How to identify a pill: a step-by-step guide

The quickest and most reliable way to identify a pill is by its imprint: the letters, numbers or logo pressed into or printed on it. Search the imprint together with the pill’s color and shape, compare the result with your pill, and confirm it with a pharmacist before anyone takes it.

Before you start

• Put the pill on a plain surface in good light. Use a dark surface for a white pill.
• Don’t cut, crush, wet or taste the pill to get a better look.
• If someone may already have swallowed it, stop here and call your local emergency number or poison center. In the US, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.

Step 1: Read the imprint on both sides

In the US, almost every prescription and over-the-counter tablet and capsule must carry an imprint. Together with the pill’s size, shape and color, it identifies the medicine, its strength and the company that made it. That makes it the best clue you have.

Turn the pill over. Many pills have letters on one side and numbers, a logo or a score line on the other. Write down everything you see, exactly as it appears.

If the imprint is hard to read:

• Shine a light from the side so the pressed letters cast shadows.
• Use your phone camera’s zoom as a magnifying glass.
• Note the characters you’re unsure of. 0 and O, 1 and I, 5 and S, and 8 and B are easy to mix up.

Step 2: Note the color and shape

Pick the main color. Capsules often have two colors, one on each half. The most common shapes are round, oval and capsule-shaped (long with rounded ends). If you have a ruler, measure the longest side in millimeters.

Step 3: Search

Type the imprint into our pill imprint search, with a space between the two sides. Add the color and shape if you get many results.

Can’t read the imprint? Start with color and shape instead, or use a photo to fill them in. If you have the bottle or box, a search by drug name or NDC code is quicker still.

Step 4: Compare every detail

Open the closest match and check that:

• the imprint matches exactly, on the same sides
• the color, shape and size match
• the score line, coating and any logo look the same

If two results look identical, compare their size and strength. Pills with the same imprint can come in different strengths, and some medicines are sold by several companies under the original maker’s imprint.

Step 5: Confirm with a pharmacist

A match is a strong clue, not a confirmation. Pharmacists identify pills regularly and will usually check one for free. Bring the pill in a sealed bag or small container, along with any bottle or packaging you found it with.

When a pill can’t be identified

Some pills won’t appear in any database: vitamins and supplements, medicines made outside the US, recently changed products and illegally made pills. Treat a pill with no imprint as unknown, and don’t take it. Our guide to pills with no imprint explains what to do.

Common questions

What is the most reliable way to identify a pill?

The imprint. Color and shape narrow the list, but many different medicines share the same color and shape. The imprint, checked together with color, shape and size, points to one medicine and strength.

Can I identify a pill without an imprint?

You can narrow it down by color, shape and size, but you can’t identify it safely. Ask a pharmacist to look at it, and don’t take it in the meantime.

Is it safe to take a pill once I’ve identified it?

Only if it was prescribed or recommended for you and a pharmacist has confirmed it. A pill found loose may be old, damaged or fake.

Does the identifier work for pills from outside the US?

Our pill data comes from US drug labels, so medicines sold only in other countries may not appear. A local pharmacist can identify them.