What does subheading mean?
A subheading is a heading that appears below or within a main heading, commonly introducing a section, topic, or subsection. It helps readers navigate longer texts by dividing them into smaller, clearly labeled parts and signaling how details relate to the main structure. In publishing and digital media, the term can also mean a secondary title beneath the principal title of an article, presentation, or other work. Subheadings are especially useful in reports, academic writing, journalism, instructional material, and online articles, where readers often scan for key topics before reading in full. The word is straightforward and broadly understood in British and American English, although writers sometimes use subtitle more loosely for any secondary heading. Unlike a caption, which explains or identifies an image or quotation, a subheading primarily organizes the surrounding text.
A heading placed beneath a main heading, especially one that introduces a section or subsection.
"The author used a subheading to introduce the historical background."
Common in academic, editorial, publishing, and web writing.
A secondary title accompanying the principal title of a document, article, presentation, or similar work.
"The article's subheading explains why the proposed policy matters."
This sense overlaps with subtitle but emphasizes the subordinate or explanatory role of the title.
The plural is formed by adding -s, as in 'the article has two subheadings.'
"The editor added subheadings to break the long section into manageable parts."
A subheading does the quiet work of a signpost: it tells readers exactly where the next turn in an argument begins.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does subheading come from?
The word was formed in the 19th century by combining the prefix sub-, meaning under or beneath, with heading, a word for a title or line that organizes a text. Both elements are English formations built on established roots. The resulting noun became widely used for headings that stand beneath or subordinate themselves to a main heading. Its meaning was later extended to secondary titles in articles and other published or digital works.
How subheading is actually used
The term is common in editorial, academic, publishing, and web contexts. It is more precise than simply calling the text another title when the second title is structurally subordinate to the main one.
Easily confused with subheading
A subheading is a secondary heading within the structure of a text, whereas a subtitle is a secondary title accompanying the main title of a work, article, or presentation.