is the title of an essay capitalized

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Title Capitalization Rules

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Knowing which words to capitalize in a title can be hard. There are several different style guides in English that all have slightly different rules for title capitalization. Understanding what to capitalize in a title is important to make sure that your titles and headlines look correct. In this guide, we’ll explain the differences between the major styles and what words you should and shouldn’t capitalize.

Table of Contents

The Four Major Title Capitalization Style Guides

First, it is important to note that there are four main title capitalization styles:

• Chicago style

Our title capitalization tool also supports Bluebook and AMA style capitalization.

Each of these capitalization styles has slightly different rules for which words are capitalized and each of these styles can be written using title case capitalization or sentence case capitalization. We’ll get to the nuances of each below.

The Easiest Way to Capitalize Your Titles With the Correct Rules

Before we get into the details of each type of title capitalization style, we highly recommend that you check out our free title capitalization tool . All you have to do is select whether you want title case or sentence case, and then select which style guide you want. It automatically capitalizes your title with the right rules according to style guide you selected. Watch the video below to learn more.

Title Case Capitalization vs. Sentence Case Capitalization

There are two main types of title capitalization methods that are common between all the title capitalization styles. Title case capitalization is the most commonly used title capitalization style used in titles. Sentence case capitalization is commonly used for sub-headings when writing long-form content as well as in many journalism headlines.

Title Case Capitalization

In general, the following capitalization rules apply across the four styles in title case:

• Capitalize the first word in the title
• Capitalize the last word in the title
• Capitalize the important words in the title

Important words  in that last bullet generally refer to:

• Adjectives (tiny, large, etc.)
• Adverbs (quietly, smoothly, etc.)
• Nouns (tablet, kitchen, book)
• Pronouns (they, she, he)
• Subordinating conjunctions (when fewer than 5 letters)
• Verbs (write, type, create)

Title case is the most common title capitalization for book titles, headlines, articles titles, etc. When multiple letters in a title need to be capitalized, use title case capitalization.

Our title capitalization tool will automatically capitalize your titles according to these rules.

Words Not Capitalized in Title Case

While the above words are generally capitalized in titles regardless of style, there are some words that are generally not capitalized when using title case. These include short words and conjunctions:

• Articles (a, an, the)
• Coordinating Conjunctions (and, but, for)
• Short (fewer than 5 letters)
• Prepositions (at, by, from, etc.)

What Is Sentence Case?

The other major type of title capitalization standard is sentence case . Sentence case simply means you capitalize the first letter of a sentence, proper nouns , and nothing else as opposed to capitalizing almost every first letter in title case. It is the same across all of the four styles.

For more specific title capitalization rules, you can see the following sections which cover each style of title capitalization rules or check out our FAQs for common capitalization questions.

Are Proper Nouns Capitalized?

Yes, proper nouns are capitalized in titles and sentences. A proper noun refers to a definite name for a specific person, place, object, book, movie, or event. In English, proper nouns are always capitalized regardless of whether you are writing a sentence or title.

• N ew Y ork C ity is the best place to live.
• I drove home from W almart.
• He high five Bob for winning the game.

Title Capitalization Rules by Style

Chicago manual of style capitalization rules.

Chicago Style is one of the most used and respected headline capitalization methods used in journalism. The rules are fairly standard for title case:

• Capitalize the first and the last word.
• Capitalize nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions.
• Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions.
• Lowercase the ‘to’ in an infinitive (I want to play guitar).

APA Style Capitalization Rules

Making sure you have the right capitalization for APA headings is crucial for scholarly articles. The following rules apply to APA headline capitalization and title capitalization:

• Capitalize the first word of the title/heading and of any subtitle/subheading
• Capitalize all major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns) in the title/heading, including the second part of hyphenated major words (e.g., Self-Report not Self-report)
• Capitalize all words of four letters or more.

MLA Style Capitalization Rules

Making sure you have the right capitalization for MLA headings is crucial for scholarly articles. The following rules apply to MLA headings:

• Capitalize the first word of the title/heading and of any subtitle/subheading.
• Capitalize all major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns) in the title/heading, including the second part of hyphenated major words (e.g., Self-Report not Self-report).
• Do not capitalize articles, prepositions (regardless of length), and coordinating conjunctions.
• Do not capitalize  to  in infinitives.

AP Style Capitalization Rules

AP style capitalization is mainly used by writers for the Associated Press but is also used widely throughout journalism. The capitalization rules are as follow:

• Capitalize words with four or more letters (including conjunctions and prepositions).
• Capitalize the ‘to’ in an infinitive (e.g., I Want To Play Guitar).

NY Times Style Capitalization Rules

NY Times style capitalization is mainly used by writers for the NY Times but is also used widely throughout journalism. The capitalization rules are as follow:

• Capitalize major words, e.g. nouns, pronouns, verbs.

Wikipedia Style Capitalization Rules

Wikipedia editors must follow certain capitalization rules for any posts to Wikipedia. The capitalization rules are as follow:

• Lowercase indefinite and definite articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions.
• Prepositions that contain five letters or more.
• The word “to” in infinitives.

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• Capitalization

Title Case: Capitalization of Titles, Headings, and Headlines

Capitalize the first, last, and all major words in a book title, headline, or first-level heading. Major words are all words except articles ( a , an , the ), prepositions ( on , in , of , etc.), coordinating conjunctions ( and , or , but , etc.), and the word to . This capitalization style is called title case .

• Title case: T he C urious I ncident of the D og in the N ight- T ime
• Title case: T he S trange C ase of D r. J ekyll and M r. H yde

Capitalize lower-level headings using sentence case , in which you capitalize only the words you would normally capitalize in a sentence.

• Sentence case: T he curious incident of the dog in the night-time
• Sentence case: T he strange case of D r. J ekyll and M r. H yde

Style guides like the AP Stylebook , Chicago Manual of Style , APA Publication Manual , and MLA Handbook prescribe additional rules, discussed in this article.

Title case is also called headline style or up style: you see it used in headings and titles of books, movies, TV shows, articles, and other works. Sentence case, also called sentence style or down style, is used for second-level headings and lower. News headlines have traditionally been capitalized using title case, although these days, sentence case is often used, especially online.

Title case: General rules

Here are the general rules for capitalizing titles and headings:

• Capitalize the first word and last word of a title.
• Capitalize all major words, which are all words except articles ( a , an , the ), prepositions (e.g., on , in , of , at ), and coordinating conjunctions ( and , or , but , and nor ; also for , yet , and so when used as conjunctions).
• Always lowercase the word to .
• Capitalize the first element of a hyphenated term. Capitalize any subsequent elements only if they are major words.
• Capitalize the first word of a subheading that appears after a colon.
• Break a rule if you need to—for example, if a preposition is emphasized in a title, capitalize it.

Major words are all words except articles , prepositions , and coordinating conjunctions .

• L ove in the T ime of C holera
• T hree M en in a B oat
• P ride and P rejudice
• R equiem for a D ream
• C atch M e I f Y ou C an
• The P ortrait of a L ady
• The W ay W e L ive N ow
• The G irl W ho P layed with F ire
• M en without W omen
• The G round beneath H er F eet
• E verything I s I lluminated

The first and last words of a title are always capitalized, no matter what they are.

• A Clockwork Orange
• T he Mill on the Floss
• I n Search of Lost Time
• T hrough a Glass Darkly
• F rom Blood and Ash
• B ut What If There’s No Chimney?
• A nd Then There Were None
• Something to Answer F or
• Something to Believe I n
• All We Dream O f
• Where We Come F rom

It may not always be clear at first glance whether a word should be capitalized. Check what function it serves in the title.

• Capitalize over as an adverb , but lowercase it as a preposition. Adverb: The Soup Boiled O ver Preposition: The Light o ver London

The word to is lowercased, regardless of what function it serves in the sentence (unless it is the first or last word).

• Train t o Busan
• Zero t o One: Notes on Startups, or How t o Build the Future
• A Good Man Is Hard t o Find

In a hyphenated term, the first prefix or word is always capitalized, but the following words are capitalized only if they are major words.

• The M an- E ater of Malgudi Eater is a noun and should be capitalized.
• The Academy’s O ut- o f- U niform Procedure Lowercase of , which is a preposition, but capitalize uniform , a noun.
• The S tep- b y- S tep Guide to Finding Fairies
• The T hirty- N ine Steps
• The A nti- I nflammatory Diet Cookbook
• Originals: How N on- C onformists Move the World
• The F ire- B reathing Dragon

Any subtitle or subheading that follows a colon is always capitalized.

• Computer: A History of the Information Machine
• The Lord of the Rings: T he Return of the King
• The View from the Cheap Seats: S elected Nonfiction
• A Memoir: O f Mermaids and Waterfalls

Break a rule if you must. If a word is emphasized in a title, capitalize it, even if it is not a major word.

• How to Be the Go- T o Person in Your Organization
• A Run- I n with Religion and Other True Stories

Capitalize all the words that make up a phrasal verb , even a word that is a preposition.

• What to Do When You R un I nto Someone You Don’t Like
• How to S et U p Your Spaceship’s AI
• Don’t P ut O ff Being Happy

Be and is in a title

Verbs are major words and should be capitalized, including the be verb in all its forms: be , is , are , was , were .

• There Will B e Blood
• Tender I s the Night
• Where the Wild Things A re
• Then She W as Gone
• Their Eyes W ere Watching God

Also capitalize the have and do verbs in all their forms: have , has , had , do , does , did .

• The Heart H as Its Reasons
• Owls D o Cry
• What Katy Did
• Inequality: What Can Be Done ?

That in a title

The word that is always a major word and should be capitalized.

• Companies T hat Fleece Their Customers
• The House T hat Jack Built

It and me in a title

Capitalize all pronouns , including it , my , me , we , our, you , he , his , she , her , they , them , and who .

• How I t All Began
• Some of M y Favorite Things
• The Best W e Can Do
• The General in H is Labyrinth
• The Woman W ho Did

No and not in a title

Capitalize the words no and not (a determiner and an adverb) whenever these words appear in titles.

• Beasts of N o Nation
• Oranges Are N ot the Only Fruit

AP and APA style

The APA Publication Manual (used in academic editing, especially the social sciences) and the AP Stylebook (preferred in journalism, media, and corporate communication) both specify one major exception to the general rules :

Capitalize all words of four letters or more, even if they are prepositions.

• One Flew O ver the Cuckoo’s Nest
• The Girl Who Played W ith Fire
• Men W ithout Women
• The Ground B eneath Her Feet
• So Far F rom God
• Once U pon a Time in the West
• Much Ado A bout Nothing
• The Light B etween Oceans
• The Cat Who Walks T hrough Walls
• A Woman U nder the Influence
• Three Billboards O utside Ebbing, Missouri
• The World U ntil Yesterday
• The Man i n the Brown Suit
• The Wizard o f Oz
• A Home f or Lunatics
• The Woman o n the Beach

Thus, in APA and AP style, words four letters or longer are always capitalized, regardless of function. Note that the other general rules apply as usual. Capitalize any major words, even if they are three letters or shorter: be , has , had , do , did , me , who , my , etc.

• We Should All B e Feminists
• If I H ad Your Face
• Marley and M e
• The Man W ho Sold H is Ferrari

Another exception is that all conjunctions three letters or shorter are lowercased. Thus, in APA and AP style, lowercase not only the seven coordinating conjunctions ( and , or , but , nor , for , yet , so ) but also subordinating conjunctions up to three letters long (which pretty much boils down to the word if ).

• Pride a nd Prejudice
• I’d Tell You I Love You, b ut Then I’d Have to Kill You
• Catch Me i f You Can

Also, do lowercase articles and any prepositions up to three letters long: a , an , the , for , in , of , to , etc.

• The Bridge o n t he River Kwai
• Stranger i n a Strange Land
• The Catcher i n t he Rye
• A House f or Mr. Biswas

Finally, in AP Style, the first and last words are capitalized as usual, regardless of length.

