The number of entanglement classes in stochastic local operations and classical communication (SLOCC) classifications increases with the number of qubits and is already infinite for four qubits. Criteria for explicitly discriminating and classifying pure states of four and more qubits are highly desirable and therefore at the focus of intense theoretical research. We develop a general criterion for the discrimination of pure N-partite entangled states in terms of polynomial SL(d,C)(circle times N) invariants. By means of this criterion, existing SLOCC classifications of four-qubit entanglement are reproduced. Based on this we propose a polynomial classification scheme in which entanglement types are identified through "tangle patterns." This scheme provides a practicable way to classify states of arbitrary multipartite systems. Moreover, the use of polynomials induces a corresponding quantification of the different types of entanglement.