Meaning & use
subheading
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Meaning
nouncountable
A title for a section within a longer piece of writing, placed under the main title.
Grammar: Countable: one subheading, several subheadings.
Patterns
- under a subheading
- add a subheading
- a subheading for something
Each chapter has a main title and several subheadings.
The report uses subheadings to separate the findings from the recommendations.
Please put this information under the subheading 'Methods'.
Word forms
| plural | subheadings |
|---|
Common combinations
- under a subheading
- The details appear under the subheading 'Contact Information'.
- add a subheading
- You should add a subheading to break up that long text.
- subheading style
- Use a bold font for the subheading style.
- clear subheading
- A clear subheading helps readers find what they need.
Synonyms and how they differ
- subtitle
- Often used for the secondary title of a book or film, not for section headings within a document.
- subhead
- A shorter, informal variant of subheading; common in journalism and design.
- heading
- A general word for any title; a subheading is specifically a lower-level heading.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: subheading or subtitle?
subheading vs subtitle
A subtitle is a secondary title that explains or complements the main title; a subheading is a heading for a subsection within the text.
Practice
In a well-organized essay, where would you typically find a subheading?
Choose one answer.
A subheading appears below the main title to introduce a section. Option 0 describes the main title; options 2 and 3 describe other document elements.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “subheading”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.