Title or tittle? For almost every sentence, the answer is title. A title names a book, movie, article, or job. Tittle is a real word too, but it only means the tiny dot over a lowercase i or j. Most people who type tittle meant title. Spell checkers rarely flag the slip, because tittle is a valid dictionary word. Only the meaning can tell you which spelling fits.
The gap between title or tittle is small in spelling but big in meaning. One word names things. The other describes a speck of ink. Clear definitions, pronunciation tips, real examples, and common mistakes make that difference easy to see. You’ll also spot where each word shows up in real life, from job titles to the dot on a j.
Quick Answer: Title or Tittle?
Title is the correct word for the name of a book, movie, article, or job. Tittle is a real but rare word for the tiny dot above a lowercase i or j. Write title for names and ranks. Write tittle only for that dot.
Correct: “The title of the movie surprised everyone.”
Incorrect: “The tittle of the movie surprised everyone.”
Why: A movie has a name, so it needs title. Tittle fits only a dot on a letter.
Title or Tittle Meaning
The choice of title or tittle starts with the dictionary, where each word has its own entry.
Title is a name, heading, rank, or championship. It can also mean legal ownership, as in the title to a house. As a verb, it means to give something a name.
Tittle is only a noun. It means a diacritical mark, like the dot over an i, or a very small part of something. Both senses point to something tiny. That’s why the word survives mostly in typography and old sayings.
Title vs Tittle
A quick table shows the split.
| Feature | Title | Tittle |
| Meaning | Name, heading, rank, or championship | Tiny dot or mark in writing |
| Part of speech | Noun and verb | Noun only |
| Everyday use | Very common | Rare |
| Example | The title of the song | The tittle over the j |
| Sounds like | TIE-tul | TIT-ul |
What Does the Title Major Mean?
Major is a military rank. It sits above captain and below lieutenant colonel in the US Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force. The British Army uses the same order. Ranks count as titles, so you’d write Major Davis before a name. That shows why title covers far more than book names.
Title or Tittle in a Sentence
A five-second swap test settles most doubts.
Swap the word for name. If the sentence still makes sense, write title. Now swap in dot. If that works, write tittle. Choosing between title or tittle in a sentence gets easy once you try both swaps.
- The title of her essay is “Quiet Rivers.” The name fits, so title is right.
- The tittle on that j looks crooked. The dot fits, so tittle is right.
Title or Tittle Examples
Real sentences make the split obvious.
- Correct: “Her job title is project manager.”
- Correct: “The champions defended their title.”
- Correct: “Every lowercase i carries a tittle.”
- Incorrect: “What’s the tittle of your song?”
- Why: A song has a name, so it needs title.
- Incorrect: “The title above that j looks smudged.”
- Why: The dot over the j is a tittle.
Tittle or Title of a Book
A book has a title, never a tittle. Many books add a subtitle after a colon, and both parts make up the full title.
Most style guides capitalize the main words and lowercase short articles and prepositions. [INTERNAL LINK: title case capitalization rules] covers the details.
The Midnight Library is a title. The dot over each i inside it is a tittle.
Tittle or Title of a Movie
A movie has a title too, and the film world has its own terms for it. A working title is the temporary name used during production. A title card shows the name on screen. The title role belongs to the character the film is named after.
Film credits use the same word. The title sequence is the opening stretch that shows the name and the cast. None of these terms ever use tittle.
Tittle Pronunciation
Say both words aloud and the difference jumps out.
| Word | IPA | Sounds like |
| Title | /ˈtaɪ.təl/ | TIE-tul |
| Tittle | /ˈtɪt.əl/ | TIT-ul |
Title opens with a long vowel, the same sound as in eye. Tittle opens with a short i, as in sit. Merriam-Webster marks tittle with that short vowel. That one sound is the audible gap.
Title or Tittle Synonym
Neither word has a perfect twin, but each has close neighbors.
Title: name, heading, label, designation, rank
Tittle: dot, speck, jot, iota, whit
Some neighbors fit only one context. Rank suits a job title, while label suits a product. Don’t cross the lists. Heading never means a dot, and a jot is never a book’s name. Tittle synonyms often appear in negatives, as in “not a jot of evidence.”
