It’s your first week of college, and your English professor has already assigned your class an essay: a classification essay. Your professor explained to your class that classification essays are actually pretty common and that you should familiarize yourself with writing them. Then it hits you that you did write one or two classification essays in high school, but like most things from that period, long ago, you’ve forgotten it!
To make things even worse, because classification essays are supposedly so common, your professor isn’t even going to review what they are and what’s expected. She just wants you to write one within the next week.
After a day of feeling down and even asking, “What if college is not for you?” you’ve found this article. Don’t worry; your career as a top essay writer isn’t over.
It’s just begun.
Keep reading to relearn what a classification essay is and for 200 classification essay topics arranged by category.
What Is a Classification Essay?
Before listing classification essay topics, it’s important to know what a classification essay is. A basic classification essay takes a topic, breaks it down into smaller parts or groups, and then justifies the classification. That may sound simple enough, but if you want to write a top-tier essay, you’ll have to make things a bit more detailed. Detail is always the key to any good essay, especially classification essays.
Let’s look at an example.
Let’s suppose you’ve been assigned the topic: “Classify different types of trees.” This is your topic, which is just a starting point. You’ll have to break this topic down a bit more to create an excellent paper. Here are some potential examples:
- Different deciduous trees
- Different palm trees
- Different evergreen trees
Each of those classifications can be divided even more. For example, “different evergreen trees in Floria” or “different palm trees in Egypt.” The deeper you drill down and get more detailed, the better. The important thing is to start with a more wide-ranging topic that you can then break down into more precise classifications. When choosing a topic, you should also keep in mind if your essay is intended to be persuasive or informative.
With all of this in mind, here are 200 classification essay topics to stimulate your brainstorming.
Good Classification Essay Topics
- Different types of personal relationships
- Different types of outdoor activities
- Examine different styles of popular music
- Classify different sports cars by country
- Different types of house pets
- Classify different types of video games
- Examine different types of families
- Classify flora found in your backyard
- Classify fauna found in your backyard
- Different types of intelligence
Funny Classification Essay Topics
- Classify “dad” jokes
- Different types of humor
- Examine different types of practical jokes
- Different styles of stand-up comedy
- Classify different stories about the Easter Rabbit
- Examine different ways to get out of household chores
- Classify ten of the worst-known sitcoms
- Different types of pet owners
- Classify the best ways to get a date
- Examine the funniest movie endings of all time
Easy Classification Essay Topics
- Examine different ways to make friends
- Classify the best pets for small spaces
- Different ways to save money
- Classify the best birthday gift ideas
- Different types of backyard games
- Different types of children’s toys
- Classify the most important world religions
- Examine different types of warfare
- Examine the different cultural groups in your town
- Different types of after-school jobs
Classification Essay Topics for High School Students
- Classify the most popular high school sports
- Different types of school cafeteria food
- Examine the best classes to take for college preparation
- Examine the best writing utensils
- Different types of cool haircuts
- Classify the best pets for high school students
- Classify the best laptops for high school students
- Different types of casual shoes
- Different fashion styles for high school students
- Examine the best study methods for college entrance exams
Classification Essay Topics for College Students
- Classify the best majors for immediately getting a job after college
- Different ways to pay for a college education
- Examine the best type of beers to buy on a college student’s budget
- Different transportation choices for college students
- Different dining options for college students
- Classify the best dating methods while in college
- Examine different spring break destinations on a budget
- Different notetaking methods
- Different types of graduate and post-graduate programs
- Different types of places to live while in college
Classification Essay Topics by Categories
Classification Essay Topics on Education and Learning
- Classify different non-orthodox learning methods
- Different types of private schools
- Different types of educational field trips
- Examine the best technologies for teaching
- Classify different cultural approaches to learning
- Different methods to motivate students
- Classify the worst types/brands of computers in an educational setting
- Examine different methods to raise standardized test scores
- Different types of specialized degrees offered by universities
- Classify the best universities in the world
Classification Essay Topics on Sports
- Classify the best soccer clubs in Europe
- Examine different training methods among professional athletes
- Different types of sports fans
- Different professional sports trophies
- Examine the highest-revenue professional sports leagues
- Classify the most unusual sports in the world
- Different college sports leagues in the world
- Classify the worst spectator sports
- Different ways to bet on sports
- Different team sports to play to get into shape
Classification Essay Topics on Science & Technology
- Classify the different climate zones of the United States
- Different types of cancer treatments
- Different types of anti-virus software
- Different types of wild canines in North America
- Examine the most popular AI now in use
- Classify the coldest locations in the continental United States
- Different types of mental illness
- Different types of skin diseases
- Classify different theories on evolution
- Different theories about the possible existence of life away from Earth
Classification Essay Topics on History
- Examine the most prominent Bronze Age cultures
- Different revolvers used in the “Wild West.”
- Different types of armor used in the Middle Ages
- Classify the different government systems before modern democracy
- Different religions of the ancient Near East
- Examine the world’s monotheist religions
- Examine history’s most despotic rulers
- Examine history’s most benevolent rulers
- Different social groups in Ancient Rome
- Classify the most successful Chinese dynasties
Classification Essay Topics on Work & Careers
- Different personality types you find in a typical office
- Classify different high-paying careers with no college education
- Different methods to relieve workplace stress
- Different types of office furniture
- Examine different styles of leadership
- Classify the best careers to do remotely
- Different “blue collar” jobs in the tech industry
- Classify the elements that make a good workplace
- Different ways to get funding for a small business
- Different types of “corporate culture.”
