• 13 steps
  • Checked October 2026

Cell Division Mitosis and Meiosis Diagram

One diploid cell, followed through mitosis and through meiosis, so the two divisions can be told apart step by step.

Cell Division Mitosis and Meiosis Diagram

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Write the name of each numbered step.Answer key

  1. Diploid parent cell
  2. DNA copied
  3. Chromosomes line up
  4. Sister chromatids separate
  5. Two diploid daughter cells
  6. Diploid parent cell
  7. DNA copied
  8. Pairs join and cross over
  9. Pairs line up
  10. Homologous pairs separate
  11. Two haploid cells
  12. Sister chromatids separate
  13. Four haploid daughter cells

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a step is answered.

Next step Next: the stages of mitosis by name

All 13 steps on the diagram

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Mitosis, step by step 5

  1. Diploid parent cell It has two sets of chromosomes. Each pair holds one chromosome from each parent.
  2. DNA copied Every chromosome is now two sister chromatids. They are joined at the centromere.
  3. Chromosomes line up The copied chromosomes line up one by one. The two of a pair do not join.
  4. Sister chromatids separate The two chromatids of each chromosome are pulled apart. One goes to each end.
  5. Two diploid daughter cells Each has the same chromosomes as the parent cell. Mitosis is a single division.

Meiosis, step by step 8

  1. Diploid parent cell The same cell as in mitosis. Meiosis starts from a diploid cell too.
  2. DNA copied The DNA is copied once, before the first division. It is not copied again between the two.
  3. Pairs join and cross over The two chromosomes of a pair lie side by side. They swap matching pieces: crossing over.
  4. Pairs line up The pairs line up in the middle of the cell. In mitosis single chromosomes line up instead.
  5. Homologous pairs separate Whole copied chromosomes go to opposite ends. This is meiosis I, and the chromatids stay joined.
  6. Two haploid cells Each has one chromosome of each pair. Each chromosome is still two chromatids.
  7. Sister chromatids separate In both cells the chromatids are pulled apart. This is meiosis II.
  8. Four haploid daughter cells Each has one single chromosome of each pair. That is half the number of the parent cell.

How this list was compiled: Every step checked on 2026-10-01 against the US National Human Genome Research Institute glossary (Mitosis, Meiosis, Diploid, Haploid, Crossing Over); Nature Education, Scitable: Replication and Distribution of DNA during Mitosis, and during Meiosis; Kimball's Biology Pages: Meiosis; and Wikipedia: Mitosis and Meiosis, text only. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

Both charts start with the same diploid cell diagram: two pairs of chromosomes, one of each pair from each parent. Mitosis ends in two cells like the first. Meiosis ends in four cells with half as many chromosomes.

Read the full guide

Mitosis: one division

The DNA is copied, so each chromosome is two sister chromatids. The chromosomes line up in single file and the chromatids are pulled apart. The last step is a daughter cells diagram of its own: two diploid cells with the same chromosomes as the parent.

Meiosis: two divisions

After the DNA is copied, the two chromosomes of each pair join and swap pieces. In meiosis I the pairs line up and whole chromosomes go to opposite ends, giving two haploid cells. In meiosis II the sister chromatids separate, giving four.

  • On a cell cycle diagram mitosis and meiosis both come after S phase, when the DNA is copied.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between mitosis and meiosis?

Mitosis is one division that makes two cells with the same chromosomes as the parent cell. Meiosis is two divisions that make four cells with half as many chromosomes, and the chromosomes of a pair swap pieces first.

What is a diploid cell?

A cell with two complete sets of chromosomes, one from each parent, so its chromosomes come in pairs. A haploid cell has a single set.

How many daughter cells does each division make?

Mitosis makes two daughter cells, each diploid. Meiosis makes four, each haploid.

What is crossing over?

The exchange of DNA between the two chromosomes of a pair while they lie side by side in meiosis. It gives each chromosome a new mix of the two parents' versions of its genes.

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