Triangle Face Shape
A triangle (pear) face is wider at the jaw and narrower through the forehead.
Quick answer
Widest at the jaw, narrowest at the forehead.
A triangle face, also called pear, is widest through the jaw and narrows towards the forehead. Your jaw is close to the width of your cheekbones or wider, and your forehead is the narrowest of the three widths. Styling a triangle face brings width up: volume at the temples and crown, and frames with a strong or upswept top line.
Check your shape from a photoHow to recognise a triangle face shape
Look straight at a mirror or a front-facing photo with your hair pulled back from your temples. Then check four things, starting at the jaw and working up.
The mirror checklist
- Your jaw is the widest part of your face.
- Your forehead is narrower than your jaw.
- Your jaw corners are full and wide rather than sharply angled.
- Your face narrows as it rises from jaw to temples.
If all four hold, triangle is your likely shape. If your forehead looks almost as wide as your jaw, read the square comparison below.
Hair or a beard at the jaw adds width right where a triangle face is already widest, and a fringe hides how narrow the forehead is. Before you decide, compare a photo taken with your hair tucked behind your ears.
How the face shape detector reads a triangle face
The face shape detector places 468 landmarks on your face and scores each of the seven shapes against published rules. The detector's main triangle rule looks for a very open, soft jaw angle (144° or wider) with a forehead at least 0.74 of cheekbone width. A second, narrower rule matches the classic pear pattern: jaw 0.88 to 0.90 of cheekbone width with a forehead 0.69 or less, alongside a jaw angle of 137° or wider, a chin angle of 112° to 117° and a length 1.17 to 1.20 times cheekbone width.
In plain terms, only the second rule describes a jaw close to cheekbone width under a clearly narrower forehead; the main rule centres on a soft jaw corner, and the mirror checklist above describes the shape rather than the detector. Meeting either rule adds to the triangle score rather than settling the result alone, which is why a close call can name two shapes. A triangle score also stops oval scoring, and a strong one sets heart to zero.
These ratios come from landmarks on a photo, not a tape measure; use the calculator if you're measuring by hand. It has its own reference numbers for tape readings.
Triangle or square? Triangle or heart?
Triangle's closest neighbour is square, and its mirror image is heart. In the mirror, the forehead separates it from each; the detector leans on the jaw and chin angles.
Triangle or square
Both shapes have a wide jaw, so jaw width alone can't tell them apart. In the mirror, your forehead decides it: on a triangle face it is clearly narrower than the jaw. In the detector, the jaw angle decides it: square scores at 136.5° or tighter, and both triangle rules need 137° or wider. Square keeps forehead and jaw close to the same width, so the face reads as a box rather than a taper. The jaw corners give you a second check. A square jaw shows a visible corner below each ear, while triangle corners are full rather than sharply angled. If your forehead stays nearly as wide as your jaw, read the square face shape guide.
Triangle or heart
Heart is the inverse taper. It is widest at the top and narrows to a pointed chin, which the detector's strongest heart condition looks for at a chin angle of 100° or tighter. Triangle is widest at the bottom. In the detector, the chin separates them on triangle's narrower rule, which looks for 112° to 117°, and a strong main-rule triangle score sets heart to zero. If your forehead is your widest point, read the heart face shape guide.
FaceAuraAI doesn't have a dedicated triangle comparison page yet; the square and heart pages each explain their side of the difference.
Hair direction for a triangle face
Bring width up: volume at the temples and crown, and frames with a strong or upswept top line. Every cut below adds width or height above the cheekbones and keeps weight off the jaw.
Women's cuts
- Volume at the crownTop volume balances a wider jaw.
- Layers starting above the jawWidth in the upper face keeps the jaw from dominating the outline.
- Pixie with volume at the templesWidth at the temples balances the jaw, which a short cut would otherwise leave as the widest line.
- Tapered crop with side partA side part and upper-face volume draw attention up from a wide jaw.
The women's haircuts for a triangle face guide has photos and more options.
Men's cuts
- Quiff or extra height on top. Height at the crown counters a jaw that reads widest.
- Longer top, tighter sides. A taller top and tight sides shift the balance upward.
The men's haircuts for a triangle face guide covers fades, lengths and styling.
What to avoid
If your aim is balance, skip heavy volume at the jaw and one-length cuts that sit on the chin. Both put the most hair at the widest part of your face. The same goes for any style that builds heavy width along the jaw line. These are styles to skip for that goal; a jaw-length cut is still yours to wear if you like the look.
The hairstyle recommender ranks these cuts against your own measurements, including how your forehead compares with your jaw.
