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95 topics, each one shaped for what you need it for. A debate topic has two sides. A speech topic has a speaker in it. An essay topic has an argument to find. Pick the kind first, filter by subject if you like, and press the button.

Choose what it is for and press the button.

95 topics in this list.

All 95 topics

TopicForSubjectWhy it works
Should homework be abolished?DebateSchoolTwo clear sides and everyone has lived it
Should the voting age be lowered to 16?DebatePoliticsReal precedent in several countries
Is social media doing more harm than good?DebateSocietyEvidence on both sides, and everyone uses it
Should university be free?DebateEducationWho pays is the whole argument
Should zoos exist?DebateAnimalsConservation against captivity
Is it ever right to lie?DebateEthicsSmall lies, big lies, and where the line is
Should cars be banned from city centres?DebateCitiesAir, noise and who gets left out
Should exams be replaced by coursework?DebateSchoolFairness against pressure
Is space exploration worth the money?DebateScienceInspiration against need on the ground
Should junk food be taxed?DebateHealthNudging against freedom
Should everyone learn to code?DebateTechnologyUseful skill or fashionable one
Is a four-day working week realistic?DebateWorkTrials exist; the results are argued over
Should animals have legal rights?DebateEthicsWhere personhood stops
Should schools have uniforms?DebateSchoolEquality against expression
Is nuclear power the answer to climate change?DebateEnergyRisk against carbon
Should the death penalty exist anywhere?DebateJusticeDeterrence, error, and morality
Are video games a sport?DebateCultureDefinitions, and who decides
Should billionaires exist?DebateEconomicsReward against concentration
Should countries have open borders?DebatePoliticsTwo positions rarely stated calmly
Is it better to rent or to own?DebateMoneyDepends where and when, which is the point
A time you changed your mindSpeechPersonalHonest and rare
The best advice you ignoredSpeechPersonalWhat happened next
Something you are good at that nobody knowsSpeechPersonalLow stakes, high interest
A place everyone should visit onceSpeechTravelAnd why it is not the obvious one
The most useful thing you ownSpeechEverydayArgue for it
A skill everyone should learn by twentySpeechLifeMake the case
A small habit that changed your weekSpeechLifeSpecific beats grand
The person who taught you the mostSpeechPersonalNot a famous one
Why a particular season is the bestSpeechEverydayPick one and defend it
A rule you would add to your school or workplaceSpeechIdeasAnd how to enforce it
What you would do with a free yearSpeechIdeasConcrete, not a wish
The invention we could live withoutSpeechTechnologyConvince the room
Something old that is better than the new versionSpeechEverydayEvidence, please
The job that deserves more respectSpeechWorkWhy, and what would change
A food everyone should trySpeechFoodHow to make them want it
How a small town changes when a factory closesEssaySocietyCause, effect, and who is left
What a city sounds like at 4 a.m.EssayObservationDescription as argument
Why people keep things they never useEssayPsychologyAttachment, guilt, hope
The history of a single streetEssayHistoryEverything that happened on one line
How a game teaches something a lesson cannotEssayEducationChoose one game
What it means to be a regular somewhereEssaySocietyBelonging in small doses
The last time a technology disappearedEssayTechnologyAnd what went with it
How a family recipe changes over three generationsEssayFoodMigration in a dish
Why maps lie, and why they have toEssayGeographyProjection, choice, omission
What a long walk does to a problemEssayPsychologyMovement and thought
The economics of a school feteEssayEconomicsPrices, labour and goodwill
Why some words fall out of useEssayLanguageTrace one
What we owe to strangersEssayEthicsSmall duties, real ones
How the weather shapes a country's characterEssayCultureCareful, and specific
What a hospital waiting room revealsEssayObservationWatch, then write
How rivers decided where cities areResearchGeographyPick a river and follow it
What happened to the world's languages in the last centuryResearchLanguageLoss, revival, counting
How a vaccine gets from a lab to an armResearchScienceEvery step, and how long each takes
Why some countries drive on the leftResearchHistoryThe actual reasons
How coral reefs form and why they dieResearchNatureTimescales that surprise
What the first cities looked likeResearchHistoryEvidence, not imagination
How elections are counted in different countriesResearchPoliticsSystems and their side effects
The life cycle of a plastic bottleResearchEnvironmentFrom well to wherever it ends
How bees decide where to liveResearchNatureDemocracy in a swarm
Why the calendar has twelve monthsResearchHistoryMoons, Romans and reform
How the internet physically worksResearchTechnologyCables, and where they run
What sleep does that nothing else canResearchScienceWhat is known and what is not
How a piece of music becomes a hitResearchCultureRadio, data and luck
Why bread risesResearchScienceA microbe doing its job
How a national anthem gets chosenResearchCultureCommittees, wars and accidents
The best thing about a bad dayConversationEverydayEveryone has one
A rule you broke and would break againConversationPersonalLight, not confessional
What you would teach a class of ten-year-oldsConversationIdeasOne lesson
The most overrated thingConversationOpinionArgue it
A sound you loveConversationEverydayRain, engines, a particular voice
What you would name a boatConversationFunAnd why
The last thing you learned by accidentConversationEverydayUsually a good story
A place you go to thinkConversationPersonalReal or remembered
The smell that takes you straight backConversationPersonalEveryone has one
If you could keep one season all yearConversationFunDefend it against the table
What you would bring back from the pastConversationFunAn object, a habit or a price
Something you changed your mind about this yearConversationPersonalHonest, brief
The best meal you have had in a strange placeConversationFoodWhere, and who with
A skill you want but will not learnConversationPersonalAnd what is really stopping you
What your town is quietly famous forConversationLocalEvery place has one
How a bicycle stays uprightExplainerScienceIt is not the gyroscope, mostly
Why the sky is blue and sunsets are redExplainerScienceThe same reason, told twice
How a bill becomes a lawExplainerPoliticsYour country's version
Why the moon looks bigger near the horizonExplainerScienceYour brain, not the moon
How money is createdExplainerEconomicsNot where most people think
Why leap years existExplainerScienceAnd why 1900 was not one
How a plane stays upExplainerScienceBoth explanations, and which is honest
Why we dreamExplainerScienceWhat is known, and how little
How recycling actually worksExplainerEnvironmentWhere the bin goes
Why some people are left-handedExplainerScienceGenes, chance and history
How a credit score is calculatedExplainerMoneyWhat counts and what does not
Why tides happen twice a dayExplainerScienceThe far side is the hard part
How language spreadsExplainerLanguageTrade, empire and television
Why prices end in 99ExplainerEconomicsAnd whether it works
How a city gets its waterExplainerCitiesFollow the pipe backwards