• A n American Tragedy
• T he Invisible Man
• A s I Lay Dying
• O f Human Bondage
• O n the Waterfront
• F or the Green Planet
• These Times We Live I n

However, in APA style, the last word is capitalized only if it is a major word or longer than three letters.

• Something to Answer f or
• These Times We Live i n In APA style, lowercase prepositions, unless they are four letters or longer.

Chicago style

According to the Chicago Manual of Style , the conjunctions to be lowercased are and , or , nor , but , and for . All others are capitalized. Thus, the words yet and so are capitalized regardless of function. The word if is also always capitalized.

• Sense a nd Sensibility
• The Hobbit, o r There a nd Back Again
• Though We Be Dead, Y et Our Day Will Come
• Even I f We Break

In a hyphenated phrase, if the first element is merely a prefix that could not stand by itself (e.g., anti- , pre- , non- ), don’t capitalize the second part.

• The A nti- i nflammatory Diet Cookbook
• The Thirty- N ine Steps The word thirty can stand by itself, so capitalize nine as well.

Remember to capitalize not just the first but also the last word of a title or heading, even if it is not a major word.

• The Things We Believe I n Capitalize the last word, even a preposition.
• Only One Way T hrough
• It’s You I’m Dreaming O f

The MLA Handbook (used in academic writing for the humanities) specifies no exceptions to the general rules .

• T hese T imes W e L ive I n
• A H eartbreaking W ork of S taggering G enius
• T he M oon I s a H arsh M istress

Differences in AP, APA, Chicago, MLA rules

As you can see, style manuals differ in their guidelines on what qualifies as a “major” word worthy of capitalization in title case. Here’s a quick summary of the key differences between the popular styles.

In both AP and APA styles, capitalize prepositions four letters or longer. In Chicago and MLA , lowercase all prepositions, regardless of length.

• APA, AP: The Girl F rom Mars Chicago, MLA: The Girl f rom Mars
• APA, AP, Chicago, MLA: The Woman i n Red

Lowercase not just coordinating but also subordinating conjunctions shorter than four letters in AP and APA styles; capitalize all subordinating conjunctions in Chicago and MLA.

• APA, AP: Isolate i f You Are Sick Chicago, MLA: Isolate I f You Are Sick

Capitalize the words yet and so in Chicago style. In the other styles, lowercase them when they are used as conjunctions, but capitalize when they are adverbs.

• Chicago: Broke Y et Happy APA, AP, MLA: Broke y et Happy
• Chicago, APA, AP, MLA: Am I Normal Y et?

Capitalize the last word of the title in AP, Chicago, and MLA styles even if it is not a major word; in APA, capitalize the last word only if it is a major word. (But remember that the APA Publication Manual considers all words four letters or longer major words.)

• Chicago, MLA, AP: Something to Answer F or APA: Something to Answer f or
• Chicago, MLA, APA, AP: The Places We Come F rom

In all four styles, capitalize the first word (whatever it may be), and lowercase articles.

• APA, AP, Chicago, MLA: T he Girl Who Found a Dragon Egg

Sentence case

In sentence case, a title is written as a sentence would be: the first word and all proper nouns are capitalized. This capitalization style is generally used for headings that are second level or lower. These days, it is also increasingly being used for online news headlines.

• C lear light of day
• W e need to talk about K evin
• T he quiet A merican

The first word of a subtitle or subheading that follows a colon is also capitalized.

• Traveling with ghosts: A memoir
• Understanding comics: T he invisible art

If a title begins with a numeral, lowercase the next word.

• 27 b ooks to read before you die
• P ractice guidelines for the pickling of pineapples: 2019 u pdate

Professional and social titles that precede a name are capitalized as well.

• The island of D octor Moreau
• The strange life of P resident Farley
• The story of F ather Femy and his music

For more on which words to capitalize in a sentence, see this article on the rules of capitalization .

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In title case, all major words are capitalized.

In sentence case, only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.

The word it , which is a pronoun, is capitalized in title case.

The words we (a pronoun) and be (a verb) are capitalized in title case.

The word a , which is an article, is lowercased unless it is the first word of the title.

The words let (a verb) and me (a pronoun) are capitalized in title case.

The first word of a subtitle following a colon is capitalized in both title case and sentence case.

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What to Capitalize in a Title: APA Title Capitalization Rules

Which words do you capitalize in a title?

Have you ever been confused about which words to capitalize in the title of your manuscript ? You have probably seen titles where only the first word is capitalized (so-called “sentence case”), titles where all words seem to be capitalized (“title case”), and also titles that look like combinations of the two. And you might have wondered where there is any general rule to all this. 

The answer is that, no, there is not really one general capitalization rule, but there are several style-dependent capitalization guidelines you can rely on, and the journal you plan to submit to will tell you (in their author instructions ) which one they want you to apply to your manuscript before submission. Just like you format your manuscript and reference list following APA or MLA formatting rules, you apply the respective style guide to capitalize your title, headings, and subheadings . In this article, we will first explain the general rules on what types of words to capitalize (e.g., nouns, articles, and conjunctions) and then look at the APA and MLA style guides in particular and their specific variations of those rules.

Research Paper Title Capitalization Rules

According to most style guides, all proper nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in titles of books and articles are to be capitalized. Some elements of titles are, however, never capitalized, such as articles (except articles at the beginning of a title), and some, such as conjunctions, can or cannot be capitalized, depending on the specific style guide variation. In the following, we will outline the general rules for all the different words in your title so that you can orient yourself easily to the different style guides and adapt your title quickly when necessary. 

Capitalizing Nouns and Pronouns in Titles

Nouns (including formal names of people, organizations, and places) and pronouns are easy to format, as all style guides agree that they should always be capitalized using title case capitalization. 

Capitalizing Articles in Titles

The rules for articles are also simple, as all major style guides agree that articles should be lowercase in titles—unless they represent the first and/or last word in the title:

In the latter example, the first “the” is capitalized because it is the first word of the title, while the second “the” is lowercase as articles usually are. Note that the same rule regarding article capitalization applies to subtitles as well.

Capitalizing Conjunctions in Titles

Conjunctions are a slightly more complicated case, as style guides differ on whether to capitalize them or on which conjunctions to capitalize. According to some guides,  conjunctions of three letters or fewer are to be written in lowercase while longer ones should be capitalized. Other style guides, however, state to write all conjunctions in lowercase, or make exceptions for specific conjunctions such as “yet”, “so”, and “as”. It is therefore always necessary to look up the specific rules of the target journal before submitting a manuscript—and have a look at our sections on APA and MLA style below. The following examples are, however, fairly universal:

Capitalizing Prepositions in Titles

Capitalization rules for prepositions are equally ambiguous and depend on the specific style guide you follow. Prepositions of four letters or more are often capitalized, while according to some style guides, all prepositions are written in lowercase, no matter their length. Sometimes, for example, when following the Chicago Manual of Style , capitalization depends on how a preposition is used in a title and whether it does indeed function as a preposition. According to this rule, prepositions are capitalized when they are used “adverbially or adjectivally” in prepositional phrases (as in “How to Back Up a Computer”), but not when used otherwise.

Capitalizing Adjectives and Adverbs in Titles     

Rules for capitalizing adjectives and adverbs , like nouns, are unproblematic, as they are capitalized across style guides. 

Capitalizing Verbs in Titles      

Verbs are another easy case and are also always capitalized, according to all style guides. 

Title Case Rules by Style Guide

Apa title case rules   .

APA (American Psychological Association) style is most commonly used for scholarly articles in the behavioral and social sciences. The APA guidelines on when to capitalize a title include the following rules:

MLA Title Case Rules  

The Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook , used primarily to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities, promotes the following rules for when to capitalize a title or header:

Additional Rules for Title Capitalization 

As we have stressed several times throughout this article, it is crucial to always check the specific rules of the target journal and/or the rules of the style guide the target journal wants you to follow—note that these can sometimes conflict with each other, in which case the journal rules override the style guide. Apart from the two common style guides we explained here, APA and MLA , there are several others that have their own rules, such as the Chicago Manual of Style , the American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style , or the Associated Press Stylebook , an American English grammar style and usage guide originally developed for AP writers but now used widely across journalistic fields. There is even a specific set of rules for the capitalization of titles of Wikipedia articles !

One capitalization rule that might not necessarily be mentioned in such style guides but is relevant for some academic/scientific fields is that when the Latin name of a species is mentioned, the second portion of the name must be written in lowercase, even when the rest of the title follows title case rules.

Another capitalization rule you might need when describing research experiments is that both elements of spelled-out numbers or simple fractions should be capitalized in title case:

Lastly, no matter your personal preference, make sure you always write the titles of books and articles exactly as they are written on the original document/in the original version, even if they do not seem to follow common capitalization rules.

Correct Capitalization in Your Title with Professional Editing    

If you are even more unsure now how to capitalize your title or find the author instructions of your target journal confusing (which can happen, since those sets of rules have often grown organically over a long period of time and, as a result, can lack consistency), then you might want to make use of professional English proofreading services , including paper editing services —your professional academic editor will figure such details out for you and make sure your manuscript is in the correct format before submission.

If you need more input on how to write and perfect the other parts of your manuscript, then head over to the Wordvice academic resources website where we have many more resources for you.

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Last updated on Jun 27, 2024

Title Capitalization Rules: Learn Which Words To Capitalize

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Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

Like many aspects of the English language, title capitalization rules can seem confusing and unintuitive. While the words that are (and are not) capitalized in a title aren’t always consistent, it’s really not as complicated as you might think.

Whether you’re figuring out what to call your novel , writing a headline for a blog post or article, or referring to a movie, song, or other published work, you’ll need to follow standard title capitalization rules. To help you along, let’s break down the basic rules and explain some exceptions. 

These are the three title capitalization rules you’ll need to remember:

• Capitalize the first and last words of a title
• Capitalize verbs, pronouns, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs
• Don’t capitalize articles, coordinating conjunctions, or prepositions

1. Capitalize the first and last words of a title

The simplest rule you can follow with complete certainty is this: the first and last words of a title are always capitalized. It doesn’t matter what length the title is or what grammatical role the word plays. From the humble article “the” to longer nouns like “tyrannosaurus,” you’re 100% safe capitalizing the first and last word.

Example: Andy Williams’s 1966 hit single, “ Music to Watch Girls By ”

All style guides agree on this rule, and it’s because it just makes sense. By capitalizing the first and last words, you create a visual mark that shows the reader where the title begins and ends. Even if it’s used within a longer sentence, it can’t be confused with the text surrounding it.

💡 Note: When words are capitalized to form a title, their format is called “title case” or “headline case.” This is in contrast to “sentence case,” which is what you’ll see in this very paragraph.

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Capitalize the first word of subtitles, too

The rule for subtitles is very simple: the subtitle’s first word is also always capitalized, with no exceptions. Subtitles, written after a colon, are especially common in factual and academic works . 

Example: Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar’s classic work of feminist literary criticism,  “The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination .”  

If this title was written in sentence case, the first word after the colon would not normally be capitalized. And if we were following rule number 3 (spoiler alert), the word “the” would be in lowercase.

If you’re worried about your institution’s style guide of choice, you can sigh with relief. Capitalizing the first word of a subtitle is one of those rules where APA, MLA, Chicago, and AP style guides are in beautiful, unanimous agreement.

This is not the only rule they agree on — the next one is also universal.

2. Capitalize verbs, pronouns, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs

Many common parts of speech are always capitalized in a title. Let’s take a quick look at them, one by one.

The ‘action words’ of language, verbs are capitalized in every style guide. This also applies to phrasal verbs, where a verb and a preposition are used together, like “Get Up,” “Stand Up,” “Let Go,” and “Carry Out.”

A commonly asked question is whether the word “is” needs to be capitalized. “Is” and its cousins (“I am,” “you are,” etc.) are all conjugated forms of the verb “to be,” so the answer is yes. The same applies to the verb “do” and its variations “did” and “does.”