Glasses for a triangle face
Frames with weight along the top rim suit a triangle face, because they add width at the forehead, the narrowest part. All four catalog picks share that strong upper line.
- Cat-eyeWeight at the top balances a wider jaw. It is listed as a women's frame.
- BrowlineA strong upper rim fills a narrower forehead. It is listed as a men's frame.
- AviatorA wider top edge counters jaw width.
- WayfarerA bold brow line draws attention up.
Skip frames weighted towards the bottom rim, which add more width at the jaw. For bridge fit and frame width, see glasses for your face shape. To rank frames against your measurements, use the glasses finder. For more examples, read the best glasses for a triangle face.
Beard direction (if you grow one)
On a triangle face, a beard works best when its density sits high on the cheeks rather than at the jaw corners. Fuller cheeks, tapered jaw puts density on the upper cheeks to balance a wider jaw. Stubble with faded jaw corners fades the corners to soften the width. Avoid heavy beard density at the jaw corners with bare cheeks; the jaw reads wider. The men's face shape guide covers beards for every shape.
Celebrities with a triangle face
Looking at how stylists build crown volume and choose top-weighted frames for people who share your shape is a practical way to collect ideas before a salon visit. Browse celebrities with a triangle face shape.
Earrings and hats
Studs and small hoops at the upper ear draw attention up. Skip heavy drops that sit at the widest part of the jaw, which add weight along your widest line.
For hats, structured crowns and brims that sit above the brow balance a wide jaw. Avoid floppy brims that add width at the chin.
If you're between two shapes
Many faces sit near the line between two shapes. When your forehead, cheekbone and jaw widths fall close to that line, the face shape detector names both and shows how close you are to each.
Triangle's main neighbour is square, which shares the wide jaw but keeps a wider forehead. In the detector, triangle can also sit near round, because the main rule's very open jaw angle overlaps round's soft jaw, or near oval, because the narrower rule's length band overlaps oval's.
Use a blended result to combine advice. "Mostly triangle, some square" means the square guide's side part works alongside this page's crown volume.
Not sure if you have a triangle face shape?
Upload a front-facing photo and the face shape detector compares your jaw and forehead widths with your cheekbone width, then tells you whether you read as triangle, with a confidence label and the reasons behind it. Landmarks are found in your browser first, and your photo isn't stored.
Check with the face shape detector
Frequently asked questions
Is a triangle face the same as a pear face?
Yes. Triangle and pear are two names for the same face shape: wider at the jaw and narrower through the forehead. FaceAuraAI uses triangle for this page and for the detector result, and mentions pear so that either search lands in the same place.
Is a pear face shape related to a pear body shape?
No. The pear body silhouette describes how shoulders, waist and hips compare, and a separate tool measures it. A pear face describes how your forehead and jaw widths compare with your cheekbones. Your face shape and your body silhouette are independent of each other.
Is a triangle face rare?
FaceAuraAI doesn't publish how often each shape appears yet, so we can't say whether triangle is rarer than other shapes. We'll only publish counts with a documented sample window and stated biases. The face shape statistics page explains the policy.
How is a triangle face different from a square face?
Look at the forehead. Both shapes have a wide jaw, but a triangle forehead is clearly narrower than the jaw, while a square forehead stays close to the jaw's width. Square jaw corners are also sharper, and that jaw angle is what the detector uses: 136.5° or tighter for square, 137° or wider for both triangle rules. The square face shape guide covers the other side.
How is a triangle face different from a heart face?
They taper in opposite directions. A triangle face is widest at the jaw; a heart face is widest at the top and narrows to a pointed chin. In the detector, heart's strongest condition is a chin of 100° or tighter, and a strong triangle score sets heart to zero. See the heart face shape guide.
Which haircuts suit a triangle face?
Cuts that add width above the cheekbones. Volume at the crown and a pixie with volume at the temples balance the jaw, and for shorter men's styles, a quiff or extra height on top does the same. See the women's triangle haircut guide and the men's triangle haircut guide.
Which glasses suit a triangle face?
Frames with a strong top line. Aviator and wayfarer frames suit a triangle face, and a cat-eye or a browline adds weight at the brow, depending on which you prefer. Skip frames weighted towards the bottom rim, which add more width at the jaw.
Why did the detector say triangle with medium or lower confidence?
Triangle often scores close to square when your jaw angle sits near the 136.5° to 137° line, or close to round when a soft jaw meets a shorter face. The photo may also have held the read back: hair or a beard at the jaw, a fringe hiding forehead width, or a head turn. It's an honest result, not an error. A straight-on photo in even light with your hair tucked back usually firms it up.
