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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →WordPress can display your most-used tags without a plugin. Add the built-in Tag Cloud block or widget for a no-code solution, or use wp_tag_cloud() when you need precise ordering, counts, taxonomy selection, or custom markup.
Popularity in WordPress means how many posts have been assigned each term. The visual cloud changes font size to indicate that frequency; a list with visible counts is usually easier to scan and style consistently.
Choose the right method
| Method | Best for | Controls | Code required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tag Cloud block | Block-editor pages, templates, and template parts | Taxonomy, term count, post counts, smallest and largest text sizes | No |
| Tag Cloud widget | Classic widget areas | Basic taxonomy and cloud settings; exact options depend on the theme | No |
wp_tag_cloud() |
Theme and plugin templates | Term limit, taxonomy, count ordering, direction, counts, and output format | PHP |
| Plugin | Shortcodes, specialized widgets, or custom-taxonomy features beyond core | Varies by plugin; check current maintenance and compatibility | Installation and configuration |
Display popular tags with the Tag Cloud block
The Tag Cloud block is the simplest approach in a block theme or the block editor. WordPress sizes each term according to the number of posts associated with it. You can also show the numeric post count and constrain the size range.
- Open the page, template, template part, or widget area where the tags should appear.
- Insert a Tag Cloud block.
- In the block settings, choose Tags as the taxonomy. Do not leave a different taxonomy selected if you want post tags.
- Set the number of terms to display.
- Enable Show post counts when readers need an explicit ranking rather than relying on font size.
- Set the smallest and largest text sizes. WordPress accepts CSS units such as
px,%,em,rem,vw, andvh.
Keep the smallest and largest sizes relatively close. Extreme differences can make the largest term dominate the page and can make smaller links difficult to read.
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Add the built-in Tag Cloud widget
Classic themes that expose widget areas can use WordPress’s built-in Tag Cloud widget. Go to Appearance and then Widgets (the exact screen can vary by theme), add the widget to the desired sidebar or footer area, and select the Tags taxonomy. Configure the available options and save.
This method is useful when site editors need to change the cloud from the dashboard instead of editing a template. The controls and placement options are theme-dependent.
Show the most-used tags first with PHP
For a theme or custom plugin, wp_tag_cloud() is the native template function. Set orderby to count and order to DESC to request the highest-use terms first. The example below displays ten post tags as a list and includes each tag’s post count.
<?php
wp_tag_cloud(
array(
'taxonomy' => 'post_tag',
'number' => 10,
'orderby' => 'count',
'order' => 'DESC',
'show_count' => true,
'format' => 'list',
'echo' => true,
)
);
?>post_tag is WordPress’s built-in post-tag taxonomy. The documented default term limit is 45, but an explicit limit keeps a navigation component focused.
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number: maximum number of terms to output.taxonomy: taxonomy to query, such aspost_tagor a custom taxonomy.orderby: set tocountfor usage-based ordering.order: useDESCfor most-used first orASCfor least-used first.show_count: appends the number of posts assigned to each term.format: controls flat, list, or array output.echo: outputs the generated markup immediately when true; returns it when false.
Build custom markup with array output
Use echo => false when the template must wrap, move, or otherwise process the generated links. With format => 'array', WordPress returns an array of generated term-link strings.
<?php
$popular_tags = wp_tag_cloud(
array(
'taxonomy' => 'post_tag',
'number' => 10,
'orderby' => 'count',
'order' => 'DESC',
'show_count' => true,
'format' => 'array',
'echo' => false,
)
);
if ( is_array( $popular_tags ) ) {
echo '<ul class="popular-tags">';
foreach ( $popular_tags as $tag_link ) {
echo '<li>' . $tag_link . '</li>';
}
echo '</ul>';
}
?>WordPress generates the term links in this example. Escape or sanitize any additional labels, attributes, or text your own code adds. Test the final HTML with the active theme because themes and plugins can filter tag-cloud output.
How many popular tags does WordPress show?
WordPress’s administrative Popular Tags area reports the 45 most-used tags. Its definition of “popular” is the number of posts assigned to each tag, not clicks, views, recency, or social engagement. Front-end blocks, widgets, and template calls can use a smaller or larger limit.
Cloud or plain list: which is better?
Use a cloud when visual emphasis helps
A cloud gives readers a quick sense of relative frequency through text size. It works well as a secondary discovery element, provided every link remains readable and usable.
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A list is normally easier to scan, compare, and style across responsive layouts. Choose format => 'list' for generated list markup, or format => 'array' when the theme needs its own wrapper and classes.
Accessibility and presentation checks
- Do not make font size the only indication of popularity; show counts when the ranking matters.
- Check text and link contrast against the theme background.
- Keep every tag link keyboard reachable and provide a visible focus style.
- Do not use a size range so extreme that low-use tags become unreadable.
- Check the component at narrow widths and with browser text zoom.
- Remember that a tag cloud is navigation, not a substitute for clear categories or site search.
When a plugin is justified
Plugins in the WordPress.org directory add options such as dedicated “most popular tags” widgets, shortcodes, and displays for custom taxonomies. They are optional: core already supplies the block, widget, and PHP API. Before installing one, verify its latest update date, supported WordPress and PHP versions, author support, reviews, accessibility behavior, and whether its free or paid features match your needs. A plugin should solve a requirement that the native methods cannot, rather than simply duplicate them.
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