A subtitle is text that appears at the bottom of a screen to show what people are saying in a movie, TV show, or video. When characters speak in another language, subtitles translate their words into English (or whatever language you need). When someone watches a movie in Spanish and sees English text at the bottom explaining what the actors are saying, those are subtitles.

Subtitles can also help people who are deaf or hard of hearing follow along with what's happening. These can show dialogue along with sound effects like “[door slams]” or “[music playing].”

The word can also mean a secondary title that explains or adds to the main title of a book or article. Many nonfiction books use subtitles to clarify their topic. For example, a book titled The Secret Garden might have the subtitle “A Classic Tale of Friendship and Magic.”

In both cases, subtitles provide extra information, either translating spoken words or explaining what a title means.