Check title length against search limits.
Search results truncate titles on rendered pixel width, not character count, which is why a 60-character title can fit while another of the same length does not. Capitals and wide letters like M and W occupy roughly 11.5 pixels at typical rendering while narrow letters like i and l take about 4 — a factor of nearly three. An all-caps title therefore truncates far earlier than a lowercase one of identical length. Automatically appended brand suffixes consume the budget too, without appearing in the field you edit. Front-loading the target keyword matters because a truncated title still shows its beginning.
Pixel estimate
Width = wide chars x 11.5 + narrow chars x 4.2 + other chars x 8.2, plus brand suffix
Fit test
Truncated if estimated width exceeds the available pixel budget, typically about 580px
Because rendering is proportional. Illinois and MMMMMMMM have the same character count and wildly different widths. Character limits are a rough proxy that fails on title-case and capitalised text, which is exactly where truncation surprises people.
Not directly, but a title cut mid-phrase reads badly in results and reduces click-through. Search engines also sometimes rewrite titles they judge unhelpful. Keeping within the pixel budget and front-loading the important words is the practical response.