Classification Essay Topics on Entertainment & Pop Culture
- Classify different music festivals
- Different acting techniques
- Different sub-genres of science fiction
- Examine different ways to become a social media influencer
- Classify books that were made into movies
- Different movies that were box office “bombs”
- Different styles of music popular in the 1950s
- Classify music that has had social impacts
- Classify actors who have gone into politics
- Different string instruments
Classification Essay Topics on Health and Wellness
- Classify different exercises that lower blood pressure
- Different ways to increase your strength
- Different types of diabetes medication
- Different methods of meditation
- Examine different genetic diseases
- Different diets for weight loss
- Classify different vitamins by their effects
- Different types of treatments for schizophrenia
- Classify different homeopathic remedies
- Different types of healthcare professions
Classification Essay Topics on Social Life & Relationships
- Different types of nightclubs
- Different types of romantic relationships
- Classify the different relationships humans have with animals
- Examine different types of foreign beers
- Classify different types of sibling relationships
- Examine different types of student-mentor relationships
- Different methods to improve personal relationships
- Different ways to expand your social circle
- Examine different methods to avoid drinking too much at parties
- Classify different relationships between leaders and followers throughout history
Classification Essay Topics on Travel & Tourism
- Different types of water transportation
- Different types of land transportation
- Classify the world’s most popular tourist sites
- Classify the best ancient temples to visit
- Examine different types of “extreme” tourism
- Different types of souvenirs
- Classify travel destinations by climate
- Different types of traveler’s illnesses
- Different methods of saving money for a vacation
- Classify aquatic tourist destinations
Classification Essay Topics on Food & Dining
- Different types of fast food
- Different types of desserts
- Classify restaurants by style (formal, casual, etc.)
- Examine different types of spicy foods
- Classify street foods by type
- Classify the most difficult foods to prepare
- Different foods that are heart-healthy
- Different types of fad diets
- Classify “comfort foods”
- Different foods that are cooked on a wok
Classification Essay Topics on Psychology & Mental Health
- Different symptoms of mental illness
- Classify the most common forms of mental illness in children
- Different causes of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Different medications for anxiety
- Examine the deadliest types of mental illness
- Classify therapies to overcome depression
- Different ways to interpret dreams
- Classify different professionals who work in the mental health industry
- Examine genetic causes of mental illness
- Classify different stigmas and prejudices about people with mental illness
Classification Essay Topics on Finance & Money Management
- Different types of savings accounts
- Classify cryptocurrencies by proof of work or proof of stake
- Different types of precious metals to invest in
- Different types of foreign currencies
- Examine different types of IRAs
- Different styles of boardroom negotiating
- Classify ways to reduce expenses in your home
- Classify different economic systems throughout history
- Examine the five best economists of all time
- Different ways to invest on a budget
Classification Essay Topics on Social Issues
- Different social movements that have led to changes in the laws
- Different types of social norms and mores
- Classify different social movements in the pre-modern era
- Classify social movements that quickly failed
- Different political advocacy groups based on race or ethnicity
- Examine the most influential social groups in mainstream politics
- Classify the most politically active religions
- Different forms of capital punishment throughout the world
- Different approaches to same-sex partnerships throughout the world
- Classify the governments with the strictest laws against abortion
Classification Essay Topics on Fashion and Style
- Different types of clothes to wear for work
- Different types of clothing stores
- Classify different types of models
- Examine the most popular clothing brands
- Different methods to make clothing
- Classify environmentally friendly clothing
- Examine the target audiences of certain clothing brands
- Classify the most comfortable fabrics
- Classify different fashion trends of the last decade
- Different makeup styles of the 1980s
Classification Essay Topics on Crime & Law
- Different types of prisons around the world
- Different types of felony-level crimes
- Classify obsolete/defunct laws in a particular country
- Different types of court systems
- Examine different forms of punishment in the ancient Near East
- Different styles of defense lawyers
- Classify different parole requirements in US states
- Classify different types of robes and other clothing worn by judges in different countries
- Different judicial systems throughout the world
- Examine different versions of “stand your ground” laws in several states
Taking Your Writing to the Next Level
Now that you know what classification is and have 200 topics to stimulate your mind, you’re well on your way to essay writing success. There are a couple of things you need to keep in mind after you write your essay.
Give yourself enough time to edit your essay thoroughly after you have written it. Let a friend or classmate read through it to give you feedback on the content, structure, and flow. But learning how to edit your own writing is almost as important.
It’s great to have other people read your work, yet there are always things that can and will be missed. Make sure to look for typos and word choice issues that your other readers miss and don’t be afraid to tweak the structure as well.
If you follow these tips, you’ll be well on your way to success, and in no time, you’ll find that classification essays are a breeze. And dare I say even fun?
Well, that last one will be up to you. Just remember to relax and always exercise your mind by thinking about how you can classify everyday things.