Here are a few examples of book titles that include verbs:

• This  Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
• Where'd You  Go , Bernadette by Maria Semple
• Don’t Cry for Me by Daniel Black
• I'll  Tell You in Person by Chloe Caldwell
• Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare
• History  Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

All style guides agree on capitalizing pronouns in titles. If you’re a native speaker, it’s possible you assume the term simply refers to “he,” “she,” “they,” and “his,” “hers,” and “theirs.” These are pronouns indeed, but there are many more types.

We won’t dwell (no one likes a grammar lesson), but to learn more about further types of pronouns, like relative, indefinite, demonstrative, or interrogative pronouns, you can check out Thesaurus.com’s entry on pronoun types . Fun fact: words like “someone,” “whenever,” “whose,” and “whom” are pronouns, too . Hopefully, this knowledge will come in handy when you next capitalize a tricky title.

Here are a few examples of book titles with pronouns:

• Roll of Thunder, Hear  My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
• Guess How Much  I Love You  by Sam McBratney
• For  Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston 
• Go Tell  It on the Mountain by James Baldwin 
• Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good by Jan Karon

If you  do  happen to like grammar lessons, however, check out this article about the Oxford comma to learn more about when and how to use it like a pro.

Nouns and adjectives

You already know these ones, so we won’t patronize you. They’re also straightforward when it comes to capitalization: nouns and adjectives are capitalized in all style guides. Wonderful, right?

Let’s look at a few title examples that feature nouns:

• I Know Why the  Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• How the  García Girls Lost Their Accents  by Julia Alvarez
• If on a  Winter’s Night a Traveler  by Italo Calvino
• Diary of a Young Naturalist  by Dara McAnulty

And some book titles that capitalize adjectives:

• In  Cold Blood  by Truman Capote
• A Cavern of  Black Ice by J. V. Jones
• Understanding Comics: The  Invisible Art  by Scott McCloud
• The  Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time  by Mark Haddon

You may know adverbs as words that end in -ly . They describe the  way or manner in which something is done or happens. Just don’t forget that adverbs of manner aren’t the only type of adverb. 

If your title includes any of the words below, you’re dealing with adverbs of frequency, time, place, or degree:

You don’t need to remember what category each adverb falls under — you just need to be able to recognize them as an adverb, since all adverbs are capitalized across all style guides.

Here are a few titles that feature adverbs, whether they end in -ly or not:

• “Isla and the Happily Ever After ” by Stephanie Perkins
• “A Fairly Honourable Defeat” by Iris Murdoch
• “ Tomorrow , and Tomorrow , and Tomorrow ” by Gabrielle Zevin
• “A Story Lately Told: Coming of Age in Ireland, London, and New York” by Anjelica Huston

So far, we’ve looked at the two major rules where all style guides agree: capitalizing the first and final words of a title, as well as any “principal” or important words, like nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs. The next rule is where it gets a little bit more complicated.

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3. Don’t capitalize articles, coordinating conjunctions, or prepositions

Unless you’re working with a style guide that says otherwise (or if they’re the first or final word in a title), the following types of words are not capitalized:

• Articles — the tiny words that come before nouns to indicate whether it’s a general concept or a particular, specific thing, e.g., “ the garden” vs. “ a garden”
• Prepositions — words that precede nouns to show direction or place, or to establish a relationship between two things, e.g., “ opposite the library,” “ next to the cat” 
• Coordinating conjunctions — words that link two parts of a sentence that can stand on their own, e.g., “I was tired. Alice went to bed” vs. “I was tired and Alice went to bed.”

Here are the words that fall under these categories:

📚 For more examples and information on prepositions, head to this page by the University of Ottawa.

Here are a few book titles that do not capitalize articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions (unless they are the first or last words of the title):

• In Search  of Lost Time  by Marcel Proust
• Crime  and Punishment  by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• The Catcher  in the Rye  by J. D. Salinger
• The Portrait  of a Lady  by Henry James
• Again,  but Better  by Christine Riccio
• Subordinating conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions, on the other hand, are capitalized. These words introduce a new part to the sentence dependent on the main sentence, or clause. Subordinating conjunctions include: if, since, as, when, although, while, after, before, until, because.

Because titles are not typically multi-clause sentences, it’s harder to intuit which group a conjunction belongs to. The simplest way to know when to capitalize conjunctions is to just remember which are coordinating and which subordinating. 

Subordinating conjunctions do get capitalized, as in these title examples:

• Things Have Gotten Worse  Since We Last Spoke  by Eric LaRocca
• As Good  As Dead  by Holly Jackson
• What If ?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions  by Randall Munroe
• Live Right and Find Happiness ( Although Beer Is Much Faster): Life Lessons and Other Ravings  by Dave Barry

4. When in doubt, refer to your style guide

If you're writing for a specific institution, keep their style guide bookmarked. For your convenience, here's what the four most commonly used style guides in North America require when it comes to capitalizing titles correctly:

Chicago Manual of Style

Capitalize:

• The first and last words of a title
• Verbs, pronouns, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs

Don’t capitalize:

• Articles, prepositions of any length, and coordinating conjunctions
• “To,” if used in an infinitive (e.g., “Failure to Launch” )

Modern Languages Association (MLA) Handbook

American psychological association (apa) publication manual.

• Words that consist of more than four letters, even conjunctions and prepositions
• Words shorter than four letters

The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook

• “To,” if used in an infinitive (e.g., “Failure To Launch” )
• Articles and prepositions shorter than four letters
• Coordinating conjunctions

You’ll notice that the first two, Chicago and MLA, are the same — whereas AP and APA share an enthusiasm for capitalizing words longer than four letters.

Now compare these book titles:

See the difference? 

• Chicago and MLA don’t capitalize “along” because it’s a preposition. 
• AP and APA do capitalize it because it’s longer than four letters long. 
• “For” is a coordinating conjunction (so lowercase for Chicago and MLA) and not long enough to be capitalized in AP and APA.
• All four style guides capitalize the first and last words of the title, as well as the first word of the subtitle.

🎯 Want to test yourself? Head over to our book title generator and give it a whirl. Write down what titles you’re given and then ask yourself how they’d be formatted for each style guide. 

Those are all the rules, so you can go ahead and capitalize your title. Beyond your title, if you’ve got a whole manuscript in need of polishing, consider hiring a copy editor to take care of the finer details.

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Learn how Reedsy can help you craft a beautiful book.

If you want to expand your knowledge of niche linguistic matters even further, head over to the world of punctuation with our post on using hyphens and dashes correctly. Just don’t forget your linguist geek hat.

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Why does the MLA capitalize certain words in titles?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook . For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

MLA style’s rules for capitalization are intended to help authors remain consistent while also respecting the ways in which titles have traditionally been styled in different languages.

The history of capitalization in titles is complicated, though titles of printed works from earlier eras written in English generally conform to a currently recognizable style. For instance, the title of the 1605 edition of  Hamlet  appears on its title page as THE Tragicall Historie of HAMLET, Prince of Denmarke . The spelling and capitalization differ slightly from those of a modern edition, but the title reflects some distinctions that survive into the present day. “Of” is lowercase, while adjectives, nouns, and the first word of the title are all uppercase. 

In MLA style, titles of English-language works are capitalized headline-style, and titles of works in languages other than English are capitalized sentence-style. This distinction is somewhat arbitrary but accords with other usage guides.  The Chicago Manual of Style  follows the same principles and   explains that   headline style mandates capitalizing all words except prepositions and the common coordinating conjunctions, whereas sentence style mandates capitalizing the title as one would a normal sentence (8.158–59). The  MLA Handbook  also explains what to capitalize in titles and when to do so (1.2.1, 1.2.5). Partly, these distinctions are a matter of convention and are intended to respect the ways in which various languages have evolved. In titles capitalized sentence style, for instance, words are capitalized if they are capitalized in the foreign language. For example, in German all nouns are capitalized, but not all nouns are capitalized in French, so this difference is reflected in which words are capitalized in German and French titles. 

Using headline style for English titles and sentence style for titles in languages other than English helps maintain consistency and provides a simple and concise guideline for styling titles. 

Works Cited

The Chicago Manual of Style . 17th ed., U of Chicago P, 2017.

MLA Handbook . 8th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2016.

Shakespeare, William.  The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke . London, 1605.  Early English Books Online , gateway.proquest.com.i.ezproxy.nypl.org/openurl?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2003&res_id=xri:eebo&rft_id=xri:eebo:image:12949.

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• What Is Title Case? | Explanation & Worksheet

What Is Title Case? | Explanation & Worksheet

Published on September 3, 2023 by Kassiani Nikolopoulou .

Title case is a capitalization style or convention used for writing the titles of published works.

A capitalization style defines which words or letters should be written in uppercase and which ones should be written in lowercase. In title case, the first letter of each word in the title should be capitalized except for certain small words like “a,” “the,” and “of.”

Title case is used for capitalizing the words in a title, subtitle, or heading. It’s commonly used in newspaper headlines, as well as the titles of books, movies, and video games. Due to this, title case is also known as “headline style.”

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Table of contents

What to capitalize in title case, title case vs. sentence case, title case converter, worksheet: title case, frequently asked questions about title case.

With title case, you always capitalize the first word and (usually) the last word of a title. How you render the rest of the words depends on whether they are considered major or minor words.

The following parts of speech are considered minor words and are typically not capitalized :

• Prepositions with fewer than four letters (“in,” “for,” “of”)
• Articles (“the”, “ a or an ”)
• Coordinating conjunctions (“and,” “but,” “or”)

All other words are considered major words and are capitalized :

• Nouns (“pen,” “flower,” “ocean”)
• Pronouns (“I,” “her,” “these”)
• Verbs (“forget,” “build,” “do”)
• Adverbs (“now,” “slowly,” “here”)
• Adjectives (“adorable,” “fresh,” “sarcastic”)

Lord of the Flies is one of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read.

In Enter the Dragon , Bruce Lee plays a Shaolin monk recruited by British intelligence.

However, minor words are capitalized when they are the first word of the title.

• A Clockwork Orange was directed by Stanley Kubrick.
• T he Count of Monte Cristo tells the story of a young man who is wrongfully imprisoned.
• T o Kill a Mockingbird has been banned in some schools.

It is important to keep in mind that different style guides, like APA Style , MLA , or Chicago Style , have slightly different rules regarding capitalization. More specifically, they differ in how they render:

Prepositions

Coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions.

• The last word in a title

Some style guides like MLA use lowercase for all prepositions, regardless of their length. Others, like APA and AP, only use lowercase for prepositions up to three letters.

There are seven coordinating conjunctions in English. They can be remembered using the mnemonic device FANBOYS : f or, a nd, n or, b ut, o r, y et, s o.

Most major style guides use lowercase for all seven coordinating conjunctions. One exception is Chicago style, which uses lowercase for all except “yet” and “so.”

In APA, “as” and “if” are written in lowercase, while in Chicago “as” is written in lowercase and “if” is capitalized. AMA and MLA capitalize both.

AMA/MLA : Grab On to Me Tightly A s I f I Knew the Way

In some styles, the last word is always capitalized, regardless of whether it is a major or minor word. Other style guides have no such rule and the last word is in lowercase.

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Title case and sentence case are two common capitalization styles that differ in how they capitalize words.

• In title case , the initial letter of every major word is in uppercase, while minor words are in lowercase. Title case is most frequently used for headings and titles of books, movies, and other works of art.
• In sentence case only the first word of a sentence is capitalized, along with any proper nouns (names of people, places, etc.).The rest of the words in the sentence are in lowercase, regardless of their grammatical role. This style is mostly used in standard writing, but it is also commonly used in headlines, headings, and subheadings.

While sentence case is consistent across styles, some style guides differ in their rules for using title case.

