--- title: "Free Headline Analyzer" description: "Score any headline out of 100 on length, power words, emotional words, numbers and question format, see exactly which rule moved the score, and get tips to write titles that earn the click." url: "https://skribra.com/tools/headline-analyzer" type: "tool" --- # Free Headline Analyzer Score any headline out of 100 on length, power words, emotional words, numbers and question format, see exactly which rule moved the score, and get tips to write titles that earn the click. Free, no sign-up. The tool itself runs on the HTML page — this representation carries everything around it. ## How the Headline Analyzer Scores Your Headline Your [headline](https://skribra.com/glossary/headline) is the first thing a reader judges, in search results, social feeds and inboxes alike. Type one into the box and this analyzer scores it from 0 to 100 with a fixed set of published rules, then shows its word count, character count, power words and emotional words, and four checks on length, numbers, power words and question format. It runs in your browser and updates as you type, so you can try variations side by side. The exact scoring. Every headline starts at 50. Length: 6–12 words adds 15; 4–5 or 13–14 words adds 8; fewer than 4 or more than 20 subtracts 10; 15–20 words changes nothing. Each power word adds 8, up to 20. Each emotional word adds 6, up to 15. Any digit adds 10, and starting with one adds another 5. Ending with a question mark adds 5. If more than half the words are common function words such as the, a, to, of, is or for, the score drops 10. The total is capped between 0 and 100. How words are counted. Only runs of letters count as words, so numbers are not words ("7 Proven Ways" is two words plus a digit), and hyphenated or apostrophe words split in two ("don't" is two). The power word list has 31 entries, including free, new, proven, secret, ultimate, essential, simple, quick, discover, best and top; the emotional list has 23, including love, fear, happy, worried, awesome, terrible, brilliant and heartbreaking. Matching is exact, so "proves" or "discovered" don't count, and "amazing" is on both lists and scores twice. Characters, spaces included, are shown but not scored. Reading the grade. 90 and above is an A+, 80–89 an A, 70–79 a B, 60–69 a C, 50–59 a D, and below 50 an F. The number turns green from 70, amber from 50 and red below that. A B or better usually means a headline in the 6–12 word range plus at least one extra cue: a power or emotional word, a number or a question. It says nothing about whether the headline fits the article or the person searching. Worked example. "Tips for Writing Better Blog Posts" has 6 words (+15) and no power word, number or question, so it scores 65, a C. "7 Simple Tips for Writing Blog Posts People Finish" keeps 8 counted words (+15), adds a power word in "simple" (+8), a digit (+10) and a leading digit (+5), and scores 88, an A. The rewrite is better for a reason the score can't see: it promises a specific number of tips and a specific outcome. The limits are worth knowing, because every rule-based headline analyzer shares them. "Shocking Secret: 10 Free, Proven, Ultimate Hacks" scores 95, an A+, because five power words max out that rule and the number adds 10, yet it promises nothing a reader can check. The score is a checklist, not a prediction of clicks: it doesn't know your audience, the [search intent](https://skribra.com/glossary/keyword-intent) behind the query, or whether the article delivers. Stacking power words and ending every title with a question both raise the score, and both cost trust when the article doesn't back them up. For search results specifically, Google says there is no limit on how long a title element can be, but it truncates title links as needed to fit the device width, and it may also draw on the page's main visible title, its headings or og:title when it builds the title link. Put the words that matter first, keep the title consistent with the H1, and check how it looks with the [SERP preview tool](https://skribra.com/tools/serp-preview) before you publish. Already published and getting impressions but few clicks? Skribra's [Hook agent](https://skribra.com/agents/hook) finds pages whose [click-through rate](https://skribra.com/glossary/click-through-rate) falls below what their position should earn and rewrites the title and meta description, without touching the content. ## Who Benefits From a Headline Analyzer? Anyone competing for attention will find this tool invaluable. - **Content Marketers** — Write blog headlines that drive more traffic and social shares. - **Copywriters** — Craft compelling headlines for ads, landing pages, and email. - **Bloggers** — Increase click-through rates with emotionally compelling titles. - **Email Marketers** — Write subject lines that boost open rates. - **Social Media Managers** — Create scroll-stopping headlines for posts and ads. - **Journalists** — Write headlines that compete in crowded news feeds. - **YouTube Creators** — Craft video titles that drive clicks and views. - **Product Managers** — Write feature announcements and release notes that get read. ## FAQ ### How does the headline analyzer score headlines? It starts every headline at 50 and applies fixed rules: +15 for 6–12 words (+8 for 4–5 or 13–14, −10 under 4 or over 20), +8 per power word up to 20, +6 per emotional word up to 15, +10 for any number and +5 more for starting with one, +5 for ending in a question mark, and −10 when more than half the words are common function words. The result is capped at 0–100 and graded from A+ to F. ### What is a good headline score? 70 or above (a B or better) usually means the headline is 6–12 words long and adds at least one cue: a power or emotional word, a number or a question. Past that, don't chase points: a natural 75 that matches what the article delivers beats an awkward 95 built from stacked power words. ### How long should a headline be? This analyzer rewards 6–12 words, a common range for blog and article headlines. For search results there is no fixed character limit: Google says title links are truncated as needed to fit the device width, so put the most important words first. Email subject lines and social posts usually need to be shorter. ### What are power words in headlines? Words that add urgency, value or specificity, such as free, proven, new, essential, simple, quick and best. This analyzer counts 31 of them, each adding 8 points up to a maximum of 20, and only exact matches count. Use one or two where they are true; a headline built from them reads as clickbait. ### Do numbers and questions make a headline better? Numbers often help because they set a concrete expectation ("7 tips" tells readers what they are getting), which is why the analyzer adds 10 points for a digit and 5 more for starting with one. A question adds 5 points and suits topics readers are already asking about. Neither helps if the article doesn't answer it. ### Does a high headline score guarantee more clicks? No. The score checks length and word choice against fixed rules; it can't see your audience, the search query, the competing results or the article itself. Use it to compare drafts of the same headline, then judge the winner by whether it accurately promises what the page delivers. ### Can I use it for email subject lines, ad headlines or video titles? Yes, the rules apply to any short headline, and they are a quick way to compare variations. The 6–12 word length range is aimed at article headlines, though, so for subject lines and ads, where space is tighter, weigh the length rule less and the clarity of the promise more. ## Related tools - [Meta Description Checker](https://skribra.com/tools/meta-description-checker): Optimize meta descriptions for search engines. - [Twitter Card Preview](https://skribra.com/tools/twitter-card-preview): Preview how your content appears on Twitter. - [Open Graph Preview](https://skribra.com/tools/open-graph-preview): Preview how your content appears on social media. - [Text Case Converter](https://skribra.com/tools/text-case-converter): Convert text between different case formats. ## Machine-readable index - HTML version of this page: https://skribra.com/tools/headline-analyzer - Site index for agents: https://skribra.com/llms.txt - Sitemap: https://skribra.com/sitemap.xml - Public REST API: https://skribra.com/api/v1 - OpenAPI specification: https://skribra.com/openapi.json