# Action title checker: does every slide title make a claim? > An action title is a full sentence that states the slide's conclusion, usually with a number and a reason, instead of naming its topic. This checker scores every pasted title out of 100 on six rules: verb, number, so-what, length, filler words and vague wording. From 80 points a title counts as an action title. It runs in your browser, in English and German, and every rule is listed below so you can judge it. - Source: https://ai-presentations.com/tools/action-title-checker/ - Updated: 22 October 2026 - Language: English - German version: https://ai-presentations.com/de/tools/aktionstitel-check/ Paste your slide titles, one per line. Each title gets a score and the reasons behind it, so you can see which titles state a finding and which only name a topic. This is an interactive tool. Use it on the page: https://ai-presentations.com/tools/action-title-checker/ ## How to use it 1. **Paste your titles.** Paste one title per line, or copy the title lines from PowerPoint's Outline View. Slide numbers and bullets in front of a title are removed, and up to 60 titles are checked. 2. **Pick the language of the titles.** Choose English or German rules. The tool offers to switch when your titles look like the other language. 3. **Read the scores.** The dial shows the average of all scored titles. Every card lists the six checks, each with the word or number that decided it. 4. **Fix the weakest titles first.** Switch to To fix and follow the rewrite hint under each title. Agenda, appendix and similar slides are not scored. 5. **Let the AI rewrite the list.** The button hands your titles to the editor with an instruction to turn weak titles into action titles and to leave a [number] placeholder where you gave no figure. ## How it works The checker is a set of fixed rules that run in your browser. No AI model reads your titles, and nothing is uploaded. The rules find words and patterns, not meaning, so the score is a prompt to reread a title, not a grade. Rules as of October 2026. The idea comes from consulting practice. Barbara Minto's The Pyramid Principle asks for a statement that carries the point instead of a label, and the site's action titles guide shows the practice with examples. The weights, word limits and word lists below are this site's own rule of thumb, not a published standard. Scoring: every title earns up to 100 points, 30 for a verb, 20 for a number, 15 for a so-what, 15 for length, 10 for having no filler label and 10 for specific wording. A title with a verb and at least 80 points counts as an action title. From 55 points with a number or a so-what it counts as almost there. Every other title with a verb is a weak claim, and every title without a verb is a topic title. Verb: the title needs a verb form from a built-in list of about 700 English and 600 German word forms. The list holds auxiliaries (is, are; ist, sind), common business verbs in their regular forms (grew, fell, reduce; stieg, senken, steigerten) and one headline pattern, up or down followed by a measure, as in “up 18%”. Words that are both noun and verb, such as plan, report or cost, count only where a verb can stand, for example after a pronoun or before a number. German nouns are capitalized, so a capitalized word inside the title is never read as a verb. When in doubt the checker finds no verb, so a verb that is not on the list shows as No verb found. A title that opens with a question word such as why, how or what, or ends with a question mark, counts as a question and scores 54 at most. Number: a numeral that measures something, such as 18, $2.4M, 40% or 3x, or a number word such as three or doubled. Years (2026), quarters (Q3), weeks and dates do not count, because they only place the slide in time. So-what: a word that adds a reason, a contrast, a comparison or a decision, such as because, so, but, while, than, if, must, weil, deshalb, aber, während, or a second clause with its own verb after a comma or semicolon. It is a proxy, and a so-what can be phrased without any of these words. Length: 6 to 15 words earn all 15 points, 4 to 5 or 16 to 18 words earn 10, up to 22 words earn 5, and 3 words or fewer, or more than 22, earn nothing. The upper limit follows the action titles guide, which puts two lines at about 15 words; the lower limit is our choice. Filler and vague wording: words such as overview, summary, update, results, status, takeaways or next steps (Überblick, Zusammenfassung, Ergebnisse, Fazit in German) mark a label. A label in a title without a verb costs 10 points unless the title also holds a number, and a label before a colon, as in “Update: revenue grew 18%”, costs 5. Words such as significant, strong, various or several (erheblich, deutlich, verschiedene) cost 10 points when no number backs them up. Not scored: agenda, contents, outline, appendix, backup, questions, thank you, contact and numbered section dividers are structural slides, where a short title is fine, so they stay out of the average. The checker also flags titles that repeat an earlier one. What it reads: the wording of a title, meaning verb, length and numbers, in English and German. Whether a claim is true and whether the slide proves it stays your call, and a title with the right words but little content still needs your eye. Your text stays on your device. Only when you open the brief in the editor, the titles in the brief travel in the link to Slaide's sign-up page. ## Brief for the AI A complete brief for the AI. Replace the [placeholders] with your facts. ```text Build a presentation of [number] slides about [topic] for [audience]. Write every content slide an action title: a full sentence of 6 to 15 words that states the conclusion and names the key number or the consequence. Each title needs a verb, a number wherever the data has one, and a reason or a decision. Title slide, agenda and appendix may keep short titles. Where I give no number, write [number] instead of inventing one. After the draft, list the slide titles in a table with the finding each one states. ``` [Open this brief in the editor](https://app.slaide.de/registrieren?prompt=Build+a+presentation+of+%5Bnumber%5D+slides+about+%5Btopic%5D+for+%5Baudience%5D.