How to Capitalize Hyphenated Words in Titles
Learn how APA, Chicago, MLA, and other styles capitalize hyphenated words in titles, with practical examples and common mistakes.
Hyphenated words are one of the hardest parts of title case because a hyphen does not tell you whether both parts should be capitalized. The answer depends on the style guide and on the relationship between the words.
Compare:
Self-Report
State-of-the-Art
Anti-Intellectual
Cost-Benefit
A converter that capitalizes every letter after every hyphen will be wrong in some styles. A converter that lowercases every second element will also be wrong.
Why Hyphenated Words Are Difficult
A hyphen can connect:
- Two equal words
- A prefix and a base word
- A compound adjective
- A number and noun
- A phrase containing minor words
- A technical or scientific term
Those structures are not grammatically identical.
For title capitalization, the style guide may ask whether the second part is a major word, a minor word, a prefix attachment, or part of a fixed expression.
APA Hyphenated Title Case
APA 7 title case capitalizes the second part of a hyphenated major word.
Example:
Self-Report Measures in Education
rather than:
Self-report Measures in Education
The second element “Report” is treated as part of the major word.
This is an important APA rule because older or simplistic converters can lowercase the second element automatically.
Chicago 18 and Hyphenated Terms
Chicago 18 updated its title treatment for some hyphenated terms.
One notable example from Chicago's published update material is:
Anti-Intellectual Pursuits
The later element after a prefixed first part is now capitalized according to the general title capitalization rule.
This is different from older Chicago practice that could lowercase the second word after certain prefixes.
If your Chicago converter was written from a 17th edition rules list, hyphenated output is one area worth testing.
MLA and Hyphenated Words
MLA title capitalization has traditionally treated compounds with more attention to their internal structure. Prefix based compounds can have different capitalization from compounds whose parts carry equal weight.
For example, a generic rule that turns every compound into:
State-Of-The-Art
would be poor MLA style because minor words inside the compound should not automatically become major.
The current MLA Handbook should be consulted for unusual compounds, especially if the title will appear in academic publication.
Minor Words Inside a Compound
Consider:
state-of-the-art
If title case blindly capitalizes every segment, you get:
State-Of-The-Art
Many style systems instead preserve minor elements:
State-of-the-Art
The words “of” and “the” remain minor inside the compound.
This demonstrates why a hyphen is not a reset button that turns the next word into a title beginning.
Equal Compounds
Some compounds contain two major words of similar importance.
Example:
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Both “Cost” and “Benefit” are major, so capitalizing both is natural under many title styles.
Another example:
Writer-Editor Collaboration
Both parts can function as major nouns.
Prefixes
Prefixes create more difficult cases.
Examples:
anti-intellectual
pre-existing
non-English
post-war
The style may treat the element after the prefix differently. Current Chicago 18 has moved toward applying general title capitalization to the later element in certain prefixed hyphenated terms.
Proper nouns also override general patterns. non-English retains the capital in “English.”
Suffixes
A hyphen can also connect a base to a suffix like element.
The exact casing depends on the term and style.
If a scientific or technical expression has an established spelling, that established form can matter more than a generic title algorithm.
Numbers in Hyphenated Compounds
Examples:
Twenty-First Century
10-Year Study
Five-Step Process
A number does not have uppercase or lowercase, but the word joined to it can still be part of title case.
Example:
A 10-Year Study of Reading
“Year” is capitalized because it functions as a major component.
Hyphenated Proper Names
Proper names should preserve their established form.
Examples can include:
Jean-Paul
Coca-Cola
A title converter should not change a known name merely to satisfy a generic compound rule.
Phrasal Terms and Multiword Compounds
Not every expression that acts as one modifier is hyphenated.
Examples:
high school
real time
machine learning
Capitalization and hyphenation are separate decisions. A case converter should not invent hyphens just because a phrase could be a compound modifier in another sentence.
If the source has:
real time editing
the title tool should focus on capitalization. Whether “real time” should be hyphenated depends on grammar and house style.
Do You Capitalize After Every Hyphen?
No.
This is the most useful rule to remember.
A hyphen signals a connection, but the capitalization after it depends on:
- The selected style.
- The grammatical role of the element.
- Whether the element is a minor word.
- Whether the first element is a prefix.
- Whether the compound is a proper name.
- Whether a specialist term has an established form.
Examples
Input:
self-report measures in education
APA:
Self-Report Measures in Education
Input:
state-of-the-art editing tools
A common title result:
State-of-the-Art Editing Tools
Input:
anti-intellectual arguments
Current Chicago style can produce:
Anti-Intellectual Arguments
Input:
cost-benefit analysis
Common major word treatment:
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Hyphenated Words After a Colon
If a hyphenated compound begins a subtitle, capitalize its first element because of subtitle position.
Example:
Research Methods: Evidence-Based Approaches
The compound itself then follows the relevant style rule.
Hyphenated Words at the End of a Title
The last word rule can also interact with a compound.
A compound at the end should be reviewed as a unit rather than treating the final segment as an isolated word.
This is another reason position and compound structure need to work together in a capitalization engine.
Why Automated Tools Can Fail Here
Simple title case scripts often work like this:
- Split the text by spaces.
- Lowercase minor words.
- Uppercase the first character of everything else.
That approach does not understand hyphens at all.
A better algorithm needs to split and inspect compound components while preserving the original punctuation.
Even then, grammar can be ambiguous. Human review remains useful for specialist titles.
When to Check the Official Manual
Verify the style guide when:
- The compound contains a prefix.
- The compound contains a minor word.
- The title is being submitted for publication.
- A legal or scientific term is involved.
- The compound is part of a proper name.
- Two style guides appear to disagree.
- An old source gives different Chicago guidance.
The rule may have changed between editions.
Related Resources
- Use the Title Case Converter
- Which Words Should Be Capitalized in a Title?
- Which Words Should Not Be Capitalized in a Title?
- Do You Capitalize Words After a Colon? Rules for Every Style
Frequently Asked Questions
Should both words in “self-report” be capitalized in APA title case?
Yes. APA title case capitalizes the second part of a hyphenated major word, giving Self-Report.
Does Chicago capitalize the second part after a prefix?
Chicago 18 changed its guidance for certain prefixed hyphenated terms so the later element follows the general title capitalization rule.
Should “of” be capitalized inside a hyphenated title phrase?
Usually not simply because it follows a hyphen. Minor words can remain lowercase, as in State-of-the-Art.
Does a capitalization tool also decide whether a word needs a hyphen?
It should not. Hyphenation is a separate grammar and style question from capitalization.