Is It Title or Tittle?
Three quick questions settle title or tittle every time.
1. Are you naming or ranking something? Write title.
2. Are you describing a dot or mark on a letter? Write tittle.
3. Still unsure? Write title, because it fits nearly every everyday sentence.
What Does “Tittle” Mean?
Tittle describes something small. It’s the dot above a lowercase i or j. Formal writing also uses it for a very small amount, as in “not a tittle of proof.” Typographers use it as a plain technical term.
Example
The tittle above the i in “title” is easy to miss.
Key Insight
You’ll meet tittle more in literature and old sayings than in daily speech. Many readers first see it in the phrase “jot and tittle.”
Title vs. Tittle: Main Difference
The core difference is function. A title identifies a whole thing, like a person, a work, or a position. A tittle is a physical detail inside one letter. One labels. The other marks.
The Simplest Difference
Title names. Tittle dots.
Real-World Usage of “Title”
Title shows up in five everyday places.
1. Book Titles
Every book has a title page listing its title, author, and publisher. MLA style puts book titles in italics.
2. Article Titles
Article titles take quotation marks in MLA style. Readers see the title first, so a typo there hurts trust.
3. Movie Titles
Films follow the book rule, so MLA italicizes them. Posters and streaming menus lead with the title.
4. Job Titles
A job title names a role, like editor or director. Most style guides capitalize a formal title right before a name, as in Director Lee. They lowercase it after the name.
5. Championship Titles
Sports use title for a championship. Teams defend a title, and boxers fight in a title bout.
Real-World Usage of “Tittle”
Tittle appears in a few specific places.
1. The Dot Above “i”
The dot over a lowercase i is a tittle. A capital I doesn’t have one.
2. The Dot Above “j”
Lowercase j carries a tittle too. Fonts draw it round or square.
3. “Every Jot and Tittle”
This phrase means every last detail. It traces to Matthew 5:18, where the Greek words iota and keraia name the smallest marks of the law. English turned them into jot and tittle.
Why Do People Confuse “Title” and “Tittle”?
The title or tittle mix-up starts with one extra letter. Tittle is title with a second t. Fast typing doubles letters all the time. And because tittle is a real word, spell checkers stay quiet. Pairs like [INTERNAL LINK: capital vs capitol] trip people up for the same reason.
Compare
- title: t-i-t-l-e (five letters)
- tittle: t-i-t-t-l-e (six letters)
Common Mistakes
Three slips come up again and again.
Mistake 1: Using “Tittle” for a Book Name
- Incorrect: “What’s the tittle of that novel?”
- Correct: “What’s the title of that novel?”
- Why: A novel’s name is its title.
Why It Happens
The extra t slips in during fast typing. Read the names of works slowly after you write them.
Mistake 2: Using “Tittle” for an Article
- Incorrect: “Please shorten the article tittle.”
- Correct: “Please shorten the article title.”
- Why: The heading of a written piece is its title.
Correct Pattern
Pair title with the thing it names: book title, article title, job title, song title, page title. This slip is one of many [INTERNAL LINK: spelling mistakes spell checkers miss].
Mistake 3: Thinking “Tittle” Is Always a Spelling Error
- Incorrect: “The title over the j is too small.”
- Correct: “The tittle over the j is too small.”
- Why: Here the writer means the dot, so tittle is right. Over-correcting creates a new mistake.
Title or Tittle in SEO and Content Writing
Search results show your title tag as the clickable headline. A typo there can cost clicks and trust. It also makes a page look careless next to cleaner results.
For web writers, the title or tittle question has one safe answer. Write title, as in title tag, SEO title, and page title. Proofread by eye too, because a tool won’t flag tittle.
Examples
- Correct: “Update the page title and meta description.”
- Incorrect: “Update the page tittle and meta description.”
Title vs. Headline
Writers often treat the two as twins, but they differ. The related pair [INTERNAL LINK: heading vs headline] follows the same logic.
Title
A title names a whole work and rarely changes. A poem, a film, and a book each carry one.
