What does subtitle mean?
Word: Subtitle
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Subtitle means words shown on a film or TV screen that translate or write out what people are saying. It can also mean a second, smaller title under the main title of a book.
How do you spell subtitle?
Syllables: sub - ti - tle
Tricky part: The word ends in le, not el, even though you hear the l sound last.
Watch out for: subtitel, subtital
Memory tip: Gentle and this word finish the same way, with le, so think of a gentle line of words at the foot of the screen.
Subtitle in a sentence
Example 1: We watched a Japanese cartoon with English subtitles.
Example 2: Grandma turns on the subtitles so she can follow the fast talk in films.
Example 3: The book's subtitle explained that it was about the birds of the Western Ghats.
Fun Fact
Early silent films had no sound, so the words were shown on separate cards between scenes. These cards were called intertitles, and subtitles that sit on the picture itself came later.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the prefix that completes the word:
____title
a) sup
b) sab
c) sub
d) sob
Show answer
c) sub. Sub is the prefix that means under or second, as in subway and submarine.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
letbutis
a) substitute
b) suitable
c) subtle
d) subtitle
Show answer
d) subtitle. Suitable has an a, substitute needs more s, t and u, and subtle uses only six letters.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) programe
b) subtitle
c) televison
d) cartune
Show answer
b) subtitle. Programme ends in mme, cartoon is spelt with oo, and television has an i after the s.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
subtittle
a) i
b) l
c) t
d) b
Show answer
c) t. The t is not doubled here, unlike in little.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Who would find subtitles most helpful?
a) a player warming up before a match
b) a child flying a kite in the park
c) a viewer who does not know the film's language
d) a listener tuned in to the radio news
Show answer
c) a viewer who does not know the film's language
2. Where on the screen do subtitles usually appear?
a) near the bottom
b) in the very centre
c) behind the actors
d) across the top corner
Show answer
a) near the bottom