+Write+every+content+slide+an+action+title%3A+a+full+sentence+of+6+to+15+words+that+states+the+conclusion+and+names+the+key+number+or+the+consequence.+Each+title+needs+a+verb%2C+a+number+wherever+the+data+has+one%2C+and+a+reason+or+a+decision.+Title+slide%2C+agenda+and+appendix+may+keep+short+titles.+Where+I+give+no+number%2C+write+%5Bnumber%5D+instead+of+inventing+one.+After+the+draft%2C+list+the+slide+titles+in+a+table+with+the+finding+each+one+states.&utm_source=ai-presentations.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=tool%3Aaction-title-checker&utm_content=markdown) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is an action title? An action title is a slide headline written as a full sentence that states the slide's conclusion, such as “Revenue grew 18% in Q3, led by the Nordics”, instead of a topic label such as “Q3 revenue”. Read in order, the titles tell the story of the deck. Consultancies and boards often expect the style. ### How long should an action title be? One line is ideal and two lines are the limit, which is about 8 to 15 words at normal title sizes. The checker gives full length points from 6 to 15 words, because a short title with a verb and a number can be crisp. If a title needs three lines, the slide probably carries two messages and should be split. ### What is the difference between an action title and a topic title? A topic title names the subject, such as “Customer churn”. An action title says what the data shows about it, such as “Churn fell to 4.1% after the onboarding change”. Topic titles are fine on structural slides like the agenda or the appendix, which is why the checker leaves those unscored. ### How does the checker score a title? Six rules add up to 100 points: verb 30, number 20, so-what 15, length 15, no filler label 10 and specific wording 10. From 80 points with a verb a title counts as an action title. The method section on this page lists every word list and threshold. ### Can AI write action titles for me? Yes, a chat assistant or an AI presentation tool can rewrite topic titles as sentences, but it will invent numbers if you give it none. Hand it the real figures, or tell it to leave a gap where each number belongs, and check each claim against the slide. The brief under the tool is written that way. ### Should every slide have an action title? Every content slide should. The title slide, agenda, section dividers, appendix and thank-you slide can keep short labels. The checker follows this rule and leaves those structural titles out of the score. ### Does the checker work for German titles? Yes. Switch the rules to German and it uses German verb forms, number words, so-what words such as weil, deshalb and aber, and filler words such as Überblick, Zusammenfassung and Status. It also offers to switch when your titles look like the other language. ### Is my text sent anywhere? No, the scoring runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Only if you press the button under the tool, the titles in the brief travel in the link to the editor's sign-up page. The brief is shown under What the editor receives, so you can read it first. ## Related pages - [Action titles](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/action-titles/): Write slide headlines as full sentences. Six rules for action titles, twelve before-and-after examples and a quick test you can run on any deck. - [Action title](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/action-title/): An action title is a slide headline written as a full sentence that states the slide's conclusion. Definition, before-and-after examples and rules. - [So what](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/so-what/): The “so what” is the implication of a fact: why it matters to the audience and what they should do about it. Definition, examples and a test for slides. - [Pyramid principle](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/pyramid-principle/): The pyramid principle by Barbara Minto: give the answer first, group the support and order it. With a worked example and an outline you can reuse for a deck. - [Key message](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/key-message/): A key message is the one idea you want your audience to remember and act on after a presentation or a slide. Definition, examples and how to write it. - [Storyline](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/storyline/): A storyline is the logical chain of messages that carries a presentation from its opening to its conclusion. Definition, an example and how to build one. - [Board presentation](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/board-presentation/): A board presentation template with the 8 slides a quarterly board meeting needs: summary, KPIs, revenue, EBITDA bridge, initiatives, risks and decisions. --- ai-presentations.com is published by Slaide (https://www.slaide.de), a sole proprietorship run by Nathalie Scholl in Heilbronn, Germany. [How this site is written, checked and corrected](https://ai-presentations.com/editorial-policy/).