subheading

Subheading is a heading used to divide content under a main heading. It signals a new topic or a subtopic and helps readers skim. In written and digital content, authors use a hierarchy of headings to structure information, with subheadings representing lower levels. Common hierarchies use levels such as H1 for the main title, and H2, H3, etc. in HTML; in word processing, styles labeled as Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.

Subheadings contribute to readability, navigation, and accessibility. They assist screen readers in constructing document outlines. They can guide the reader through the logical flow and allow quick scanning. Style guides typically specify capitalization, punctuation, and length guidelines—for example, using sentence case or title case, avoiding ending punctuation, keeping subheadings concise.

In web design, subheadings are often used with semantic HTML and ARIA landmarks, and they should reflect the content structure rather than presentation alone. Responsive design may affect typographic sizes, so subheadings scale with viewport.

In academic writing, subheadings help delineate sections such as Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, though the level of granularity varies by discipline. Overuse of subheadings can hinder cohesion; a consistent hierarchy is preferred.