Identifying electronic components can be tricky for anyone new to the electronics industry. Most books and articles suggest starting with the major basic components and learn about them and then add to the large list of basic electronic components.

If you know the name of the component or the SKU of a specific type of component you could look up its datasheet and learn to identify it that way. The datasheet has all the basic and advanced information about the specific part.

Starting with the six most listed basic components:

1. Integrated Circuits

2. Transistors

3. Inductors

4. LEDs

5. Resistors

6. Capacitors

An Integrated Circuit is “just an electronic circuit that has been shrunk to fit inside a chip” or so Build Electronic Circuits notes. These thin rectangular plates are usually made of plastic or polyester film. 

Transistors work as either a switch or an amplifier - it takes a small current and converts it into a bigger one. They are made with silicon and can be either positive or negative (p-type or n-type) depending on what elements have been combined with the sand making the silicon. “Transistor diagrams are circles with three leads. Inside the circle, one point goes directly to a bar, while the other leads branch off diagonally from the bar with one of them containing an arrow” when looking for in a diagram.

Inductors, on the other hand, can be difficult to identify. Their information can be determined by looking at the color and text used. They are coiled wires which makes finding them simple - but measuring them gets tricky.

LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are lights so are usually easy to identify. If working they light up when component is turned on.

Resistors are used to restrict the current and voltage in a circuit. Their small, horizontal cylinders are easy to identify and their colored stripes let you know what their resistance and tolerance are.

Capacitors have much of their information printed on them - the first two digits indicate the capacitors value and the third digit indicates the number of zero's to be added. They store electric charges (measured in Farads) and are essential to any electronic circuit.