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Show HN title checker

Paste your Show HN title, and your text if you have it. Each check tells you whether it meets one of Hacker News's written rules, and quotes the HN sentence it comes from, so you can read the rule yourself. It runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent to us.

What's different here: every check is tied to the exact sentence it enforces, quoted from HN's own pages. Our tests compare every quote, word for word, with copies of those pages fetched on 27 October 2026, and run every before and after example on this page through the same checks. Checks that are only our own advice are labelled as tips.

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HN's submit form rejects titles longer than 80 characters. That comes from HN's published news.arc source, not the guidelines.

What does your link go to?
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Checklist

The HN rules it checks

Each rule below is a sentence from the Show HN guidelines, the Hacker News guidelines or the Hacker News FAQ. The rule is HN's. How we spot it, such as which words count as hype, is ours, and it's written next to each one.

  1. Starts with “Show HN”HN ruleTitle

    How it's checked: Checks the title begins with Show HN, in that case.

  2. No uppercase to stand outHN ruleTitle

    • Please don't do things to make titles stand out, like using uppercase or exclamation points, or saying how great an article is. (Hacker News guidelines)

    How it's checked: Flags all-caps words of four or more letters, and shouted short words like NEW or FREE, but not common acronyms such as JSON or HTTP.

  3. No exclamation pointsHN ruleTitle

    • Please don't do things to make titles stand out, like using uppercase or exclamation points, or saying how great an article is. (Hacker News guidelines)

    How it's checked: Flags any exclamation mark in the title.

  4. No saying how great it isHN ruleTitle

    • Please don't do things to make titles stand out, like using uppercase or exclamation points, or saying how great an article is. (Hacker News guidelines)

    How it's checked: Flags superlatives and hype from our own word list: best, greatest, ultimate, amazing, awesome, incredible, insanely, revolutionary, game-changing, groundbreaking, mind-blowing, world's first, world-class, cutting-edge, next-level, blazing fast, lightning fast, stunning, magical, killer, epic, unbelievable.

  5. No site nameHN ruleTitle

    • If the title includes the name of the site, please take it out, because the site name will be displayed after the link. (Hacker News guidelines)

    How it's checked: Flags anything that looks like a domain, such as gridcast.app.

  6. No gratuitous numbersHN ruleTitle

    • If the title contains a gratuitous number or number + adjective, we'd appreciate it if you'd crop it. (Hacker News guidelines)
    • Exception: when the number is meaningful, e.g. "The 5 Platonic Solids." (Hacker News guidelines)

    How it's checked: Flags listicle numbers like 10 Ways or 14 Amazing. A meaningful number is fine, as HN says.

  7. [video] or [pdf] for videos and PDFsHN ruleTitle

    • If you submit a video or pdf, please warn us by appending [video] or [pdf] to the title. (Hacker News guidelines)

    How it's checked: If you say your link is a video or a PDF, checks the title ends with [video] or [pdf].

  8. Not just a version bumpHN ruleTitle

    • New features and upgrades ("Foo 1.3.1 is out") generally aren't substantive enough to be Show HNs. A major overhaul is probably ok. (Show HN guidelines)

    How it's checked: Flags version numbers like 1.3.1 or v2 and phrases like is out or now supports.

  9. Something people can try nowHN ruleTitle and text

    How it's checked: Flags a waitlist, newsletter, blog post, landing page, fundraiser (crowdfunding, Kickstarter, Indiegogo or a pre-sale), or coming soon, in the title or text.

  10. No asking for upvotes or commentsHN ruleTitle and text

    How it's checked: Flags asking people to upvote, vote, comment, share or help you reach the front page. Asking for feedback isn't flagged.

  11. Easy to try without a sign-upHN ruleText

    • Please make it easy for users to try your thing out, ideally without barriers such as signups or emails. (Show HN guidelines)

    How it's checked: Flags mentions of signing up, logging in, an account or an email address, unless the sentence says you don't need one.

  12. No uppercase for emphasisHN ruleText

    • Please don't use uppercase for emphasis. Instead, put *asterisks* around it and it will get italicized. (Hacker News guidelines)

    How it's checked: Flags all-caps words in your text, except common acronyms.

Tips that aren't HN rules

These checks are our own advice, not HN rules. The checker labels them as tips, and they never count against the HN rules in the verdict.

