square is similar in length but has angular jaw corners. Height at the crown, hair past the chin and straight-lined frames add length and angles; see the round face shape.

Square

A square face is at most 1.3 times as long as its cheekbone width, with a jaw at least 0.9 times that width and angular corners. The corners set it apart from round, and the shorter length from oblong. Layers, waves, rounded frames and hair that passes the jaw soften the corners; more on the square face shape.

Heart

A heart-shaped face has a forehead at least 0.95 times the cheekbone width, a jaw at most 0.8 times, and a narrow chin; some charts call it an inverted triangle. Diamond also narrows to the chin, but its forehead is narrow too. Fullness at the jaw, with bangs that cover part of the forehead, balances it; see the heart-shaped face.

Diamond

A diamond face is widest at the cheekbones, with forehead and jaw each at most 0.85 times the cheekbone width. Oval is also widest there, but its forehead is only a little narrower, so the outline curves more gently. Bangs and chin-length volume add width at the forehead and jaw, not the cheekbones; more on the diamond face shape.

Triangle

A triangle face, also called pear-shaped, has a jaw at least as wide as the cheekbones, which are wider than the forehead. Square shares the wide jaw, but its forehead is close to the same width. Volume on top and at the temples, with a light jaw area, balances it; see the triangle face shape.

How to find your face shape in a minute

You need a mirror and a soft tape measure, or a straight-on photo taken at eye level from arm's length.

Set up. Pull your hair off your forehead and jaw, keep your head level and relax your mouth.
Measure the length from the center of your hairline to the bottom of your chin.
Measure three widths: forehead at the brow line, cheekbones at their widest, jaw between its corners. Hold the tape straight, not around the curve.
Divide the length and the other two widths by the cheekbone width; on a photo, the units cancel out.
Compare with the chart above, including your jaw corners (soft or angular) and chin (narrow or broad).

Or let the face shape detector do the arithmetic. It places 478 landmark points on your face and applies the rules for all seven face shapes in your browser, so the photo is never uploaded. The free result also shows your length-to-width ratio, facial thirds, symmetry and a Harmony Score that describes geometry only. It is for adults 18 and over.

Why face shape charts and quizzes disagree

When a chart and a quiz point to different shapes, the cause is usually the photo or the chart, not your face:

Hair over the forehead or jaw covers the widths the shape depends on.
Head tilt up or down shortens the face in the photo, and turning even slightly narrows one side.
Smiling lifts the cheeks and widens the lower face, so it reads rounder.
Lens distortion. A phone held close enlarges the middle of the face and pulls the sides in.
Hairline or visible forehead. Charts start at the hairline; the detector's landmark mesh starts at the top of the visible forehead and estimates the hairline, so the raw length-to-width number on your result reads lower than hairline-based charts.
Faces between two shapes. Shapes are ranges, and a face near a border shares traits of both; the detector then names both rather than forcing one.
Different charts use different shape lists and names.

What your face shape is useful for, and what it is not

Your face shape tells you where to add width, length or softness, which helps with:

Hair: where to put volume and where a cut should end.
Glasses: frame shape, and width compared with your cheekbones. The glasses for face shape chart draws the frames to try and skip for all seven.
Beard: where to keep fullness and where to keep it short. The face shape men guide pairs each shape with a haircut, a beard and frames.
Makeup: where contour and highlight go.
Necklines, earrings and hats: which lines echo your outline and which balance it.
Photos: which camera height and head angle suit your outline.

Face shapes are not a verdict on anyone's looks, and no shape is better than another. Oval often serves as the reference shape in styling guides, a baseline for advice rather than a goal.

Face shapes are only part of the picture

Two faces with the same outline can still look quite different, because face shapes describe only the edge of the face. Inside that edge, the forehead, mid-face and lower face divide the length in their own way, the eyes sit closer together or further apart, and the two sides match more or less closely. That is why a cut suggested for your shape sometimes needs a small adjustment on you.

The detector measures some of this too. Your free result includes facial thirds and symmetry alongside the shape, and there is also an eye shape check that looks at the shape and tilt of your eyes, a useful guide for glasses, brows and eye makeup.

For other measurements, try the golden ratio face calculator or the face symmetry test; both measure geometry, not looks.

Updated 2026-09-26

Face shapes: the 7 types and how to tell yours

The 7 face shapes