What’s the difference between title and headline?

This week we are looking at two words which are sometimes confused by learners of English: title and headline.

title

The title of a book, play, painting, or piece of music is its name.

He wrote a book with the title `The Castle’.

`Walk under Ladders’ is the title of her new play.

headline

The words printed in large letters at the top of a newspaper report are called a headline.

All the headlines are about the planned strikes.

The headlines are the main points of the news which are read on radio or television.

I’m Claudia Polley with the news headlines.


Find out more in our English Usage article.

This blogpost is based on Collins COBUILD English Usage, written for learners of English. For more examples of English usage points, please visit:  https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/english-usage.

All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.

Other Articles

Making sure you’ve understood

If you do not understand what someone has said, use I don’t understand. Sorry, I don’t understand. I didn’t understand what you said. Please could you repeat that? I didn’t understand. You can also express any uncertainty about what someone has said by using I’m not sure … Sorry, I’m… Read More

Saying goodbye

In most circumstances, you can use Goodbye when you leave a person or a place, such as a shop or bank, etc. If it’s nighttime, you can use Good night. Goodbye, Helen! Thanks for coming. Thanks for all your help. Goodbye. Good night. See you in the morning. Goodbye is… Read More

Making a phone call

Making a phone call in English can be intimidating, so here are some phrases to help you. Once you’ve made the call and someone answers, you will need to tell them who you are. Use Hello, it’s … (here). Hello Mr Hall, it’s Alex Ronaldson here. Hello, it’s Marie. Can… Read More