Headline
A headline tops a news story or web article. Editors often rewrite it for space or tone.
Title vs. Caption
A caption explains a picture. A title names a work. “Morning Mist” is a photo’s title. “Taken at dawn on the lake shore” is its caption.
Title as a Verb
Title works as a verb too. To title something means to give it a name.
Examples
- She titled her essay “Quiet Rivers.”
- The editor is titling the new chapter.
Correct:
He titled the album after his hometown.
Incorrect for this meaning:
He tittled the album after his hometown.
Dictionaries list tittle as a noun, so tittled doesn’t fit. Entitled also covers naming, but it more often means having a right. [INTERNAL LINK: titled vs entitled] sorts out that pair.
Memory Tricks
Three hooks make title or tittle stick.
Trick 1: “Title Has One T in the Middle”
Count the t’s after the i. Title has one. Tittle has two. The longer spelling belongs to the rarer word.
Trick 2: “Tittle Has a Tiny Dot”
Tittle rhymes with little, and a tittle is a little dot. Both words describe small things.
Trick 3: Ask Yourself the Meaning
Ask what you’re naming. A work, a rank, or a prize? Title. A dot on a letter? Tittle. The same meaning-first check helps with [INTERNAL LINK: foreword vs forward].
Expert Insight: The Linguistic Difference
These two words are cousins. Both come from Medieval Latin titulus, which meant a title or inscription. Title kept that label meaning. Tittle narrowed to a small stroke above a letter. The Spanish word tilde belongs to the same family.
Tittle also kept the short i of the Latin source, while title’s vowel lengthened. That’s why the two sound different today.
Quick Grammar Reference
What Is an Example of a Tittle?
The dot above the i in the word title is a tittle. Every lowercase i and j you type carries one.
Use “Title” When Talking About:
- Names of books, movies, songs, and articles
- Job titles and honorifics, such as Dr. or Major
- Championships and prizes
- Legal ownership of property
- Giving something a name (the verb)
Use “Tittle” When Talking About:
- The dot above a lowercase i or j
- A tiny amount in formal writing, as in “not a tittle of proof”
- The phrase “jot and tittle”
Keep a list of [INTERNAL LINK: commonly confused words] handy for quick checks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is “title” or “tittle” correct?
Title is correct for names, headings, ranks, and prizes. Tittle is correct only for the dot above i or j.
What is called tittle?
The small dot sitting above a lowercase i or j is called a tittle.
What is the correct spelling for a book’s name?
A book’s name is its title, with one t in the middle. Tittle never fits.
Is “tittle” a real word?
Yes. Merriam-Webster lists it as a noun for a diacritical mark or a very small part.
What is the real spelling of title?
It’s t-i-t-l-e, with one t after the i. Tittle is a different word, not a variant.
What is a tittle?
A tittle is a noun with two senses: a dot above a letter, or a tiny amount.
What is the plural of title?
Add an s to get titles. The plural of tittle is tittles.
What does “tittle” mean?
It means a tiny mark or a speck, as in “not a tittle of doubt.” Don’t confuse it with tittle-tattle, which means idle gossip.
What is the past tense of title?
The past tense is titled, as in “She titled the poem Dawn.”
Is “tittled” correct?
No. Dictionaries list tittle as a noun, so tittled isn’t the past tense of title. Write titled.
What is the difference between title and headline?
A title names a whole work and rarely changes. A headline tops a news story or article and often gets rewritten.
What does “jot and tittle” mean?
It means every small detail. A jot is a tiny amount and a tittle is a tiny mark, so together they cover everything.
Conclusion
Title or tittle comes down to meaning. Title names a book, movie, article, rank, or prize. Tittle is the tiny dot over a lowercase i or j. If you’re naming something, write title. That one rule covers nearly every sentence you’ll write. It also keeps your headings, job descriptions, and captions clean, even when you’re typing fast or editing a long draft.
Next time you doubt title or tittle, run the swap test. Try name first, then dot. Then look at the dot above the i in the word itself. One careful read of any heading takes only seconds. It saves you from a typo that spell checkers won’t catch, and it keeps your writing sharp, clear, and trustworthy for every reader.
