Feelings Wheel (Free Printable PDF): Name What You Are Feeling in Under a Minute

About this tool

A feelings wheel is a visual guide to emotion words that helps you describe an experience when you feel stuck with broad labels such as bad or fine. This free wheel of emotions PDF gives adults a labeled guide and a blank printable for finding words that fit. For more words in a format you can scan, explore our list of emotions and feelings. A feelings wheel groups emotion words in three rings so you can explore what you feel. This adult version starts with Happy, Sad, Afraid, Angry, Surprised, and Disgusted. Each core branches into middle words and then related outer words. Read outward for more choices, or start with any word that fits. You can name several feelings at once, and you do not need to reach the outer ring.

Gloria Willcox described The Feeling Wheel in the Transactional Analysis Journal in 1982 as a tool for recognizing and communicating feelings. Her three-ring format and Robert Plutchik's work on relationships among emotions inform the idea of using a wheel. Plutchik's model describes eight primary emotions, their intensity, and their combinations; it is a different arrangement from the vocabulary guide on this page (Willcox, 1982; Plutchik, 2001).

Naming an emotion is called affect labeling. In a brain-imaging experiment, Lieberman and colleagues (2007) found that labeling negative emotional images was associated with a smaller amygdala response than comparison tasks. This offers a reason to explore naming feelings, but it does not show that this wheel will make you feel calmer or treat a mental health condition. A useful label can also give you clearer language for a conversation.

Psychology.com's wheel uses an original selection and arrangement of words. Its six cores follow the familiar Ekman lineage, with Happy as an everyday label for enjoyment (Paul Ekman Group, Universal Emotions). The middle and outer groupings are editorial vocabulary choices, not categories established by that research. They include related experiences and responses, and some words could fit more than one family. This is a starting point for reflection, not a complete map of emotion or a validated assessment.

The feelings wheel PDF download on this page is free, includes both the labeled wheel and the blank version in one file, and needs no email or signup. It is designed for adults, using words like disheartened and indignant rather than simpler child vocabulary. If you want an option for kids, a shorter Feelings Chart with basic words may fit better. Before printing, check the print preview so the outside words stay within the page margins. If small labels are difficult to read, use the on-page text lists and write your chosen words on the blank version. You can keep the labeled sheet as a reference without marking every feeling you recognize.

After choosing a word, separate the feeling from the explanation you give it. For example, you might write, "I feel lonely after my friend canceled," while leaving open why they canceled. Then name a practical need, such as company, rest, or clarification. The completed wheel is a record of your description at that moment; it has no score, cutoff, or required emotional destination.

If finding a precise label feels difficult, write a body sensation or an everyday phrase beside the wheel and return when you feel ready. You can bring that description to a therapist without completing the page. Psychology.com's therapist directory can help you look for support when feelings interfere with sleep, relationships, or daily responsibilities. The Anxiety Test is a separate screening option if persistent worry is part of what you are noticing. Explore the free tools library for other exercises you can use alongside this printable.

Reviewed by Kalen D. Zeiger, PhD, LMFT, EMDRPT-II, CCTP, CFTP
Review scope: emotion vocabulary, the distinction between affect-labeling research and this original arrangement, and educational use. This wheel is not a validated assessment.

References

1. Willcox G. The Feeling Wheel: A tool for expanding awareness of emotions and increasing spontaneity and intimacy. Transactional Analysis Journal. 1982;12(4):274-276. https://doi.org/10.1177/036215378201200411
2. Plutchik R. The nature of emotions. American Scientist. 2001;89(4):344-350. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27857503
3. Lieberman MD, Eisenberger NI, Crockett MJ, Tom SM, Pfeifer JH, Way BM. Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science. 2007;18(5):421-428. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x
4. Paul Ekman Group. Universal emotions. https://www.paulekman.com/universal-emotions/ Accessed September 8, 2026.

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