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A practical guide to stool form
From hard lumps to watery stools, the chart gives you a shared language for describing what you see. Start with the closest match, then consider comfort, frequency and changes over time.
A description of stool form—not a diagnosis or a score of your overall health.
Compare shape and consistency
These illustrations are guides, not exact templates. Stool can fall between types or vary from one bowel movement to the next. [1,2]
Small, firm pieces that stay separate, like nuts.
Can fit a constipation pattern, especially with straining or difficult passage. Shape alone does not grade its severity.
A joined, sausage-like shape with a lumpy surface.
May also fit constipation. Describe discomfort and how easily it passes rather than calling it mild from appearance alone.
A formed, sausage-like stool with surface cracks.
Often within the usual range. Comfort and your own pattern still matter; cracks do not measure hydration.
A soft, continuous shape with a smooth surface.
Often easy to pass. This shape does not prove that diet, digestion or the microbiome is healthy.
Separate soft pieces with well-defined edges.
An occasional softer stool can occur. This type alone does not establish diarrhea or a lack of fiber.
Loose, fluffy pieces that do not hold a clear shape.
Consider whether this is new, frequent or accompanied by urgency, pain or other symptoms.
Liquid stool without a formed shape.
Repeated watery stools need attention to fluid loss. This image cannot tell you the cause or severity of an illness.
Hard stools can accompany constipation; loose or watery stools can accompany diarrhea. Symptoms, frequency and duration complete the picture. [3,4]
Choose the closest shape and consistency. If one bowel movement contains different forms, note both instead of forcing a single perfect match.
Note frequency, straining, urgency, pain and any recent change in food or medicines. A type number is more useful alongside what you actually experienced.
A short record can help you explain a change at an appointment. You do not need to inspect or photograph every stool, and tracking should not increase worry.
This guide is written for adults. Babies and children need age-appropriate interpretation and advice.
Use symptoms to decide what to do next, rather than waiting for a particular type number.
Seek urgent care for severe abdominal pain, heavy bleeding, fainting or marked dehydration. Blood or black, tarry stools, persistent vomiting, or pain with inability to pass gas need prompt medical assessment. [3,4]
Discuss a persistent unexplained change, unintended weight loss or recurring difficult stools. Adults with diarrhea lasting more than two days should contact a clinician sooner if symptoms are concerning. [3,4]
Do not wait for an app result if you feel seriously unwell.
CleverPoop estimates the visible stool type from a photo and helps you keep a record. Lighting, water, angle and mixed stool forms can affect the estimate.
A photo cannot diagnose a condition, confirm bleeding, measure nutrient absorption or assess the health of your microbiome. Use the result as a description to discuss, not a replacement for care.
Read how your information is handled before uploading a photo. Privacy policy
It is often a comfortable, well-formed stool, but no type proves overall health. Blood, pain or a persistent change still deserve attention even with formed stools.
No. A soft stool alone does not establish diarrhea. How often you go, whether this differs from your usual pattern and other symptoms matter. [4]
Yes. Hard stools, difficult passage and incomplete emptying can be part of constipation even when you go regularly. [3]
Describe the change and its context. Do not change several foods or start a treatment just to chase one number. Seek advice if it persists or comes with concerning symptoms.
No. It describes shape and consistency. Color is a separate observation, and a photo or type number cannot reliably rule out bleeding.
Content updated:
An educational guide based on the sources below; not an individual medical assessment.
Use CleverPoop to estimate a visible stool type and record changes over time.
The gallery contains real stool photographs.
Get the CleverPoop app to make stool tracking part of your routine and keep changes over time in view.