Debate topics are written as questions with two defensible sides. Speech and conversation topics are written to be personal without being intrusive. Research and explainer topics are ones with real answers you can look up, and the note says where the surprise is.

How this list was built

A topic is shaped by what it is for, so the page sorts them that way. 'Should homework be abolished?' is a good debate and a bad essay. 'The history of a single street' is a good essay and a hopeless debate. Most topic generators hand you a noun and leave the shaping to you; this one has done it.

Every debate has two real sides. Nothing here is a question where one answer is obviously right — those are not debates, they are quizzes. Each is a question reasonable people argue about, and the note says what the argument turns on.

Research topics have answers. Each one is something you can actually find out, with a note on where the interesting part is — why 1900 was not a leap year, why the far side of the earth also has a tide. That is the difference between a topic and a vague area.

Nothing here requires a particular country, age or politics. The debates are framed so that a class in Mumbai, Manchester or Minneapolis can run them; the speech topics are personal without asking anyone to disclose anything they would rather not.

Sources. Topics are editorial, written for this page and shaped by use. Debate questions are framed to have two defensible positions; research and explainer topics are ones with established answers.

Common questions

How many topics does this pick from?

95, across debates, speeches, essays, research projects, explainers and conversation starters. All of them are in the table on this page.

Can I get only debate topics?

Yes — set the first dropdown to Debate. The second filters by subject, so you can ask for a science debate or a school one, and the count shows how many are in the pool.

Are these suitable for a classroom?

Yes, and they were written with one in mind. The debates work for secondary school and above; the speech topics are personal without asking anyone to reveal anything private.

What is the difference between an essay topic and a research topic here?

An essay topic asks for an argument or an observation of your own. A research topic has a findable answer, and the point is to go and find it.

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