Every shape and size imaginable can be found in candles and the following terms describes the more common candle styles.

TAPER: a slender candle - 6 to 18 inches high . Called also a dinner candle . It is designed to be held securely upright by a candle holder.

PILLAR: a "free-standingcandle", with a diameter of 3 " or more,with one or more wicks. They can be round, square,hexagonal despite the name. They must be burned on a heat-resistant candle holder, although they stand on their own.

JAR OR FILLED CANDLE: when manufactured, they are poured into a glass, metal or ceramic container specifically designed to hold the wax and withstand the heat of the burning candle.

VOTIVE: a small cylindrical candle, usually about 1½ inches in diameter and 2 or 2½ inches high, designed to be placed in a "cup" or votive holder to hold the liquefied wax that results from burning. Votives were originally produced as white unscented candles for religious ceremonies; they are now available in many colors and scents.

GEL CANDLE: a transparent-type candle made primarily from gelled mineral oils or gelled synthetic hydrocarbons. "Soft"or quasi-rigid gels are poured into a container to maintain the candle's shape.

TEALIGHT: a small, cylindrical, filled candle -- usually about 1 inch in diameter and 1½ inches high -- often poured into a metal holder.

LUMINARIA: an outdoor candle made by placing a 15-hour votive in a light-diffusing container filled with sand.

SPECIALTY CANDLE: an unusually shaped or sculpted free-standing candle, often depicting a three-dimensional object or designed to be viewed primarily as decorative artwork, and sometimes called a novelty candle.

and last but not least

BIRTHDAY CANDLES !...