If you are in doubt about whether your headline is capitalized correctly, there are a few free online tools you can use to help you check your work, including:

Titlecaseconverter.com

This converter allows you to choose one or multiple style guides for your output text (including AP, APA, and Chicago). It can also highlight and explain changes. Once you have entered your text, you simply click the “convert” button.

Convertcase.net

To use this online converter, you can either type or copy-paste your text on the left, and it will be automatically transformed into title case on the right. You can download the output as a .txt file or select “copy to clipboard.”

Titlecase.com

This is a simple converter that transforms your text into title case as well as AP-style title case. Similar to the others, it allows you to type or copy-paste your text, and once you press “convert” the output appears below.

With the worksheet below, you can test your understanding of how title case works. Fill in one of the two options in each sentence.

• Practice questions
• Answers and explanations
• One of Boticelli’s most famous works is____________[the Birth Of Venus/The Birth of Venus]
• I borrowed _________[Of Mice and Men/of Mice and Men] a while ago, but never managed to finish the first chapter.
• I love your___________ [Lord of the Rings notebook/Lord of the Rings Notebook].
• “The” is capitalized because it is the first word of the title. 
• “Birth” is capitalized because it is a major word (noun).
• “Of” is not capitalized because it is a preposition. 
• “Venus” is capitalized because it is major word (proper noun)
• “Of” is capitalized because it is the first word of the title despite being a preposition.
• “Mice” is capitalized because it is a noun.
• “And” is not capitalized because it is a coordinating conjunction.
• “Men” is capitalized because it is the last word of the title.
• Here, “Lord of the Rings” is the title and also a compound adjective (like “error-free,” “kind-hearted,” etc.) modifying the noun (“notebook”). For this reason, we need to stop applying title case when we are finished writing the title (“Lord of the Rings”).

Capitalization is the practice of using uppercase or capital letters in writing to indicate the beginning of a sentence or to emphasize certain words or types of words within a sentence.

For example, capitalizing place names, family names, and days of the week are all standard in English. Different capitalization styles, like title case and sentence case , apply different rules when it comes to which letters to capitalize.

Which words you capitalize depends on the capitalization style you use. Title case and sentence case are two common capitalization styles that follow different rules:

• In title case , the initial letter of every major word (such as a verb ) is capitalized, while minor words (such as coordinating conjunctions ) are typically in lowercase. Title case is most frequently used for headings and the titles of published works.
• In sentence case , only the first word of a sentence is capitalized, along with any proper nouns (names of specific people, places, etc.).

However, these rules may vary. Follow the advice outlined in your style guide.

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Daily Writing Tips

Rules for capitalization in titles.

I used to think there were only two ways to use capitalization in a title: (1) Capitalize only the first word in the title (except for proper nouns), which I learned working for a local newspaper; and (2) Capitalize the principal and longer words and lowercase the minor, shorter words, which I learned was wrong.

I also came to learn that the rules for capitalization in titles—like the rules for other areas of English grammar—are not set in stone; style guides and grammarians disagree on which words to capitalize in a title.

In fact, there are really only two rules that are consistent across the board:

• Capitalize the first word of the title
• Capitalize all proper nouns

Sentence case, or down style, is one method, preferred by many print and online publications and recommended by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association . The only two rules are the two rules mentioned above: Capitalize the first word and all proper nouns. Everything else is in lowercase. For example:

Why it’s never too late to learn grammar (all words lowercased except “Why”—first word in title)

Another method is to capitalize all words in a title. This one is considered simple because there’s no struggle trying to remember which words to capitalize and which ones to lowercase; they’re all capitalized. However, one could argue it’s the lazy man’s method or that it’s not very aesthetic. For example:

Why It’s Never Too Late To Learn Grammar (all words capitalized)

Title case, or up style, is another method. Whether or not you capitalize a word in a title depends on its part of speech. According to most style guides that use title case, the basic rules are as follows:

• Capitalize the first and last word in a title, regardless of part of speech
• Capitalize all nouns (baby, country, picture), pronouns (you, she, it), verbs (walk, think, dream), adjectives (sweet, large, perfect), adverbs (immediately, quietly), and subordinating conjunctions (as, because, although)
• Lowercase “to” as part of an infinitive
• Lowercase all articles (a, the), prepositions (to, at, in, with), and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or)

For example:

Why It’s Never Too Late to Learn Grammar (all words capitalized except “to,” a preposition)

That last rule for title case is upheld by some style guides, but not all. The Chicago Manual of Style follows that rule (except in cases in which an article, preposition, or coordinating conjunction is the first or last word in a title). However, The Associated Press would have you capitalize prepositions and conjunctions if they are four or more letters long. For others, the magic number is five rather than four. So, according to some guides, you have to worry not only about the part of speech, but also about the length of the words.

There is another common—but incorrect—“method” of using capitalization in titles. I used to follow it myself (see my first paragraph). Many writers mistakenly believe that in a title, you should capitalize the principal and longer words and lowercase the minor, shorter words.

For example, writers often lowercase all two- or three-letter words in a title because they’re short, and many articles, prepositions, and conjunctions—most of which should be lowercased—are short, as well. However, short words can be nouns, pronouns, and verbs, etc., which should be capitalized. Part of speech is more important than length when it comes to determining capitalization in titles. For example:

Why it’s Never too Late to Learn Grammar (wrong)

“It’s” is a contraction of “it,” a pronoun, and “is,” a verb, both of which should be capitalized; “too” is an adverb, which should also be capitalized.

Regardless of which convention you’d prefer to follow (except for the last example), you need to be consistent. Pick one (or follow the style guide of your employer, school, or clients) and stick with it.

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21 thoughts on “Rules for Capitalization in Titles”

Great advice! It can be tricky to know which words to capitalize. When it doubt, look it up!

I love this post! I’ve been bouncing all over the map on this one and appreciate the clear presentation. I normally make an attempt at the 3rd method (Title case) but wasn’t familiar with the rules. For such a seemingly small item for a blog post, it was stressing me out!

I don’t really see any hard and fast rules being delivered in this post, which is fine. I have no problem finding my comfort zone and sticking to it. My personal preference apparently has a name (Title Case).

However, I must comment on the statement that “Sentence case, or down style, is one method, preferred by many print and online publications and recommended by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.”

If they espouse Sentence Case, why are the words “Manual,” “Psychological” and “Association” capitalized?! (OK, maybe “Psychological” and “Association” are considered proper nouns in the sense that they are the part of the title of this particular association. But “manual”?)

Thanks for these tips. I wonder if the title-case method is older than the sentence-case method, since that’s the way we were taught about 100 years ago, right along with two spaces after a period.

Maybe it’s time to update my thinking on that. One thing’s for sure, it would save me time trying to figure out what to capitalize and what not to.

Great tips.. I might have to focus on which style I would stick to.

Interesting article on the complexities of capitalization! Thanks. As a writer and editor, I’ve discovered that one almost never gets to “pick” the style one likes best — the goal is to determine the house style required and stick with that religiously.

With APA, a mix of capitalization styles is called for. For reference lists in citing an article in a journal, the article title itself is done in sentence-case while the name of the journal is in title-case. Same for magazines and newspapers. Oddly enough, book titles are to be given in sentence-case, except for proper nouns, of course. So in a reference list, the title of the APA manual would be the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association! For titles in the body of a paper, one uses title-case, but without capitalizing conjunctions, articles, or prepositions shorter than four letters. So in the text itself, the APA manual would be Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Logical? No. But to play in their ballpark, one must follow their rules. Does the MLA (Modern Language Association) style match with APA for capitalization? Of course not. That would be too easy. Try teaching an English composition course which is supposed to prepare students to enter both the social sciences and the humanites — keeping APA and MLA straight is really quite the challenge these days and capitalization is just a piece of it. And then the history faculty complain that they get students who don’t know how to footnote properly. Sigh.

“Learn” is a verb in my dictionary, so that would make the “to” in “to learn” part of the infinitive.

Great explanation. I was wondering about this for a long time.

Fortunately, most nonacademic writers don’t need to concern themselves with the conflicting dictates of various manuals for specific disciplines like the APA and the MLA. But it’s still confusing to a layperson. Here’s a breakdown by media type of what you’re likely to see:

Newspapers vary in their capitalization style for headlines, from using initial caps for every word to using sentence case. Magazines do so also, but they are not necessarily consistent from one article to the next, because they may design a given article headline to resonate with the feature’s theme (military-style stencil lettering for an profile about a soldier) or tone (a whimsical font for a story about the circus).

Book-cover designers often play with font and case, too but the style on the title page (and in references to other books in a book’s text) will generally be title case. Trade books — those for lay consumers, as opposed to scholars — that include bibliographies and references usually use title case in those resources, too.

Title case is what you’ll usually see on professionally edited Web sites as well, and it’s the default style for writing most people are likely to undertake.

Carla, did you mean “Many” in “May writers mistakenly believe…”? Good post. Thank you.

Thanks for your comments, everybody. Ken – I absolutely meant “Many”….thanks for pointing that out! Even proofreaders need their work proofread…

I agree with TechWriter. “To” is not a preposition when used with a verb. It becomes part of the verb as an infinitive.

Many Thanks for This Wonderful Essay

I would disagree only with one thing. You use the word ‘worry’ in the phrase “…you have to worry not only about the part of speech…” when ‘be aware of’ would perhaps be less pejorative or off-putting.

I think this topic is one of those things that just have to be done right, and which once learned bring professionalism to us amateurs – joyful for both the writer and the reader. Following this particular rule fully embellished fulfills many of the purposes of a title: grab and focus attention in an aesthetic way.

I had learned much of the rule, but not all. Now I can pay attention to who uses the rule effectively and who lets things slip. Your example of the American Psychological Association Publication Manual was interesting. Since they are known for their tendency to make milquetoast of ‘complications’, even at the cost of losing the effect and purpose of the chore, I believed your version of their rule. But on their site I found them quite internally inconsistent. There are examples of every title type.

Again, thank you for the essay.

PS – Cindy, the two space rule depended on the culture and when you learned to type. Typesetting machines and word-processors have never needed two spaces, and possibly not even proportionate Selectronic typewriters.

Here’s why it is Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association:

Publication Manual: Proper noun

American Psychological Association: Proper noun

You see, it is not just a Publication, nor is it just a Manual, it is a Publication Manual and that is its proper name, just as American Psychological Association is a proper name.

Also, I believe it may bolster their self-esteem.

P.S. Being ultra-radical I still put two spaces after a period and a colon! This website persists in correcting it, however, and my defiant space statements go unheard.

@Garrison: Rumor has it that the two-space habit originated with the [manual] typewriters that didn’t do any kind of automatic spacing adjustments, and so putting two spaces allowed for easier and faster reading, skimming and searching of documents (which, in those primitive days, were called papers). This two-space habit persisted into the use of WordPerfect (or should I say, WordImPerfect). The first medical transcription company I worked for had a particular account, a very large local hospital here, and all our work was done COMPLETELY in capital letters. Imagine reading pages and pages of documentation in all caps. The double space between sentences allowed a little rest for the weary eyes. I continue to use two spaces between sentences (and after colons), since I think it still makes skimming and searching documents easier. Whether or not my computer software makes any adjustments (and I don’t see that it does), I don’t know or care; by now, the two-space habit is ingrained, and it would take me a long time to get rid of it; not worth the effort. However, if the web site wants to eliminate my double spaces, it is free to do so. I won’t lose time–or sleep–over it! (and I’m thrilled to be considered ultra-radical about SOMEthing LOL)

@thebluebird11,

Yes, once we did type manually with no power required. Except of course the power to jam those sticky keys down hard enough to make an impression through the ribbon. Back then I used to find the ends of sentences by turning the paper over and holding it up to the light to see where the “stars” were. LOL. I think the old Underwood may still be in the closet at my parent’s house.

After that was a nice little Smith-Corona electric typewriter that tended to put too many spaces between things. It was a fine improvement, but still had a ribbon. By the way, why was there a red half on the bottom of the ribbon? I don’t think I ever used red to type anything.

