A Bard knows six spells at 1st level; two cantrips and four 1st-level spells. From there, a Bard learns one new spell per level, except at levels 10, 14, 18, 19, and 20.
At levels 10, 14, and 18, a Bard gets access to magical secrets, which allows them to learn two spells from any class.
At levels 19 and 20, a Bard does not learn any new spells. So, at level 18, a Bard knows 22 leveled spells, the maximum it will ever know.
At levels 4 and 10, a Bard also gets access to one new cantrip, totaling 4 known cantrips. So, in total, a level 18 Bard knows 26 spells in total; 22 leveled spells and 4 cantrips.
Bard Cantrips + Spells Known by Level
| Level | Cantrips Known | Spells Known |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | 4 |
| 2nd | 2 | 5 |
| 3rd | 2 | 6 |
| 4th | 3 | 7 |
| 5th | 3 | 8 |
| 6th | 3 | 9 |
| 7th | 3 | 10 |
| 8th | 3 | 11 |
| 9th | 3 | 12 |
| 10th | 4 | 14 |
| 11th | 4 | 15 |
| 12th | 4 | 15 |
| 13th | 4 | 16 |
| 14th | 4 | 18 |
| 15th | 4 | 19 |
| 16th | 4 | 19 |
| 17th | 4 | 20 |
| 18th | 4 | 22 |
| 19th | 4 | 22 |
| 20th | 4 | 22 |
Matt Zane
Author, DnD Lounge
Matt Zane started DnD Lounge in 2021. Matt began playing DnD 5e in 2015, and has been DMing since 2017. He loves optimization, but also enjoys looking for creative ways to use spells and abilities that follow the spirit and letter of the rules. He also eschews pure optimization in favor of a more balanced approach, where building a character is primarily about serving an interesting story arc and party dynamics rather than maxing out DPR.