How long should a title be?

The best titles are long enough to be informative but short enough to read and understand easily. Include key terms early in your title so your readers quickly know what your work is about.

Title length also depends on context—a novel will generally have a shorter title than an academic paper. Some platforms also have title limits. For example, YouTube video titles are limited to 100 characters. 

Here are some general guidelines:

  • Blog post: 5–15 words
  • Book: 3–5 words
  • Essay: 5–10 words
  • Research paper: 10–15 words
  • YouTube video: 40–70 characters

 
If you want a short, punchy title but still need to provide more information, consider using a subtitle.

When trying to craft a title that’s a certain length, tools like QuillBot’s free AI title generator are a great way to expedite the process.