UK Road Signs

All 168 signs from the official theory test syllabus, explained in plain English and grouped the way the Highway Code groups them.

• Direction signs

  Direction signs are colour coded so you can tell at a glance which kind of road a route leads to: blue for motorways, green for primary routes, and white with a black border for other local roads. Brown signs point to tourist attractions and facilities, while yellow ones mark temporary diversions. None of them gives an order, but reading them early is what lets you be in the right lane before you need to be.

  30 signs

  

• Signs giving orders

  Signs giving orders are mostly circular. A red ring or red circle means something is prohibited, while a blue circle gives a positive instruction that must be followed. A few, such as the octagonal STOP sign and the inverted triangle give way sign, have their own shapes so they can still be recognised if the face is dirty or obscured. Disobeying a sign that gives an order is an offence, not just poor practice.

  48 signs

  

• Information signs

  Information signs are mostly rectangular. They do not give orders or warn of hazards; they tell you what kind of road you are on, what facilities lie ahead, and how the traffic around you is organised. Blue rectangles are used on motorways and for general information, while other colours follow the same conventions as the direction signs they sit alongside.

  24 signs

  

• Road works signs

  Road works signs are yellow or use temporary yellow backing so they stand out from the permanent signs around them, and while the works are in place they take priority over the normal signing and markings. They cover everything from advance warning of works a mile away to the boards carried on the back of the works vehicles themselves. Temporary speed limits shown in a red circle are legal limits, not advice.

  12 signs

  

• Warning signs

  Warning signs are mostly red-bordered triangles with a black symbol on a white background. They tell you what to expect further along the road so that you can adjust your speed and position before you reach the hazard. A warning sign never gives an order on its own, but ignoring one usually leads straight into a situation where the rules do apply.

  54 signs