Table of contents

What is the WordPress template hierarchy? The core logic behind the hierarchy Template hierarchy breakdown by page type Visualizing the hierarchy Using template parts for reusable code Best practices for working with the hierarchy Getting started

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WordPress Guide → Development → Template Hierarchy

WordPress template hierarchy explained for new developers

A man looking thoughtfully at a laptop screen.

If you’re building or customizing themes, understanding WordPress’ template hierarchy is essential. It’s the system WordPress uses to decide which PHP file to load when rendering a given page. Once you understand the logic, you can build custom templates that match specific content types, categories, or even post slugs—without writing extra conditional code.

Let’s break it all down and walk through exactly how it works.

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What is the WordPress template hierarchy?

WordPress doesn’t just randomly choose which template file to use—it follows a strict hierarchy. This system checks the context of the current request (like a single post, a page, a category archive, etc.) and selects the most specific matching template available in your theme folder.

If it doesn’t find a file that fits perfectly, it falls back to more general ones until it reaches index.php, the default catch-all.

Example: Someone visits a category archive for “News.” WordPress looks for:

category-news.php (matches category slug)
category-7.php (matches category ID)
category.php (generic category template)
archive.php (general archive template)
index.php (fallback for everything)

The core logic behind the hierarchy

WordPress determines the type of query being requested based on the URL or internal logic. It could be:

A static front page
A blog post listing
A single post or page
An archive for a category, tag, or author
A custom post type
A search result or 404 page

For each of these, WordPress checks the most specific template, then falls back layer by layer.

Let’s break it down with real file names.

Template hierarchy breakdown by page type

Each of these sections explains the hierarchy in order, from most specific to most general.

Front page

If you’ve set a static front page in Settings > Reading:

front-page.php
page-{slug}.php
Page.php
singular.php
index.php

If your homepage is the blog listing:

home.php
index.php

Single post

For standard blog posts:

single-post.php
single.php
singular.php
index.php

Custom post type (CPT)

For example, if you register a post type called event:

single-event.php
single.php
singular.php
index.php

Static page

For individual pages:

page-about.php (matches slug)
page-42.php (matches ID)
page.php
singular.php
index.php

Category archive

When visiting a category archive:

category-news.php
category-7.php
category.php
archive.php
index.php

Tag archive

For tag pages:

tag-deals.php
tag-9.php
tag.php
archive.php
index.php

Author archive

For author profile pages:

author-johndoe.php
author-3.php
author.php
archive.php
index.php

Date archive

For year/month/day archive URLs:

date.php
archive.php
index.php

Search results

For search result pages:

search.php
index.php

404 error

If no content matches the query:

404.php
index.php

Visualizing the hierarchy

The hierarchy isn’t something you need to memorize completely. One of the most helpful resources is the WordPress template hierarchy diagram, a flowchart-style overview of how WordPress picks templates.

You can also use tools like What The File (a browser extension) to inspect which template is being used on a live site.

Using template parts for reusable code

While the template hierarchy picks the main file, you can use get_template_part() to include reusable components inside those files. For example:

<?php get_template_part(‘partials/content’, get_post_type()); ?>

This will include partials/content-post.php or partials/content-event.php based on the post type.

It’s great for modularizing your theme—headers, footers, navigation, loops, and more can live in separate files, making your code cleaner and easier to manage.

Best practices for working with the hierarchy

Always include index.php in your theme—it’s the final fallback.
Use specific templates when you want full control over layout or logic.
Keep your template folder organized with subfolders like partials/ or template-parts/.
When working with custom post types or taxonomies, match your file names to their slugs.

Next steps for mastering the WordPress template hierarchy

The template hierarchy is the foundation for building dynamic, well-organized themes in WordPress. Once you understand how it works, you can take full control over how your content looks and behaves on the front end.

To put this knowledge into practice, start editing or building your own theme. Try customizing category templates, creating a unique homepage, or splitting your layout into modular template parts.

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