Direct answer
What does Title mean?
The legal ownership interest in real property, together with the rights that ownership carries.
Exam cue: Separate title from the document used to transfer it and from evidence about its condition.
What does it look like in a question?
New York example
A buyer receives title through delivery of the deed at closing.
Common exam trap
What should you not confuse it with?
Title is not a paper document, even though documents can provide evidence of title.
Related property rights and title terms
DeedA written instrument used to transfer an interest in real property.EasementA nonpossessory right to use another person's land for a stated purpose.EncroachmentA physical improvement that crosses a property line or intrudes into another protected area.Fee simpleThe broadest private ownership estate, potentially lasting indefinitely and subject to government powers and private restrictions.FixtureAn item that began as personal property but is treated as part of the real property because of attachment, adaptation and intent.Joint tenancyConcurrent ownership that includes a right of survivorship when it is properly created.
Sources used2 references with section locators
The curriculum citation confirms exam scope. Definition and rule citations support the explanation itself. Links and locators were checked on August 26, 2026.
Keep learning
Put the term back into its full subject.
A definition helps with recall. The subject guide shows how the rule interacts with documents, scenarios, calculations and practice questions.