---
title: "Emoji rating scale: 1-3 and 1-5 faces in a survey"
description: "What an emoji rating scale is, when faces beat numbers, 3-point and 5-point versions and how an emoji scale looks and is scored in an Askyo survey."
url: https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/rating-emoji
lang: en
last_modified: 2026-09-27
---

1. [Home](https://askyo.ru/en)
2. [Question types](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types)
3. Emoji rating scale

Question type

# Emoji rating scale

An emoji rating scale is a rating question where the points are faces instead of numbers, from an angry or sad face to a delighted one. It is read in a fraction of a second, needs no instructions and works across ages and languages, which is why it is common in short pulse surveys and after a single interaction.

Available on the free plan

[Build a survey with this question ](https://app.askyo.ru/build)[Survey templates](https://askyo.ru/en/templates)

## Faces or numbers: where emoji work

Emoji suit a quick emotional reading: how was the lesson, how did the call go, how are you feeling about the week. «Rate from 1 to 10» feels heavy for one question; a row of faces does not.

They are weaker when you need fine distinctions or a metric with an established formula. For NPS keep the 0-10 scale; for comparing several items side by side a matrix works better.

Keep the scale the same across waves. Switching from three faces to five halfway through a term makes the averages incomparable.

## 3-point or 5-point emoji scale

The 3-point scale reads Poor, Fair, Excellent. It is the fastest version and fits kiosks, children and very short surveys.

The 5-point scale goes from Terrible to Excellent and gives you room to separate «fine» from «good». Use it when you plan to track an average over time.

- How was your visit today?
- How did you feel about this lesson?
- How was talking to our support team?

## Settings, captions on a phone and the results

The only choice in the editor is three or five faces. By default the question reads «How was it?».

Each face has a caption under it. On a narrow phone screen the five-point version hides the captions in the middle and keeps only the labels at the two ends, so the row still fits on one line.

The answer is stored as a number. Results show the average out of the scale length, the distribution, and the average displayed as a face.

What you can set

- which set of emoji

## Templates that already use it

- «How do you feel about the service right now?» [Feedback form](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/feedback-form) [Feedback](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/feedback)
- «How would you rate our support?» [CSAT: support ticket rating](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/csat-support) [Feedback](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/feedback)
- «How is your mood this week?» [Team pulse survey](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/team-pulse) [HR and team](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/hr)
- «What is your child's mood in the morning before kindergarten?» [Settling into kindergarten](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/kindergarten-adaptation) [Education](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/education)
- «How much does the idea appeal to you?» [✨ ASTRA · early access](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/astra-waitlist) [Showcase](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/showcase)

Frequently asked questions

## Emoji rating scale: common questions

Is an emoji scale reliable enough for research?

For a quick mood or satisfaction check, yes: it is a standard ordinal rating scale with pictures as labels. For academic research with a fixed methodology, use the scale the method prescribes, such as a Likert scale, so that your results stay comparable with other studies.

## Neighbouring types

- [Star rating and CSAT](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/rating-stars)
- [Feedback form](https://askyo.ru/en/feedback-form)
- [Long answer](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/long-text)
- [Consent](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/consent)
- [Matrix](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/matrix)
- [Single choice](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/single-choice)
- [Text block](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/statement)
- [Yes / No](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/yes-no)
- [All question types](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types)

## Build a survey with this question

Ask how it went with a row of faces people answer in a second.

[Build a survey ](https://app.askyo.ru/build)[Survey templates](https://askyo.ru/en/templates)