The spade emoji ♠️ is the spades suit from a deck of playing cards. Beyond games, it is used as a symbol of asexuality, and sometimes in the phrase "call a spade a spade".
What does the spade emoji mean?
- The spades suit. Card games, poker nights, gambling and anything to do with playing cards. Emojipedia describes it as a spade symbol, as used for the spades suit in card games.
- Asexuality. Emojipedia notes it may also represent asexuality, because the ace of spades is used as an asexual symbol. A Reddit thread asking about ♠️🖤 in Twitter names gets the same answer: usually to show that someone is asexual. People in the community also put it in their bios.
- Speaking bluntly. Facebook's answer for this emoji points to "calling a spade a spade", meaning to tell the truth plainly.
- A dating-app code. One submission on our spade page says it is used to mean something specific in LGBTQ+ dating slang. We can't verify that, so read it as one person's account rather than a rule.
What does it mean when someone has ♠️ in their bio?
Most often it is either a card-game fan or a sign of asexual identity, especially when it appears with 🖤 or the ace emoji. If it matters, the rest of the bio will usually tell you.
The other card suits
Spade emoji facts
- Name: spade suit
- Looks like: a black, leaf-shaped symbol with a stalk at the bottom. EmojiTerra describes it the same way, and the colour can vary by platform.
- Apple: available from iOS 6.0
Have your own take on ♠️? Add it on the spade suit emoji page.