In the mid-80’s I got a Smith-Corona that had a small screen and memory download on to a floppy disk that allowed you to edit and save documents. The only advantage to this system was that the saved document was re-typed by the machine, making it appear like an original paper. It was also fairly small and portable and I could plug it in at the library, unlike the cumbersome and virtually useless IBM PC Jr. I invested in just a year before.

I still use two spaces after commas because that was how I learned to type way back in the third grade. When I wrote my dissertation in the early 80’s that was still the APA norm. In fact, that was still the norm up until the early 90’s when I was reading student’s dissertations. As recently as 2008 I was writing court reports using two spaces and I never heard any complaints. It has only been in the last year that I discovered the one-space-rule and MLA due to proofreading my son’s papers. When it comes to things written, I am hopelessly out of date.

But, I keep up the good fight. Right on, far out, and power to the people! LOL.

I was once instructed to lower case state-of-being verbs. Is that part of any accepted convention?

Thank you for providing this valuable content on when to capitalize words in a title. Lately, I have been writing a lot of articles and I want to make sure my grammar is as correct as possible.

I really appreciate your help.

Stacie Walker

Thank you. I confess that capitalization is one of my many grammar weak spots. I think I will sign up for your newsletter:-)

I have worked as a professional writer for a several years. I constantly have to fight with people about the capitalization of the word “is” in a title. Since it is a verb, I have always capitalized “is” in titles; however, I constantly see others putting it in lowercase. I sometimes wonder if there is a rule I am unaware of. I have checked with case-checking websites, and these always say to capitalize “is” as well. Lately, I have become mired in self-doubt. I find myself wanting to lowercase “is” because I hate having others look at me with pity for what they think is my ignorance of proper style. I know this is my own insecurity, and I just wanted to vent. This post seems to support my position. However, if anyone knows why “is” should be in lowercase, please let me know so I won’t continue down this misguided editorial path.

Capitalise the first word of the title and capitalise all proper nouns. No more, no less.

Leave the arguments over this method actually being correct aside for a moment, it’s more aesthetically pleasing.

And, for the love of all things holy, no double spaces. Please!

Double spaces after a comma? That’s madness.

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Capitalization in Titles

Capital letters and lowercase letters in titles (title case).

• Articles (i.e., "an," "a," "the").
• Conjunctions (e.g., "and," "or," "but").
• Prepositions (e.g., "in," "with," "of").

More about Title Case

More Examples of Title Case

Clear guidelines to make your life easier.

This page was written by Craig Shrives .

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What to Capitalize in a Title

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Written by  Scribendi

Confused about what to capitalize in a title?

Do you ever encounter titles in which every word is capitalized? It's understandable why some authors and publications do this. The advice that is commonly given in terms of capitalization in titles is very vague, and rules vary based on the style guide being used.

A common rule that is thrown around is to capitalize all major words in a title. But what constitutes a major word? All of the words in a title are major, right? Well, not quite. 

Although capitalizing your title correctly can be difficult, there are several concrete rules that you can rely on when it comes to capitalization in titles. Title case is used for titles, headings, subheadings, and headlines. Here, we'll be describing the rules for writing in title case, as outlined in The Chicago Manual of Style , which is a very common style guide. However, we'll also offer some resources at the end of this article that discuss some of the variations in title case, based on the rules of other style guides.

Download our capitalization rules guide

If you're curious to learn more, download our guide to capitalization rules. Using helpful examples, it explains all kinds of capitalization rules from book titles to job titles and more.

What to capitalize in a title

1. always capitalize the first word as well as all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs..

Let's go back to that rule about major words that we referred to earlier. Though the word major may seem a little bit vague, this essentially refers to all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. In addition, all major style guides indicate that the first word of the title should be capitalized regardless of the word's role as a part of speech. So, yes, even if the first word of the title is not a noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, or adverb, it must be capitalized.

As long as you know your parts of speech , you should have no problem identifying the words that require capitalization. Here are some examples:

In this example, both Grapes and Wrath are nouns, so they should be capitalized. The is capitalized because it is the first word in the title.

2. Articles, conjunctions, and prepositions should not be capitalized.

Though it is sometimes said that small words in a title do not require capitalization, let's be a bit more specific. After all, many nouns and verbs are small (e.g., dog , go ), but these words must still be capitalized. The small words we are referring to in this case essentially include articles, conjunctions, and prepositions, which should not be capitalized (again, unless they are the first word of a title). There are only three articles in the English language ( a, an , and the ), so pinpointing these words in a title should be a cinch. Conjunctions like and, nor, but, for, and or should also be written in lowercase.

Let's break down this example from William Faulkner. Sound and Fury are nouns and must be capitalized. Though the is used twice in this title, only the first appearance of this article needs to be capitalized, because it is at the beginning of the title. Finally, and is a conjunction and should be written in lowercase.

Prepositions are a different story, as they can be tricky to identify. Prepositions link nouns or other phrases (the objects of the prepositions) to the rest of the sentence. Simple prepositions indicate temporal, spatial, or logical relationships between the object of the preposition and the rest of the sentence; these include above, below, after, around, outside, toward, through, into , etc. Participial prepositions are not linked to nouns and include terms like concerning, considering, regarding, and during. Neither simple prepositions nor participial prepositions should be capitalized in a title. Though some prepositions can be quite lengthy, they should still be written in lowercase. (There are some exceptions to this rule, but we'll get to that a bit later.)

In this example, at is a preposition that adds spatial information to the sentence and should be written in lowercase. Bury (verb), My (possessive pronoun), Heart (noun), and Wounded Knee (proper noun) are all capitalized.

Okay, things get more complicated here. When prepositions function as adverbs, they should be capitalized. ( Near and beneath can act as either prepositions or adverbs.) When does a preposition function as an adverb, you ask? A good way to determine this is to identify the part of speech of the term following the word that you are unsure about. If the word that follows is a noun, then the term you are unsure about is probably functioning as a preposition. If a noun does not follow the term, then the word is an adverb and should be capitalized.

3. Capitalize the first element in a hyphenated compound.

If a title contains a hyphenated compound, then the first element must always be capitalized. The other elements of the compound are generally capitalized, unless they are parts of speech that are not capitalized (articles, conjunctions, or prepositions) .

In this example, Half-Blood is a hyphenated compound. Blood is capitalized because it is a noun.

If you come across a title that contains a hyphenated compound with a prefix that cannot stand as a word on its own, the second element of the compound should be written in lowercase (unless it is a proper noun or proper adjective). Examples of this include such words as "Co-owner" and "Re-elect."

4. Capitalize both elements of spelled-out numbers or simple fractions.

When a spelled-out number or simple fraction is used in a title, both components require capitalization.

You're getting to be an expert with title case capitalization, so instead of rehashing what we have already learned, let's move on, shall we?

5. If the scientific name of a species is mentioned, the second portion of the name must be written in lowercase.

This is one of those picky rules that is easy to overlook. This rule will most often apply to the titles of academic works in the medical or scientific fields. If you are working with a title that contains the scientific name of a species, then the second portion of the name must be lowercased.

6. Pay attention to the specific requirements of the style guide.

The rules outlined above are the usual conventions when it comes to title case capitalization rules, but make sure that you check the specific style guide that you are using. In addition to formatting, many style guides have established their own rules for the proper use of title case. And though many of these style guides follow the basic rules outlined in this article, there are some variations that you definitely must consider.

For example, remember the previous point about prepositions always being written in lowercase? Well, let's compare two style guides to clarify some of the differences that exist.

According to The Chicago Manual of Style (8.157), a long preposition, such as between , should be written in lowercase. However, some style guides allow words that are longer than five letters to be capitalized (such as the style guide of the Associated Press).

Here are some useful links that provide more information on the rules for title case capitalization according to various style guides:

• Modern Language Association (MLA)
• American Psychological Association (APA)
• Associated Press

Though properly capitalizing a title of your own might be difficult, we hope that this guide has eliminated some of the confusion regarding what to capitalize in a title. The majority of the rules are pretty straightforward, but others (such as the capitalization of prepositions) vary among style guides. Make sure you know which style guide you want to use and that you stick to it.

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Which Words in a Title Should Be Capitalized?

The Difference Between Sentence and Title Case

ThoughtCo/Richard Nordquist

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

There is no single set of rules for capitalizing words in a title of a book, article, essay, movie, song, poem, play, television program, or computer game. And, unfortunately, even style guides disagree, complicating matters.

However, here is a basic guide to the two most common methods, sentence case and title case , and the top differences between some of the main title capitalization styles. For most of us, it's a matter of selecting one convention and sticking to it.

First, which is which?

Sentence Case (Down Style) or Title Case (Up Style)

In sentence case, which is the simplest, titles are treated more like sentences: You capitalize the first word of the title and any proper nouns (not the same for subtitles).

In title case, on the other hand, which is the most prevalent in book titles and magazine and newspaper headlines, you capitalize the first and last words of the title and all nouns , pronouns , adjectives , verbs , adverbs , and subordinating conjunctions ( if , because , as , that , and so on). In other words, all the important words.

But this is where things start getting sticky. There are four main title capitalization styles: Chicago style (from the style manual published by the University of Chicago), APA style (from the American Psychological Association), AP style (from The Associated Press), and the MLA style (from the Modern Language Association).

In American mainstream publishing, Chicago and AP are the most widely used and referenced (APA and MLA are more used in scholarly articles). And when it comes to capitalization, it's the little words that they disagree on.

Little Words

According to "The Chicago Manual of Style," " articles ( a, an, the ), coordinating conjunctions ( and, but, or, for, nor ), and prepositions , regardless of length, are lowercased unless they are the first or last word of the title."

"The Associated Press Stylebook" is fussier. It calls for:

• Capitalizing the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of three or more letters
• Capitalizing an article— the, a, an —or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in a title

Other guides say that prepositions and conjunctions of fewer than five letters should be in lowercase—except at the beginning or end of a title. (For additional guidelines, see the glossary entry for title case .)

"Whichever preposition rule you adopt, you need to remember that many common prepositions [can also] function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs, and when they do, they should be capitalized in a title," says Amy Einsohn in her "Copyeditor's Handbook."

A Capital Answer

So, should you use sentence case or title case?

If your school, college, or business has a house style  guide, that decision has been made for you. If not, simply pick one or the other (flip a coin if you have to), and then try to be consistent.

A note on  hyphenated compound words in a headline: As a general rule, says the latest edition of "The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage" (that newspaper's style manual), "capitalize both parts of a hyphenated compound in a headline: Cease-Fire; Able-Bodied; Sit-In; Make-Believe; One-Fifth. When a hyphen is used with a prefix of two or three letters merely to separate doubled vowels or to clarify pronunciation , lowercase after the hyphen: Co-op; Re-entry; Pre-empt. But: Re-Sign; Co-Author. With a prefix of four letters or more, capitalize after the hyphen: Anti-Intellectual; Post-Mortem. In sums of money: $7 Million; $34 Billion."

One piece of advice on this subject comes from "The Chicago Manual of Style:" "Break a rule when it doesn't work."

And if you want a little help, there are sites online that will check your titles for you.

• 36 Common Prefixes in English
• Definition and Examples of Title Case and Headline Style
• What Is a Style Guide and Which One Do You Need?
• The 9 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples
• Definition and Examples of Asterisks (*)
• Top 10 Reference Works for Writers and Editors
• Common Keyboard Symbols: Names, Uses, and Styles
• Top 8 Free Online Style Guides in English
• Guidelines for Using Capital Letters
• Using Sentence Case for Titles, Headings, and Headlines
• 140 Key Copyediting Terms and What They Mean
• Should We Use A.D. or C.E.?
• What Is a Citation?
• The Function of the Prefix
• Embedded Questions in Grammar
• Conventions of Editing House Style

Sentence Case Capitalization

APA Style uses two types of capitalization for titles of works (such as paper titles ) and headings within works : title case and sentence case.

