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Story Title Generator

Twenty story titles at a time for short fiction: adventure, mystery, fairy tale, spooky and everyday stories. Use one to start a draft or to name one you already wrote.

Style

  1. Last Monday at the Bus Depot
  2. Don't Open the Bedroom Closet
  3. Three Wishes for Lena
  4. Last Friday at the Laundromat
  5. Who Took the Garden Gnome?
  6. Three Wishes for Odile
  7. The Summer We Grew Quiet
  8. Three Wishes for Marta
  9. The Secret of Room Seven
  10. The Map to Sunken Treasure
  11. The Impossible Trail
  12. Things My Neighbor Said at Dinner
  13. The Hungry Mirror
  14. The Summer We Moved Away
  15. Who Took the Silver Spoon?
  16. Twelve Days Beyond Windmill Hill
  17. The Day I Stopped Talking
  18. Three Wishes for Bram
  19. The Secret of Ashgrove Manor
  20. The Summer We Stopped Calling
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How to title a short story

A story title is a promise made in a few words: this is what kind of trouble you are about to read. In a short story the title has more work than in a novel, because there is no cover, no blurb and often no author name recognized. A class anthology or a magazine contents page gives it a single line among many. So the best titles either name a character in a situation (The Girl Who Lost Her Shadow), pose a question that the ending answers (Who Took the Silver Spoon?), or point to an object or place that ends up meaning more than it seems.

Each kind of story has its own habits. Adventures like verbs of movement and destinations: races, crossings, maps. Mysteries name the missing thing and put it in an odd little frame, as in The Case of the Whispering Teacup. Fairy tales use a plain role plus a strange action, and it is always a person who did something impossible. Spooky titles take a household object and make it uneasy. Everyday stories are quieter: a weekday, a street, a small feeling. Writers often title a piece before drafting and then find it no longer fits, so treat it as a working label until the last page.

Titles for school assignments and prompts

For a class or contest, a good title shows the teacher you know what the story is about without giving away the ending. Names with a strong noun (the compass, the kettle, the cellar door) give the plot something to grab. If the assignment has a required theme, work the theme word into the title once and leave it out of the first sentence.

Titles for children's stories usually favor a character and a problem, such as "The Hen Who Wanted the Moon". Keep the words short and the picture obvious.

Flash fiction and very short stories

Flash fiction, stories under a thousand words or so, has room for a title that carries part of the story. In a piece that short, the title can supply the setting or the twist so the text does not have to. A title like Last Tuesday at the Laundromat sets a time, a place and a mood before the first line starts.

Try several styles on the same idea. The same plot can be an adventure, a mystery or a fairy tale depending on the frame you choose.

Story titles that work, and why (20)

  • The Race to the Edge of the MapA destination that cannot be reached, which sets up an adventure before the first paragraph.
  • The Map to the Silver CompassObjects nested in objects feel like a treasure hunt and give the plot an obvious first step.
  • Lost in the FogShort and direct, and easy for younger readers to picture.
  • The Longest CrossingA superlative with a travel word suggests an ordeal that the story will make you feel.
  • The Case of the Whispering TeacupA detective-style frame plus an odd, domestic object gives a lightly comic mystery.
  • Who Took the Golden Ticket?A question the story has to answer, which pulls readers to the last page.
  • Midnight at Ashgrove ManorA time and a place with a slightly grand name, so it has the mood of a classic whodunit.
  • The Secret of the Old BoathouseOld, closed places make good mysteries, and secret promises a reveal.
  • The Girl Who Talked to the MoonA plain role with an impossible act: the basic shape of a fairy tale.
  • The Baker Who Sold His VoiceA trade and a bargain, and the reader wonders what he bought with it.
  • Ilse and the Talking KettleA name and an odd object, easy to read aloud and full of comic potential.
  • The Crooked FoxOne adjective sets up a trickster, which is a familiar figure and a promise of mischief.
  • The Whispering AtticUses a familiar spooky place and gives it an active sound, which is enough for a chill.
  • Don't Open the Cellar HatchA command the reader wants to disobey, which is the whole appeal of a horror story.
  • Something in the CornfieldVague on purpose. Not naming the thing makes the reader supply it.
  • The House at the End of Maple LaneAn ordinary street with a dead end. Suburban dread does the rest.
  • The Summer We Sold the HouseNostalgia and loss in one line, aimed at a quiet, family-centered story.
  • Last Tuesday at the LaundromatPrecise and mundane, so any drama that follows feels bigger.
  • Things My Aunt Kept in DrawersA list-like title that suggests a character sketch told through objects.
  • The Day I Stopped TalkingA single event told in the first person, and the reader wants to know why.

Choosing a title for your story

  • Name one thing that the reader will see in their head: an object, a place or a person doing something unusual.
  • Write the title after the first draft if you can. The story often shows you the right words in the last scene.
  • If your story has a twist, make sure the title does not give it away. Read it as a stranger would.
  • Keep it under about six words. Short titles are easier to say, list and remember.
  • Try both a plain title and a strange one, then read each above your opening line. One will fit.

Questions people ask

How do I title a short story?

Name something concrete from the story: an object, a place or a character doing something odd. Keep it short, hint at the conflict without spoiling it, and read it above your first line to check the fit.

What is a good story title for a school assignment?

One that shows the theme and sparks curiosity, such as The Map to the Silver Compass or Who Took the Golden Ticket? Use a strong noun and avoid giving the ending away.

Should I write the title before or after the story?

Either works. A working title helps you start, but many writers change it by the last page because the story turns out to be about something else. Treat the first title as a placeholder.

What are good titles for kids stories?

Children's stories favor a character and a problem in simple words, such as The Hen Who Wanted the Moon or Ilse and the Talking Kettle. Keep the words short and the picture easy to imagine.

How is a story title different from a book title?

A short story title works with no cover, so it often names a person, object or question directly. Book titles also have to signal genre on a shelf. For novels, try the book title generator.

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Updated September 2026 · How these names are made