  • Says what it is, not just the name. Our tip, not an HN rule: warns when fewer than 3 words follow Show HN.
  • Explains how and why. Our tip, based on the Show HN request to explain how and why. It looks for words like because, why, how, problem or I built, and can't tell whether you actually explained anything. The HN sentence behind it: Explain how and why. (Show HN guidelines)

What no checker can judge

Some Show HN rules are about the project, not the words. Read these yourself before you post:

  • It's something people can play with. Show HN is for something you've made that other people can play with. (Show HN guidelines)
  • It's non-trivial. The project should be non-trivial. Don't post quickly-generated one-offs; anybody can do that now. (Show HN guidelines)
  • It's your own work, and you're around. The project must be something you've worked on personally and which you're around to discuss. (Show HN guidelines)
  • You wrote the text yourself. Don't post generated text or AI-edited text. HN is for conversation between humans. (Hacker News guidelines)
  • The title isn't misleading. Otherwise please use the original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait; don't editorialize. (Hacker News guidelines)

The HN guidelines also say, for submissions: Please don't put generated text in HN posts. (Hacker News guidelines) So the checker never rewrites your text, and LaunchLoop doesn't write Show HN posts.

Before and after

These are made-up products. Each “before” fails exactly the checks listed, and each “after” passes every check. Our test suite runs all of them through the checker above, so if a check changes, the examples have to change with it.

Is there a title length limit?

Yes. HN's submit form rejects titles longer than 80 characters, even though the written guidelines don't mention it. The Show HN guidelines, the main guidelines and the FAQ give no title length. The limit comes from HN's published news.arc source (news.arc in the Anarki repository), which sets a title limit of 80. HN's live code isn't public, and the submit form shows only a login when you're signed out, so we couldn't test the live form ourselves. The checker counts the whole title, including Show HN, and adds a separate “Submit form” check when it's over 80. That check is not a guideline quote. A title that says what the project is in one short line is the safe target.

After the title

The title gets the click. The text decides the thread. How to write a Show HN post covers the title format, link or text post, what to put in your text and how to reply to comments, quoting HN and its moderators throughout. The Show HN launch checklist covers whether your project qualifies, getting it ready for a spike, timing and what to do afterwards.

Launching on Product Hunt the same week? Check your 60-character tagline with the Product Hunt tagline checker. HN shows a plain text link, but readers share the good ones on X and Slack, so test your share card with the OG image preview.

Show HN title FAQ

How long can a Show HN title be?

HN's submit form rejects titles longer than 80 characters, even though the written guidelines don't mention it. The Show HN guidelines, the main guidelines and the FAQ give no length. The limit comes from HN's published news.arc source, and HN's live code isn't public, so check the form if you're near it. This tool shows the count, and adds a separate submit form check when your title is over 80, not as an HN rule. Aim for a title that says what the project is in one short line.

What should a Show HN title start with?

With "Show HN". The Show HN guidelines say to submit a story whose title begins with "Show HN". After that, say plainly what the project is, without capitals, exclamation points or claims about how great it is, which the HN guidelines ask titles to avoid. See weak and stronger titles.

Can I ask people to upvote or comment on my Show HN?

No. The Show HN guidelines say not to ask friends to upvote or comment, the HN guidelines say not to solicit upvotes, comments or submissions, and the HN FAQ says HN penalises or bans submissions, accounts and sites that break this rule. The checker doesn't flag asking for feedback, because the Show HN guidelines expect readers to give feedback in the thread. Read the voting rules in full.

Does the checker use AI or save what I type?

No. The checks are plain pattern rules that run in your browser, so your title and text aren't sent to LaunchLoop or saved. The page loads the site's usual analytics, which don't record what you type into the form.

Why does it flag something that's fine in my title?

The checks look for patterns, such as an all-caps word, a number before a plural or a version number, and can't know what you meant. An acronym or a meaningful number is fine: HN's own guidelines give "The 5 Platonic Solids" as an example of a number worth keeping. Treat a warning as a prompt to look again, not a ban.

Sources

Every quote on this page was copied from these Hacker News pages as fetched on 27 October 2026. HN can change them without notice, so check the links before you post.

The 80 character title limit is the one exception. No HN page states it, so it isn't quoted. It comes from news.arc in the Anarki repository, which we read on 27 October 2026.