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Tap a core feeling to zoom in.
The wheel picture shows the same words as the buttons in the panel.
Start in the middle with the feeling that is closest, then move out to a word that fits more exactly. Or spin the wheel and talk about the word it lands on.
Core feelings
My words
Press "Add to my words" on any feeling to keep it here. Use it to name what you felt this week, then copy or print the list.
Nothing here is saved. When you close this page, your words are gone.
An educational aid to use with a therapist, teacher or parent. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose anything.
How to use the feelings wheel
The wheel has three rings. The middle holds seven core feelings: happy, calm, sad, angry, afraid, ashamed and surprised. Each ring going out names a more exact kind of the feeling inside it. So "afraid" leads to "insecure," and "insecure" leads to "jealous" or "vulnerable."
- Start in the middle. Pick the core feeling that is closest, even if it is only roughly right.
- Move out one ring. Which of these words fits better?
- Move out again if a word there fits. Stop wherever the word feels true. A middle ring word is a good answer.
- Say the whole path out loud: "I feel afraid. The insecure kind. The word is jealous."
More than one word can fit at once. Someone can feel proud and nervous about the same thing, and the wheel lets them keep both.
What the interactive feelings wheel does
- Zoom in. Tap a core feeling and the wheel opens up that family, so every word is big enough to read, even on a phone. Tap the middle to go back to the whole wheel.
- See the path. Pick any word to see where it sits, from the core feeling out, with a plain meaning and a question to talk about.
- Keep your words. Press "Add to my words" to collect the words that fit, then print the list or copy it as text.
- Play the feelings wheel game. Press "Spin the wheel." It lands on a word and asks a question: tell about a time you felt it, show it without words, or say how it differs from its core feeling.
Using the feelings wheel in therapy
- At a check-in, a client who says "bad" or "stressed" can narrow it down. Stressed might turn out to be overwhelmed, or it might be disrespected, and those call for different kinds of help.
- Before you teach a coping skill, name the exact feeling first, then pick a skill that fits it.
- With couples and families, have each person find their words about the same event, then compare. One person's angry is often the other person's hurt.
- In a group, spin the wheel and take turns answering the question.
- For homework, ask the client to collect a few words a day, then print or copy the list to bring to the next session. Nothing is saved, so remind them to do that before closing the page.
- Words like hopeless and worthless show a short note with 988 and 911 when someone picks them. They are worth a gentle follow-up in session too.
Want to work with how strong a feeling is rather than its exact name? The emotion wheel shows eight emotions from mild to strong, with their opposites.
Using it over telehealth
- Open this page before the session.
- Share your screen and press Present mode, so the wheel fills the screen in large print.
- Ask the client to name a core feeling, and tap it to zoom in. Read the words in that family aloud and let them choose. Or send them the link so they can tap on their own device.
- At the end, copy their words as text if you want them for your notes. They are never sent to us.
The feelings wheel with teens and kids
Teens often find the spin game easier than being asked straight out how they feel. Let them spin, answer the question themselves, then take a turn yourself. It keeps the talk light while still building the words.
Children from about 9 can use the wheel with an adult's help. Start with the seven core feelings only, and add the middle ring once those are familiar. Younger children usually do better with faces than with words: try the feelings chart, which has a kids version with twelve big faces.
Why exact feeling words help
Telling similar feelings apart is called emotion differentiation, or emotional granularity. A review of the research found that people who make finer distinctions between unpleasant feelings are less likely to fall back on harmful ways of coping under stress, such as binge drinking or lashing out, and that low differentiation is more common in depression and social anxiety (Kashdan, Barrett and McKnight, 2015). Simply putting a feeling into words can also take some of its edge off (Lieberman and colleagues, 2007). A wheel is a practical way to practice: it offers the words, then asks the person to choose.
Where the feelings wheel comes from
The best-known early feelings wheel was published by therapist Gloria Willcox in 1982 ("The Feeling Wheel"), and psychologist Robert Plutchik drew a different wheel of emotions around the same time. Many versions have followed. The wheel on this page is our own: our seven core feelings, our words and our meanings, written for therapy sessions. Its colors match the other feelings tools on this site, so sad is the same blue everywhere.
Feelings wheel words, ring by ring
All 89 words on the wheel, with what each one means. Core feelings are the headings, the middle ring is in bold, and the outer ring sits under each middle word.
Happy
Feeling good inside, like things are going well.
- Joyful: So happy it is hard to keep it in.
- delighted: Very pleased by something that just happened.
- cheerful: Bright and upbeat, and easy to be around.
- Proud: Good about something you did, or about someone you care about.
- accomplished: Like you finished something that took real effort.
