Brown Recluse vs Wolf Spider — How to Tell Them Apart
Both are brown spiders found in homes, but only one has a medically significant bite, and it's usually not the one people find. Upload a photo and our free AI names the spider in seconds, or check the clues below.
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Think you were bitten by a brown recluse?
Most recluse bites heal on their own, but some cause a spreading wound. See a doctor if a bite becomes a growing red, purple, or blistering area, or if you get fever, chills, or body aches. Bring the spider in a sealed jar if you can catch it safely, and don't handle it bare-handed.
How to Identify Brown Recluse vs Wolf Spider
Check these features before you rely on any single one — the combination is what confirms the ID.
The single most reliable clue. Brown recluses have six eyes arranged in three pairs in a shallow U. Wolf spiders have eight eyes in three rows, with two large, forward-facing eyes in the middle row that shine green in a flashlight beam.
Brown recluses have a dark violin or fiddle shape on the top of the front body section, with the neck of the violin pointing back toward the abdomen. Many harmless spiders have dark markings there, so don't rely on this alone.
Recluse legs are long, thin, uniformly light brown, and smooth, with no bands, stripes, or obvious spines. Wolf spider legs are thick, hairy, spiny, and often banded or mottled.
A brown recluse's abdomen is plain, uniformly tan to dark brown with fine short hairs and no stripes or spots. Wolf spiders are patterned, usually with stripes or chevrons in brown, grey, and black.
A brown recluse body is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, roughly quarter-sized with legs, and delicate. Wolf spiders range from small to over an inch in body length, are robust and hairy, and can span 2–4 inches with legs.
Recluses hide in undisturbed spots like boxes, closets, and shoes, and build small, irregular webs. Wolf spiders don't build webs; they run fast across floors, and females carry an egg sac or dozens of babies on their back.
Brown Spiders Often Mistaken for a Brown Recluse
Brown Recluse (Violin Spider)
Six eyes in pairs, violin marking, plain legs and abdomen. Lives mainly in the south-central US, from Texas and Oklahoma to Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and southern Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
Wolf Spider
Eight eyes with two large ones in front, hairy banded legs, striped or mottled body, runs on the ground. Can bite if handled, which feels like a bee sting, but isn't dangerous.
Southern House Spider (Male)
Long-legged, uniformly tan, and often called a recluse, but it has eight eyes clustered together on a bump. Common in the Southeast.
Cellar Spider
Tiny body on very long, thread-thin legs, hanging in messy ceiling webs. Its legs are much longer and thinner than a recluse's.
Grass and Funnel-Web Spiders
Brown with two dark stripes running down the front body section and banded legs. Build sheet webs with a funnel retreat in grass and corners.
Hobo / Giant House Spider
Large, fast, brown spiders with chevron patterns, mostly in the Pacific Northwest and Europe. Despite older claims, not medically significant.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
Our identification guides are researched from the authorities below and reviewed by the IdentifyThis team. AI photo identification is a helpful starting point — for anything involving safety (venomous species, edibility, or medical symptoms), always confirm with a qualified expert before acting.
- CDC — Pest- and health-related guidance
- American Arachnological Society — Spider biology & taxonomy
- BugGuide — Entomology identification community
- UC IPM — University of California Pest Notes
- Smithsonian — Insect & animal biology
Reviewed by the IdentifyThis team · Last updated August 2026