In title case, major words are capitalized, and most minor words are lowercase. In sentence case, most major and minor words are lowercase ( proper nouns are an exception in that they are always capitalized).

• major words: Nouns, verbs (including linking verbs), adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and all words of four letters or more are considered major words.
• minor words: Short (i.e., three letters or fewer) conjunctions, short prepositions, and all articles are considered minor words.

Sentence case capitalization is covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 6.17 and the Concise Guide Section 5.7

How to implement sentence case

In sentence case, lowercase most words in a title or heading. Capitalize only the following words:

• the first word of the title or heading
• the first word of a subtitle
• the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading
• nouns followed by numerals or letters
• proper nouns (such as the names of racial or ethnic groups)

When to use sentence case

Use sentence case for the following:

• titles of articles, books, reports, webpages, and other works in reference list entries , even if title case was used in the original work

Knapp, S. J. (2019). Suicide prevention: An ethically and scientifically informed approach . American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000145-000

Scott, T. N., Gil-Rivas, V., & Cachelin, F. M. (2019). The need for cultural adaptations to health interventions for African American women: A qualitative analysis. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology , 25 (3), 331–341. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000228

• table column headings, entries, and notes
• figure notes

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• Writing Tips

When to Capitalize Job Titles in Writing

4-minute read

• 19th July 2021

Should it be “President Biden” or “president Biden”? Is the “social worker” coming to the meeting, or should it be “Social Worker”? To learn when to capitalize job titles in business writing (or any other document), read our guide below.

When Capitalization is Key

Typically, job titles that come before names are capitalized (unless there is punctuation separating the title from the name). In these cases, the job title functions as part of a proper noun formed by the title and name:

President Biden has won the election. 

Head of Sales Mark Smith will be interviewing for the position. 

But beware of commas! As you can see, the job title below is not capitalized as we’re using it generically, not as a proper name:

The graphic designer , Sohaila Hussein, is very good at her job. 

We’ll look at this and other exceptions again later in the post.

Capitalization in Other Contexts

Other situations in which you may need to capitalize job titles include:

• To show respect to a person in a high-status role or position, especially if you are using their job title to stand in for their name.

The Queen will be opening this leisure center. 

Have you written to the President yet? 

• In emails or letter signature lines.

Yours faithfully, Sarah Brown, Assistant Principal

Melanie Ferrer, Speech and Language Therapist

• In headings, such as section headings in a resume.

May 2019–July 2020 , Customer Services Assistant

• In the vocative case (i.e., when using a job title to address someone directly).

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Is it serious, Doctor ?

• If a job title appears in the proper name for a building or department.

Office of the Vice Chancellor

Finally, if you’re an employee, make sure to check your organization’s style guide (if they have one) for specific details on capitalizing titles within the company. For example, some companies prefer to capitalize job roles as a matter of respect. And if your boss prefers to see their title capitalized in official documents, it is usually wise to follow their example even if it means bending the standard rules!

When Capitalization is Not Correct

When job titles are used descriptively or generically within a sentence, they are not usually capitalized. This applies to formal writing, job descriptions, cover letters and resumes, and pretty much any other form of writing you can imagine. For example:

Our chief editor , Simon Crystal, has an office on the second floor.

Mrs. Osborne, our assistant chef , makes the most delicious lasagna.

The receptionists at this company leave a lot to be desired.

During my time as a sales manager , I was responsible for 15 employees.

I would make an excellent staff nurse as I have great interpersonal skills.

In other words, when a job description is used in a sentence and does not stand in for (or form part of) a proper name, your default should be to use lowercase letters at the start of each word. However, as above, you may want to check your employer’s style guide for advice on capitalizing specific job titles.

Summary: To Capitalize or Not to Capitalize?

In summary, the rules for capitalizing job titles are:

• Job titles are normally capitalized when they stand in for (or are part of) a proper name, especially when the title precedes a person’s name.
• Job titles are also commonly capitalized to show respect for high-status individuals, when using a title to address someone directly, or when they appear in headings and signature lines. 
• When used generically or descriptively, job titles are not usually capitalized.

We hope this post has clarified how to capitalize job titles in writing. But if you’d like an expert to help you perfect your writing, why not try our proofreading service ?

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Capitalizing ‘The’ in a Title: The Ultimate Guide

Have you ever wondered whether to capitalize the word “the” in a title? It’s a question that many writers and editors ask themselves, and the answer isn’t always clear-cut. In this article, we’ll explore the topic of capitalization in titles and provide guidelines to help you determine whether to capitalize “the” in your own writing.

Capitalization rules can vary depending on the style guide you’re following, but there are some general guidelines that can help you decide whether to capitalize “the” in a title. For example, the MLA style guide requires that all major words in a title are capitalized, but “the” is capitalized only if it’s the first word in the title. On the other hand, the AP style guide doesn’t capitalize “the” in any context.

To make things even more confusing, there are different styles of capitalization, including title case, sentence case, and all caps. Each style has its own guidelines for which words to capitalize and which to leave lowercase. In this article, we’ll focus on title case, which is the most commonly used style for titles. By the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of when to capitalize “the” in a title and how to apply title case capitalization rules to your own writing.

Table of Contents

Understanding Capitalization in Titles

When it comes to writing titles, capitalization can be a tricky subject. There are many rules to follow, and it can be difficult to know which words should be capitalized and which ones should not. In this section, we will explore the different aspects of capitalization in titles and provide you with some useful tips to help you get it right.

The Basics of Capitalization in Titles

The first thing to understand is that there are three different capitalization styles that you can use when writing titles: title case, sentence case, and lowercase. Title case is when you capitalize the first letter of every major word in the title, while sentence case is when you only capitalize the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns. Lowercase is when you don’t capitalize any words in the title, except for proper nouns.

Rules for Capitalizing Specific Words in Titles

There are specific rules that you should follow when it comes to capitalizing certain words in titles. For example, you should always capitalize the first and last word in a title, regardless of what they are. You should also capitalize all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs in the title. However, you should not capitalize articles, prepositions, or conjunctions unless they are the first or last word in the title.

Another important rule to keep in mind is that you should always capitalize proper nouns in titles. Proper nouns are the names of specific people, places, or things, and they should always be capitalized. For example, if you are writing a title about a specific book, you should capitalize the title of the book, as well as the author’s name.

Exceptions to the Rules

While there are many rules to follow when it comes to capitalization in titles, there are also some exceptions to these rules. For example, if a title includes a phrasal verb, you should capitalize both the verb and the preposition.

Using Punctuation in Titles

Finally, it is important to understand how to use punctuation in titles. In general, you should use standard punctuation rules when writing titles. This means that you should use a comma to separate two independent clauses, a colon to introduce a list or an explanation, and a period at the end of a sentence. However, you should not use a period at the end of a title unless it is a complete sentence.

In conclusion, understanding capitalization in titles is an important skill for any writer. By following the rules for capitalization and using punctuation correctly, you can create titles that are both professional and engaging. Remember to always capitalize proper nouns, and to use title case, sentence case, or lowercase as appropriate. With these tips in mind, you’ll be able to write great titles that grab your readers’ attention and keep them engaged.

Capitalization in Different Style Guides

When it comes to capitalization in titles, different style guides have different rules. It is important to follow the guidelines of the style guide you are using to ensure consistency and accuracy in your writing. In this section, we will discuss the capitalization rules for different style guides.

Chicago Manual of Style

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) is a widely used style guide in the publishing industry. According to CMOS, the first and last words of a title should always be capitalized. Additionally, all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs should be capitalized. However, articles, conjunctions, and prepositions should be lowercase unless they are the first or last word of the title.

The American Psychological Association (APA) Style is commonly used in the social sciences. According to APA, the first word of the title and subtitle should be capitalized. Proper nouns and acronyms should also be capitalized. However, all other words should be lowercase, including articles, conjunctions, and prepositions.

MLA Handbook

The Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook is commonly used in the humanities. According to MLA, the first word of the title and subtitle should be capitalized. Proper nouns and acronyms should also be capitalized. However, all other words should be lowercase, including articles, conjunctions, and prepositions.

Associated Press Stylebook

The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook is commonly used in journalism. According to AP, the first word of the title and subtitle should be capitalized. Proper nouns and acronyms should also be capitalized. However, all other words should be lowercase, including articles, conjunctions, and prepositions, unless they are four or more letters.

AMA Manual of Style

The American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style is commonly used in the medical field. According to AMA, the first word of the title and subtitle should be capitalized. Proper nouns and acronyms should also be capitalized. However, all other words should be lowercase, including articles, conjunctions, and prepositions, unless they are four or more letters.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, different style guides have different rules for capitalization in titles. It is important to follow the guidelines of the style guide you are using to ensure consistency and accuracy in your writing. Remember to always capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle, as well as proper nouns and acronyms.

Specific Cases for Title Capitalization

When it comes to title capitalization, there are specific cases that you need to keep in mind. Whether you are writing a book, a movie, a song, a play, a periodical, a TV show, a magazine, a journal, a chapter, or a bibliography, the rules for capitalization can vary depending on the style guide you are following.

Major Words

In general, you should capitalize all major words in a title. Major words include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. However, you should not capitalize articles, conjunctions, and prepositions unless they are the first or last word in the title.

The First and Last Words

As mentioned above, you should capitalize the first and last words in a title, regardless of whether they are major words or not. This rule applies to all titles, regardless of the style guide you are following.

If your title includes a subtitle, you should capitalize the first word of the subtitle, as well as any major words in the subtitle. However, you should not capitalize articles, conjunctions, and prepositions unless they are the first or last word in the subtitle.

Colons and Dashes

If your title includes a colon or a dash, you should sometimes capitalize the first word after the colon or dash, as well as any major words that follow it. However, you should not capitalize articles, conjunctions, and prepositions unless they are the first or last word in the title.

Numbers and Letters

If your title includes numbers or letters, you should capitalize the first letter of the first word and any major words that follow it. However, you should not capitalize articles, conjunctions, and prepositions unless they are the first or last word in the title.

To illustrate these rules, here are some examples of correctly capitalized titles:

• “To Kill a Mockingbird” (book)
• “The Shawshank Redemption” (movie)
• “Bohemian Rhapsody” (song)
• “Hamlet” (play)
• “The New York Times” (periodical)
• “Breaking Bad” (TV show)
• “National Geographic” (magazine)
• “Psychological Review” (journal)
• “Chapter 1: The Beginning” (chapter)
• “Bibliography of American Literature” (bibliography)

By following these rules, you can ensure that your titles are properly capitalized and easy to read.

Capitalization in Subtitles and Colons

When it comes to subtitles, the rules for capitalization are simple. The first word of the subtitle should always be capitalized, regardless of whether it is an article, preposition, or conjunction. This rule applies even if the first word of the title is not capitalized.

For instance, in the title “The Art of War: A Guide to Strategy,” both “Art” and “War” are capitalized, as is “Guide” in the subtitle.

Similarly, when a colon is used in a title, the first word after the colon is often capitalized. This applies even if the word is a minor one, such as an article or preposition.

For example, in the title “The Great Gatsby: A Novel of the Roaring Twenties,” “Gatsby,” and “Novel,” and “A” are all capitalized.

It’s important to note that these rules apply to both fiction and nonfiction works, as well as to other types of titles, such as article headings and chapter titles.

In summary, when it comes to capitalization in subtitles and after colons, the first word is often capitalized, regardless of its part of speech. Doing this helps to ensure consistency and clarity in titles, making them easier to read and understand.

Geographical and Temporal Terms in Titles

When it comes to geographical and temporal terms in titles, the rules for capitalization can vary depending on the style guide you follow. Here are some general guidelines to follow:

North, South, East, and West

When referring to a direction, such as North, South, East, or West, you should capitalize the word only if it is part of a proper noun, such as “North America.” If it is not part of a proper noun, it should be lowercase, such as “The wind was blowing from the north.”

