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Free Show HN Title Scorer

Score your Show HN title before you post: the format rules, length, clarity, hype words and whether it says plainly what you built.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded
  • Updated Oct 25, 2026

8 / 80

50Title score

Checks

  • Starts with "Show HN: " exactly15
  • Within HN's 80 character limit (8)15
  • Between 25 and 70 characters: specific but scannable10
  • No hype words (revolutionary, ultimate, game changer...)15
  • No exclamation marks5
  • No emoji5
  • No shouting in capitals5
  • Says what it does, not just the name (Name, what it does)15
  • Mentions something HN cares about (open source, the stack, a CLI, self hosted...)10
  • Leads with the thing, not with I or we5
1. Show HN:
1 point by you just now | discuss

How to use the show HN title scorer

  1. 1

    Type your title

    Show HN: Name, what it does.

  2. 2

    Read the checks

    Each rule and habit that helps, passed or flagged.

  3. 3

    Rewrite

    Plain and specific beats clever; aim for a high score.

What works on Show HN

Hacker News readers respond to plain, specific titles that say what something is and does: Show HN: Acme, an open-source invoicing app in Go. Marketing language, superlatives, emoji and ALL CAPS work against you, and the guidelines ask you not to editorialize.

Show HN is for things people can try. Titles are limited to 80 characters; the best ones are often shorter.

Questions

What is the Show HN title format?

It starts with Show HN: followed by your title. Keep it under 80 characters.

When should I post?

Weekday mornings US Eastern time are common choices. Use the launch time planner to see the time around the world.

Should I post a landing page?

Show HN is for things people can try now. A waitlist page usually does poorly.

Is the score official?

No. It is a checklist of the rules and common patterns in successful posts.

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