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Two heraldic stars distinguished by point count and by whether the rays wave.
Count the points and look at the edges. A mullet has five straight points; an estoile has six wavy ones. English blazon holds the distinction consistently, and a mullet pierced with a round hole is a spur-rowel — which is where its name comes from.
A mullet has five straight points, an estoile six wavy ones; the two are constantly interchanged.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Mullet (heraldic star) | Estoile (heraldic charge) |
|---|---|---|
| Number of key elements | 5 | 6 |
| Symmetry | vertical | radial |
| Mullet (heraldic star) | Estoile (heraldic charge) | |
|---|---|---|
| Points | Five by default | Six |
| Rays | Straight | Wavy |
| Name origin | French molette, a spur-rowel | French étoile, a star |
| Cadency use | The mark of a third son in English practice | None |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Estoile (heraldic charge) — A mullet has five straight points, an estoile six wavy ones; the two are constantly interchanged. | Commonly confused with Mullet (heraldic star) — A mullet has five straight points, an estoile six wavy ones; the two are constantly interchanged. |
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies (1909), via Project Gutenberg · retrieved 2026-08-20
The standard English-language reference, and a period one: published 1909, so it states Edwardian English practice as though universal and is occasionally sharp about continental usage. Cited for blazon terminology, the conventional depiction of charges, and — notably — for its own detailed refutation of tincture symbolism.
College of Arms, London · retrieved 2026-08-20
The heraldic authority for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for much of the Commonwealth. Authoritative for those jurisdictions only; Scottish practice differs and is governed separately.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-20
Tertiary reference. Cited for the blazon term, the conventional form of a charge and uncontested historical detail. Never cited for a claim that a charge carries a fixed symbolic meaning.
A bend runs from the top left of the shield to the bottom right as you look at it; a bend sinister runs the other way. The bend sinister is widely said to mark illegitimacy, and that is not quite right: the mark used in English practice was the narrower baton sinister, granted case by case rather than applied automatically. 'Bar sinister' is not a heraldic term at all — a bar is horizontal and cannot be sinister.
Look at what the arms end in. A cross patonce widens outward and splits into three splayed points at each end; a cross fleury ends in a full fleur-de-lis. In practice the two are drawn so similarly that the standard authorities themselves differ over particular coats, and this is one of the genuinely unsettled distinctions in blazon.
Count the points. Both have arms that narrow at the centre and widen outward. A cross pattée ends in four straight edges — four points in total. A Maltese cross has each outer edge notched inward, producing two points per arm and eight in all.
Size and feet. An eagle is a principal charge, drawn large with wings spread and talons showing. A martlet is small, swallow-like, and has no feet at all — tufts of feathers appear where the legs would be. The martlet is also a cadency mark: in English practice it identifies a fourth son.