When it comes to the names of places, such as cities, states, and countries, the general rule is to capitalize them. For example, “New York City” or “The United States of America.” However, there are some exceptions to this rule, such as “the city of New York” or “the state of California.”

When referring to days of the week, you should capitalize them. For example, “I have a meeting on Monday.” However, when referring to seasons or months, you should only capitalize them if they are part of a proper noun, such as “Winter Olympics” or “July Fourth.”

Time Periods

When referring to time periods such as eras, you should capitalize them; for example, “the Roaring Twenties” or “the Renaissance.” However, if you are referring to a general time period, such as “the 1920s,” you should lowercase it.

In summary, when it comes to geographical and temporal terms in titles, the rules for capitalization can vary depending on the context. It is important to follow the style guide you are using and be consistent throughout your writing.

Capitalization of Company and Product Names in Titles

When it comes to writing titles, it is important to know how to capitalize company and product names correctly. Capitalizing them properly can help to avoid confusion and ensure that your title looks professional.

In general, company and product names should be capitalized in titles. However, there are some exceptions to this rule.

For example, if the company or product name is used in a descriptive or generic way, it should not be capitalized. This means that if you are referring to a specific product or brand, you should capitalize it. However, if you are referring to a general type of product or brand, you should not capitalize it.

Here are some examples to illustrate this point:

• Capitalize: “The New iPhone X is Here!”
• Do not capitalize: “I prefer tablets to small phones.”

It is also important to note that different companies and products may have their own specific capitalization rules. For example, some companies may use all lowercase letters in their logos and branding, while others may use all uppercase letters.

In these cases, it is important to follow the specific capitalization rules set by the company or product. This can help to ensure that your title is accurate and consistent with the company’s branding.

Overall, when it comes to capitalizing company and product names in titles, it is important to be consistent and follow the specific rules set by the company or product. This can help to ensure that your title looks professional and accurately represents the company or product you are referring to.

Capitalization of Languages and Dialects in Titles

When it comes to capitalizing languages and dialects in titles, there are a few rules to follow. First and foremost, it’s important to remember that languages and dialects are proper nouns and should be capitalized. However, there are some exceptions to this rule.

In general, when you are referring to a specific language or dialect, it should be capitalized, for example, “Spanish” or “Mandarin Chinese.” However, when using a regional dialect as an adjective, it should not be capitalized, for example “a southern drawl.”

It’s also important to note that when using a language or dialect in a title, it should be capitalized regardless of whether it is used as a noun or an adjective. For example, “The Art of Speaking Spanish” or “Southern Comfort: A Guide to Southern Dialects.”

When it comes to multiple languages or dialects in a title, it’s important to capitalize each one. For example, “A Comparison of Spanish, French, and Italian Cuisine.”

Here’s a quick summary of the rules for capitalizing languages and dialects in titles:

• Capitalize the name of a language or dialect when referring to it specifically
• Do not capitalize a dialect when using it as an adjective
• Capitalize a language or dialect in a title, whether it is used as a noun or an adjective
• Capitalize each language or dialect listed in a title

Capitalization in Legendary and Mythical Titles

When it comes to legendary and mythical titles, capitalization can be a bit tricky. While there are no hard and fast rules, there are some general guidelines that can help you navigate the capitalization of “the” in a title.

In general, if “the” is part of the official title of a legendary or mythical entity, then it should be capitalized. For example, “The Loch Ness Monster” or “The Kraken” are both official titles that include “the” and should be capitalized accordingly.

However, if “the” is not part of the official title, then it should not be capitalized. For example, “Hercules and the Hydra” does not include “the” as part of the official title, so “the” should not be capitalized.

It’s also worth noting that some legendary and mythical entities have multiple official titles, some of which include “the” and some of which do not. In these cases, it’s important to consult reliable sources to determine which title is the most commonly used and which capitalization rules apply.

Overall, the key to capitalizing “the” in legendary and mythical titles is to pay attention to the official title and to use your best judgment based on the context and available information.

Common Queries on Title Capitalization

When it comes to title capitalization, there are a lot of questions that can arise. Here are some common queries that people have when it comes to capitalizing titles.

What Words Should Be Capitalized in a Title?

The answer to this question can depend on the style guide you are following. Generally, you should capitalize the first letter of the first and last words in a title, as well as all nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Articles, prepositions, and conjunctions are typically not capitalized unless they are the first or last word in the title.

What is AP Title Case?

AP Title Case is a style of title capitalization that is used by the Associated Press. In AP Title Case, you should capitalize the first and last words in a title, as well as all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Articles, prepositions, and conjunctions are not capitalized unless they are the first or last word in the title.

How Should “Of Mice and Men” Be Capitalized?

The title “Of Mice and Men” should be capitalized according to title capitalization rules. This means that you should capitalize the first and last words in the title, as well as all nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The word “and” is typically not capitalized, unless it is the first or last word in the title.

What Are English Capitalization Rules?

English capitalization rules can vary depending on the style guide you are following. Generally, you should capitalize the first letter of the first word in a sentence, as well as proper nouns and titles. In titles, you should also capitalize all nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, and only capitalize articles, prepositions, and conjunctions if they are the first or last word in the title.

In conclusion, understanding title capitalization rules can be confusing, but by following the guidelines of your chosen style guide, you can ensure that your titles are properly capitalized. Remember to capitalize the first and last words in a title, as well as all nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, and only capitalize articles, prepositions, and conjunctions if they are the first or last word in the title.

The Role of Editors in Title Capitalization

As an editor, it is crucial to have a good understanding of title capitalization rules. Editors are responsible for ensuring that titles are correctly capitalized, so it is important to know the rules and follow them consistently. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

• Editors should be familiar with the style guide being used for the publication. Different style guides have different rules for title capitalization, so it is important to use the correct guide and follow its rules.
• In general, the first and last words of a title should always be capitalized, as well as all other words except for articles, prepositions, and conjunctions that are three letters or fewer. However, there are some exceptions to this rule, depending on the style guide being used.
• It is important to be consistent with capitalization throughout a publication. If a certain style is used for capitalizing titles in one section, it should be used consistently throughout the entire publication.
• Editors should also be aware of any specific capitalization rules for certain words or phrases. For example, job titles are often capitalized when they come before a person’s name, but not when they come after.
• Finally, editors should be aware of the importance of grammar in title capitalization. Capitalizing the wrong words or using incorrect grammar can change the meaning of a title or make it difficult to understand.

In conclusion, editors play an important role in ensuring that titles are correctly capitalized. By following the rules of the style guide being used, being consistent with capitalization, and paying attention to grammar and specific capitalization rules, editors can help ensure that titles are clear, concise, and easy to understand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which words should be capitalized in a title.

In general, the first word of a title should always be capitalized. Additionally, all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs should be capitalized. However, small words like articles and prepositions are generally not capitalized unless they are the first word in a title.

Should ‘the’ be capitalized in a title?

Yes, ‘the’ should be capitalized in a title if it is the first word. However, following a specific writing style guide will then determine where else, if at all, you have to capitalize ‘the’ in a title.

Is ‘at’ capitalized in a title?

No, ‘at’ is generally not capitalized in a title unless it is the first word. However, following a specific writing style guide will then determine where else, if at all, you have to capitalize ‘at’ in a title.

Is ‘you’ capitalized in a title?

Yes, generally “you” is capitalized in a title. However, following a specific writing style guide will then determine where else, if at all, you have to capitalize ‘you’ in a title.

What words are not capitalized in a title?

Small words like articles and prepositions are generally not capitalized in a title unless they are the first word in a title.

Can ‘can’ be capitalized in a title?

Yes, “can” is generally capitalized in a title.

How to Write a Book Title in an Essay: Tips and Guidelines [2025]

Jul 29, 2024 | 0 comments

Jul 29, 2024 | Blog | 0 comments

When  writing an essay , properly formatting a book title is more than just a matter of style – it’s a crucial aspect of academic integrity and professionalism. As someone teaching essay writing for years, I’ve seen countless students struggle with this seemingly simple task.

When writing an essay, it is important to know how to properly write a book’s title within your text. How you write the title can vary depending on the title type, citation style rules, and any exceptions that may apply. A book in an essay can be written in various ways, such as using quotation marks around the title, italicizing the book’s name, or simply writing it in standard font with no added emphasis. 

In this article, I’ll explain how to write a book title in an essay , covering various style guides and common pitfalls to avoid. We will also explore the different types of titles, the punctuation rules that apply, when to use quotation marks around the title, and any exceptions to the standard formatting.

By the end, you will clearly understand how to write a book title in an essay according to proper grammar and formatting guidelines. 

Table of Contents

General Rules for Formatting Book Titles

Before we dive into specific style guides , let’s discuss some general rules that apply across most writing styles. When you mention a book title in your essay , you typically need to set it apart from the surrounding text. This is usually done by either using italics or quotation marks . The choice between these two often depends on the style guide you’re following and the context in which you’re mentioning the book.

For longer works like books, novels, and full-length plays, the general rule is to italicize the title. We usually use quotation marks for shorter works such as poems, articles, or short stories. However, these rules can vary depending on the specific style guide style style guide you’re using, so always double-check your assigned guide.

Now that we’ve covered the basics let’s explore how different style guides handle book titles . We’ll start with one of the most commonly used styles in humanities: MLA.

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MLA Style Guide for Book Titles

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is widely used in humanities and liberal arts. When following MLA style , you should italicize the titles of books in your essay. This applies whether you’re mentioning the book in the main text of your essay or your  works cited list.

For example, if I were writing about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel, I would write it as The Great Gatsby . Notice how the title is italicized, including the articles (“The” in this case).

It’s important to note that while we italicize full book titles, we use quotation marks for titles of shorter works or parts of a book, such as chapter titles . So, if I were referencing a specific chapter, I might write Chapter 3, “The Party,” in The Great Gatsby .

Moving on from MLA, let’s examine APA, another popular style guide used in many academic fields.

Read Also: How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Full Guide and Examples [2025]

APA Style Guide for Book Titles

You’ll follow slightly different rules if you’re writing in the social sciences or other fields that use APA style. The  American Psychological Association (APA) also recommends italicizing book titles in the text of an essay.

When you cite a book in APA style, you must include the author’s last name and the publication year in parentheses after mentioning the book. For instance, Fitzgerald’s exploration of the American Dream ( The Great Gatsby , 1925) remains relevant today.

In your reference list at the end of your essay, you’ll also italicize the book title. However, in APA style, only the first word of the title and proper nouns are capitalized. So, your reference might look like this:

Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The Great Gatsby . Scribner.

Now that we’ve covered MLA and APA let’s look at another common style guide: Chicago.

Chicago Style Guide for Book Titles

The Chicago Manual of Style is often used in history and some humanities disciplines. Like MLA and APA, Chicago style also recommends italicizing book titles in an essay.

When citing a book title in Chicago style, use footnotes or endnotes for your citations. In these notes, the book title should be italicized. For example, your footnote might look like this:

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (New York: Scribner, 1925), 68.

In your bibliography, you’ll also italicize the book title. Chicago style is unique in that it allows for two different citation systems: notes and bibliography or author-date. Make sure you know which one your instructor prefers.

Now that we’ve covered the main style guides, let’s examine how to use book titles in different contexts within your essay.

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Handling Book Titles in Different Contexts

How you format a book title can vary depending on where it appears in your essay. As we’ve discussed, you’ll typically italicize the title in the main text. However, if you’re writing a title with an italicized book title, you’ll need to set the book title in regular type.

For example, if I were writing an essay titled “Symbolism in The Great Gatsby ,” I would not italicize “The Great Gatsby” in the essay title because the entire title is already italicized.

The formatting of your works cited or references page  may differ slightly depending on your style guide. Always refer to your specific guide for the most up-to-date rules.

Regarding handwritten essays , where italics aren’t an option, the convention is to underline book titles instead. So, if you’re writing by hand, you would underline “The Great Gatsby” rather than italicizing it.

