Humans are diploid organisms. Most of the cells within the human body are somatic cells. Each somatic cell is diploid. The term diploid means that a cell contains two copies of each chromosome. There are 23 different chromosome in human cells. Each somatic cell has two copies of each chromosome for a total of 46 chromosomes.
Humans and many other living things also produce special cells called gametes. Gametes are used for reproduction. The male gamete, (sperm) and the female gamete, (egg) each contain only one copy of each of the chromosomes. These cells are known as haploid. Haploid gametes contain a total of 23 chromosomes in humans.