- capable: Sure you have what it takes to handle this.
- Excited: Full of energy about something that is coming.
- thrilled: Excited in a big way, often all at once.
- giddy: So excited you feel silly or bubbly.
- Hopeful: Believing that something good can still happen.
- encouraged: Lifted by a sign that you are on the right track.
- looking forward: Glad about something that has not happened yet.
Calm
Settled and steady inside. Nothing feels urgent.
- Peaceful: Quiet inside, with nothing pulling at you.
- relaxed: Loose and easy in your body and your mind.
- at ease: Comfortable, with no need to be on guard.
- Content: Satisfied with how things are right now.
- satisfied: Like you have enough, or did enough.
- grateful: Thankful for something or someone.
- Safe: Okay and protected, with nothing you need to watch out for.
- secure: Steady, like the ground under you will hold.
- protected: Looked after by someone or something.
- Connected: Close to the people around you.
- loved: Cared about and wanted, just as you are.
- accepted: Welcome without having to change who you are.
Sad
Low or heavy, often after losing something or someone.
- Lonely: Wanting to be close to others and feeling apart from them.
- left out: Not included when other people are.
- homesick: Missing home, or the people and places you know.
- Hurt: Pain inside from something someone said or did.
- rejected: Pushed away, or not chosen.
- betrayed: Hurt by someone you trusted.
- let down: Disappointed when someone or something did not come through.
- Grieving: Sad about a loss, and missing what is gone.
- heartbroken: Hurting deeply over a loss, or a love that ended.
- missing someone: Wishing a person were here with you.
- Empty: Like something is missing inside, and little feels worth it.
- numb: Feeling very little, or cut off from your feelings.
- hopeless: Sure that things will not get better.
Angry
A hot, strong feeling when something seems unfair or wrong.
- Frustrated: Stuck, because something keeps getting in the way.
- stuck: Like nothing you try is working.
- fed up: Out of patience after it happened too many times.
- Irritated: Bothered by something that keeps happening.
- annoyed: A little bothered. Small, but it nags at you.
- impatient: Tired of waiting and wanting it to happen now.
- Disrespected: Treated as if you do not matter.
- insulted: Stung by something said or done to you.
- belittled: Made to feel small or less than others.
- Disgusted: Strongly turned off by something or someone.
- grossed out: Wanting to pull away from something unpleasant.
- sickened: So bothered by something wrong that you feel it in your stomach.
Afraid
Feeling in danger, or that something bad might happen.
- Anxious: Uneasy about what might happen, sometimes without knowing why.
- worried: Thinking again and again about what could go wrong.
- nervous: Jittery and unsure before something new or important.
- Overwhelmed: Too much at once. It is hard to know where to start.
- stressed: Under pressure, with more to handle than feels possible.
- frazzled: Worn thin and scattered from doing too much.
- Insecure: Unsure of yourself, or of where you stand with others.
- jealous: Afraid of losing someone or something to another person.
- vulnerable: Open to being hurt, without your usual armor.
- Scared: Afraid of something that feels close and real right now.
- terrified: So scared you want to freeze or run.
- panicky: Hit by fear so fast that your body races.
Ashamed
Feeling that something is wrong with you, not only with what happened.
- Embarrassed: Wanting to hide after something felt awkward in front of others.
- awkward: Uncomfortable and unsure how to act.
- self-conscious: Very aware of how other people might see you.
- Guilty: Bad about something you did, and wishing you could undo it.
- regretful: Wishing you had made a different choice.
- apologetic: Wanting to say sorry and make it right.
- Inadequate: Like you do not measure up.
- not good enough: Sure that others are doing better than you.
- worthless: Like you have no value. A feeling, not a fact.
- Humiliated: Made to feel foolish or small in front of others.
- exposed: Like others can see something you wanted to keep private.
- mocked: Laughed at or made fun of.
Surprised
Caught off guard by something you did not expect.
- Amazed: Surprised in a good way, by something bigger than you expected.
- in awe: Struck by something vast, skilled or beautiful.
- impressed: Surprised by how well someone did something.
- Confused: Not sure what is going on or what to do next.
- puzzled: Trying to work out something that does not add up.
- torn: Pulled between two choices, or two feelings.
- Shocked: Hit hard by something sudden, often bad news.
- stunned: So surprised you cannot think or move for a moment.
- shaken: Unsteady inside after something jolted you.
Feelings wheel PDF
The free PDF has four pages: the full-color feelings wheel, a blank wheel to color in, and two pages with every word and its meaning. Print the color wheel for an office wall or a client's folder. The blank wheel makes a good activity: color each family, then circle the words you felt this week. It is free to print and share.