Now, let’s talk about an important aspect of writing book titles: capitalization.

Capitalizing Book Titles

Proper capitalization is crucial when writing book titles, regardless of the style guide you’re following. Generally, you should capitalize the first letter of:

• The first word of the title
• The last word of the title
• All principal words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and some conjunctions )

However, you typically don’t capitalize:

• Articles (a, an, the) unless they’re the first word of the title
• Short prepositions (in, on, with, at) unless they’re the first or last word
• Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, or, nor)

For example: The Catcher in the Rye

Remember, these rules vary slightly between style guides, so always check your specific guide.

Next, let’s address a common issue: dealing with subtitles.

Dealing with Subtitles

Many books have subtitles, and it’s important to know how to properly include these when citing the full title in your essay. Generally, you should include the subtitle after the main title, separated by a colon. Both the main title and subtitle should be italicized.

For example: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

When capitalizing subtitles, follow the same rules as for main titles: capitalize the first word and all principal words.

Now, let’s look at how to handle book series and editions.

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Formatting Book Series and Editions

There are additional considerations when referencing books that are part of a series or specific editions. If you’re mentioning a book part of a series, you typically don’t need to include the series name unless it’s relevant to your discussion.

Include the edition number after the title in your citation for editions other than the first. For example:

Strunk, William, and E. B. White. The Elements of Style . 4th ed., Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

As we wrap up, let’s look at some common mistakes to avoid.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced writers can make errors when formatting book titles. Here are some common pitfalls to watch out for:

• Inconsistency: Use the same formatting style throughout your essay.
• Overuse of italics or quotation marks: Remember, only use these for titles, not for emphasis in your writing.
• Incorrect capitalization: Double-check that you’ve capitalized all the right words in your titles.
• Forgetting to italicize or use quotation marks: It’s easy to forget, especially with longer titles, but it’s important for clarity and professionalism.
• Using quotation marks for full-length book titles: Remember, quotation marks are typically reserved for shorter works.

Mastering the art of properly formatting book titles in your essays is a valuable skill that will serve you well throughout your academic and professional writing career. Whether you’re following MLA, APA, Chicago, or another style guide, consistency and attention to detail are key.

Remember, these formatting rules aim to make your writing clear and professional. By properly formatting your book titles, you show respect for the works you’re citing and demonstrate your attention to detail and academic integrity.

As you continue to write and cite books in your essays, these rules will become second nature. Keep practicing, and don’t hesitate to refer to your style guide. Happy writing!

FAQs: How to Write a Book Title in an Essay

Should we underline or italicize book titles .

When referencing a book title in an essay , italics rather than underlining is generally recommended. This helps distinguish the title from the rest of the text and conforms to most style guides and formatting conventions .

How to Write a Book’s Title in The Main Body of a Handwritten Essay ?

When handwriting an essay , it is customary to italicize the title of a book to indicate emphasis. The title of the book should be clearly differentiated from the rest of the text to ensure clarity for the reader.

How to Cite a Book and its Author in a References or Works Cited Page?

When citing a book and its author in a References or Works Cited page, the standard format typically requires listing the author first, followed by the book title , publication details, and other relevant information depending on the citation style , such as MLA or Chicago style.

Do Book Titles Go in Quotes in an Essay?

When referenced in an essay, book titles are generally italicized or placed in quotation marks. The choice between  italics and quotation marks often depends on the style guide followed and the essay’s overall formatting.

With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.

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How-To Geek

How you can create a great title page in microsoft word.

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Cover page templates (and why you shouldn't use them), use styles to create your text, add a section break, add a page border, amend the page alignment, organize your page numbers.

Whether you're writing a book, a business plan, an academic paper, or a newsletter, a title page is a great way to capture your reader's attention, lay out what the document contains, and add professionalism to your work. In this article, we will explore the steps to achieving this.

Microsoft Word offers many template title pages for you to add to your document, which you can access by clicking the "Insert" tab on the ribbon, and choosing "Cover Page" in the Pages tab.

While this might be a good option if you're looking to save time, there are various reasons why it's not the best choice:

• Certain preset designs are overused. Similar to well-known PowerPoint presentation designs or website templates, they look pre-designed and standard, lacking that personal touch.
• Designing your own title page means that you can create and follow your own formatting. If you add a preset cover page after finishing your work, you might find the layout is inconsistent with the remainder of your document.
• Word's preset cover pages contain placeholders where you position your text. While you can move, format, and resize these placeholders, they are created using text boxes (rather than as text on the page itself), so their structure is limiting and insecure.
• Depending on the type of document you are creating, you might want a plainer title page. Indeed, some of Word's fancier layouts would look out of place at the beginning of a formal academic document.
• You might find that the designs do not work for you. Creating your own title page offers more flexibility for displaying what you want, where you want it, and how you want it.

The first step to creating your impressive title page is to use or modify styles . You'll find a Title style in the Style Gallery (in the Home tab on the ribbon), which you can click before, during, or after typing your main document title.

However, if you're not happy with the layout of the Title style, right-click "Title" in the Style Gallery, and click "Modify."

You can then change the style's settings to present your title as you wish. I'd recommend the following settings.

In the Modify Style dialog box, click Format > Font.

Here, change the font to bold and 72 pt (or a similarly large size, but not too big!). This will make your title really stand out.

By default, Word condenses any text in the Title style to differentiate it from the rest of the text. However, since I've chosen a larger typeface, I don't need the text to be condensed. So, open the "Advanced" tab, change the Character Spacing to "Normal," and click "OK" to close your font settings.

With the Modify Style dialog box still open, click Format > Paragraph to open the Paragraph dialog box. Here, change the Spacing After to half your chosen font size. So, since I have chosen size 72 pt font, I'll go with 36 pt for the spacing after the paragraph. Then, click "OK."

Before you close the Modify Style dialog box, decide on your title alignment. In my example, I'll go with center alignment, as this layout looks great on a cover page. Finally, click "OK."

You can now press Enter and type further text beneath your title (such as your name, a second heading, or whatever you wish), and follow the same steps to decide on the style formatting. I've gone with Word's Intense Quote style and modified it to size 20 pt.

So that you can format your title page separately from the rest of your document, you need to add a Section Break . With your cursor at the end of the last word you have typed on the title page, click "Breaks" and then "Next Page" in the Layout tab on the ribbon.

This will create a second page in your document, separated from your title page by an invisible section barrier. If you click the "Show/Hide" (¶) icon in the Home tab on the ribbon, you'll see where this Section Break is added. Click the ¶ icon again to hide these pagination markers.

If you want to add more content to the title page, simply place your cursor before the Section Break, and press Enter. Word will then set the following line to the Normal style, ready for you to add more details.

A great title page always has a page border . To add one, place your cursor anywhere before the Section Break you just added, and click "Page Borders" in the design tab on the ribbon.

In the dialog box that opens, modify the border's Settings and Style to suit your needs. I've gone for a simple box and a solid, thin line, but you can design your border to your taste. Then, importantly, ensure you click the "Apply To" drop-down option and choose "This Section" or "This Section - First Page Only." This is why we created a Section Break in the previous step, and failing to choose this option will add page borders to every page in your document.

When you're done, click "OK" to see the outcome.

At the moment, the text is aligned at the top of the page, but a more professional title page will align the text in the center . To achieve this, with your cursor anywhere in the text you have typed so far, click the "Page Setup" icon in the corner of the Page Setup group in the Layout tab.

In the resulting dialog box, first, open the "Layout Tab." Then, click "Center" in the Vertical Alignment option, and choose "This Section" in the Apply To field. When you're done, click "OK."

You will now see that your title page is nicely center-aligned.

Title pages tend not to contain page numbers, so you need to change one more setting to make sure this doesn't happen when you add numbers to your subsequent pages .

Go to the second page (which you created when adding a Section Break to your title page), and double-click in the footer area.

Then, in the "Header And Footer" tab on the ribbon, check "Different First Page."

Now, in the same tab, click "Page Number," then "Bottom Of Page," and choose your preferred style. Personally, I always go for a centered page number.

Since you told Word that your first-page footer is different from the rest of the document, you'll see that although your second page is numbered as page 2, there isn't a page number on your title page, keeping it clean and tidy without any unnecessary detail.

Now that you have an impressively formatted cover page, make sure you apply the necessary settings to make the rest of your document equally professional .

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What Is Title Insurance and What Does It Cover?

In this article:

What does title insurance cover?

What are the types of title insurance.

• What is lender's title insurance?
• What is owner's title insurance?

What is a warranty of title?

• How much does title insurance cost?

Do I need title insurance?

• How to choose a title company

Who pays for title insurance?

What is title insurance.

Title insurance is a type of insurance that protects mortgage lenders and/or homeowners against claims questioning the legal ownership of a home or property (i.e., the title to the property). If disputes over title ownership arise after the purchase, the insurance policy pays for any legal fees to resolve them. 

Unlike other types of insurance that help cover future mishaps, title insurance is designed to protect the policyholder from any past title discrepancies from the seller or previous owner that might be uncovered during or after the purchasing process.

Title insurance covers any underlying issues with a home or property's title that the title company may have missed during the home-buying process. In any real estate transaction, the title company runs a public records search to ensure that the home being purchased is free and clear of any liens or ownership disputes. This process confirms the seller's legal right to sell the home. 

While this process usually goes smoothly, title insurance comes into play when disputes arise. Here are some of the more common title issues: 

• Title forgeries
• Filing errors
• Unknown heirs to the estate who claim ownership
• Inconsistent or conflicting wills
• Liens, commonly from unpaid home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) or contractor bills
• Undocumented easements

There are two types of title insurance: lender’s title insurance and owner’s title insurance (also called buyer’s title insurance). They both provide the same kind of protection but cover different parties who have financial stakes in a property.

Lender's title insurance

A lender's title insurance policy is designed to protect the financial institution providing your mortgage from title claims that would put their stake in your home at risk. Lenders almost always require borrowers to purchase title insurance on the lender’s behalf as part of the loan-approval process . It's considered a closing cost.

Owner's title insurance

The owner's title policy is designed to protect the homeowner in case of any claims against their ownership of the home. In most cases, owner's title insurance is not required in a home purchase, but it is recommended. It can be paid for by the seller at closing, so you may want to negotiate for it when you are purchasing a home.

If you are buying a home in cash or your lender doesn’t require title insurance, you can request that the seller provide a warranty of title, which states that they are the sole party with a right to sell the home.

How much is title insurance?

Title insurance costs often range between $500 and $3,500 for each policy, but varies by provider. The cost also generally varies based on property location, purchase price and the extent of the coverage. For example, you may opt to have a restriction endorsement to protect against any HOA or subdivision violations related to the home's structure. 

Your title insurance premium is generally a one-time charge that's paid at closing. In addition to the insurance itself, you may be responsible for other related fees, like wire transfer fees or courier charges. 

In many states, you can compare the prices of different title insurance companies. But in some states, including Texas and Florida, all title companies are required to provide the same level of coverage at the same price, so shopping around isn't required.

Typically, the buyer pays for their lender’s title insurance policy as a closing cost . Owner’s title insurance (which is not usually required) is often paid for by the seller as part of the offer negotiation.

It depends on the transaction. In most cases, buyers are not required to have their own policies. Still, if you want to protect yourself from potential legal costs in the future, you may choose to get a title insurance policy. 

Here's an example: You purchase a home, and six months later you find out there was an old, unrecorded contractor's lien against the property for $40,000. Since you are now the owner of the home, you might be responsible for paying off the lien to clear your title and/or paying legal fees to fight the claim.

How to choose a choose a title company

Pick a title company that comes highly recommended from friends, family, your lender or your agent. You might also check the years of experience, number of completed transactions and online reviews from former clients. You can find real estate title companies on Zillow’s professional directory .

Meredith Arthur

A local agent can help you stay competitive on a budget.

They’ll help you get an edge without stretching your finances.

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