Which Words Should Be Capitalized in a Title?
Learn which words to capitalize in a title, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, first and last words, subtitles, and style specific exceptions.
The safest answer is not “capitalize all important words.” The real answer depends on the title style you are using. APA, AP, Chicago, MLA, Bluebook, AMA, and other systems agree on many major words, but they do not treat every preposition, conjunction, compound, or short word the same way.
Still, there is a strong common foundation. If you understand the shared rules first, the style specific differences become much easier to manage.
Always Start With the First Word
The first word of a title is capitalized in major English title case systems.
Example:
the art of editing
becomes:
The Art of Editing
“The” is an article, and it would usually be lowercase in the middle. Its position at the beginning overrides that minor word rule.
Capitalize the First Word of a Subtitle
When punctuation introduces a subtitle, capitalize the first word of that subtitle.
Example:
writing for the web: a practical guide
becomes:
Writing for the Web: A Practical Guide
“A” is capitalized because it begins the subtitle.
This position based principle appears across major title styles.
Capitalize Nouns
Nouns are major words.
Examples:
Writer
Book
Research
Education
Internet
Title:
The Writer and the Editor
Both “Writer” and “Editor” are capitalized.
Proper nouns also retain their required capitals:
Writing About London
A Guide to Shakespeare
Working With Microsoft Excel
Capitalize Pronouns
Pronouns are generally major words.
Examples:
He
She
It
We
They
Who
Title:
What We Know About Memory
“We” is capitalized because it is a pronoun.
A common mistake is to lowercase a short pronoun simply because it has only two or three letters. Word length is not the only factor.
Capitalize Verbs
Verbs are major words, including short ones.
Examples:
Is
Are
Be
Do
Go
Write
Learn
Title:
Why Writing Is Difficult
“Is” is capitalized even though it has only two letters.
This is another reason a title converter cannot rely only on word length.
Capitalize Adjectives
Adjectives are major words because they describe or modify nouns.
Examples:
Clear
Modern
Useful
Academic
Title:
A Practical Guide to Clear Writing
“Practical” and “Clear” are capitalized.
Capitalize Adverbs
Adverbs are also generally major words.
Examples:
Quickly
Clearly
Often
Never
Title:
How Writers Work Differently Online
“Differently” and “Online” are treated as important words according to their grammatical role and style.
What About the Last Word?
Major title styles commonly capitalize the last word, even if that word would normally be minor in the middle.
Example:
What Are We Waiting For
“For” is a short preposition, but it appears at the end.
This position based rule can surprise users who memorized a simple list of lowercase prepositions.
Capitalize Proper Names
Proper names keep their required capitalization.
Examples:
New York
Google
YouTube
APA
Shakespeare
The New York Times
A converter should avoid turning YouTube into Youtube or NASA into Nasa.
Proper name preservation is not just a style issue. It can affect accuracy and meaning.
Words That Depend on the Style
The difficult group includes:
- Prepositions
- Conjunctions
- Articles
- Infinitive “to”
- Hyphenated compounds
- Phrasal verb particles
- Some abbreviations
- Branded terms
These are where APA, AP, Chicago, MLA, Bluebook, and AMA can diverge.
Prepositions
Prepositions include words such as:
in
on
of
to
with
about
between
through
The capitalization depends strongly on the selected style.
APA title case capitalizes words of four letters or more.
Chicago 18 capitalizes prepositions of five letters or more.
MLA generally lowercases prepositions in the middle regardless of length.
That means:
APA:
Writing With Purpose
Chicago:
Writing with Purpose
MLA:
Writing with Purpose
For “About”:
APA:
Thinking About Writing
Chicago:
Thinking About Writing
MLA:
Thinking about Writing
Articles
The English articles are:
a
an
the
They are usually lowercase in the middle of title case:
A Guide to the City
“The” is lowercase because it appears in the middle.
At the beginning:
The Guide to the City
it becomes uppercase.
At the start of a subtitle:
The Guide to Writing: A Practical Handbook
“A” is capitalized.
Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions include:
and
but
or
nor
for
so
yet
These are often lowercase in the middle:
Writers and Editors
However, style specific length rules and grammatical categories can create exceptions. Do not assume every conjunction in every title should be lowercased.
Infinitive “to”
Consider:
How to Write Better
Chicago and MLA generally lowercase infinitive “to.”
Other title systems can treat it differently.
This small word is a useful reminder that title case is a style system, not a single English grammar law.
Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs combine a verb with another small word:
give up
turn off
bring up
The second part may function as a particle rather than an ordinary preposition.
In title case, some styles capitalize the particle as part of the verb.
A basic list based converter can get these wrong because it sees only the spelling, not the grammatical role.
Hyphenated Words
Hyphenated compounds require more care.
Examples:
self-report
well-known
state-of-the-art
anti-intellectual
APA, Chicago, MLA, and other guides can differ in how the later parts are capitalized.
The first element should not automatically determine every later element. Use the selected style and check unusual compounds.
Acronyms and Initialisms
Established acronyms generally preserve their normal case:
NASA
FBI
HTML
SEO
AI
Title:
How AI Is Changing SEO
Do not convert those terms to Ai or Seo.
Brand Names
Brands can intentionally break ordinary capitalization patterns.
Examples include internal capitals and names beginning with lowercase letters.
If a company officially writes its name in a particular way, preserve that styling unless the governing style guide explicitly instructs otherwise.
A Practical Checklist
Before publishing a title, check:
- Is the first word capitalized?
- Is the first word of the subtitle capitalized?
- Are nouns capitalized?
- Are pronouns capitalized?
- Are verbs capitalized?
- Are adjectives and adverbs capitalized?
- Are proper names preserved?
- Are acronyms preserved?
- Are small words handled according to the correct style?
- Is the last word treated correctly?
- Are hyphenated compounds reviewed?
- Is the title consistent with the rest of the publication?
Use the Style, Not Your Memory
Writers often remember rules from school that belong to a different style or an older edition. Chicago 18 is a good example because its treatment of longer prepositions changed.
If the title matters professionally or academically, select the required style and compare the result with the current guidance rather than relying on what “looks right.”
Related Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is every noun capitalized in title case?
Major English title styles generally capitalize nouns, including short nouns.
Is “is” capitalized in a title?
Yes in major title case systems because “is” is a verb.
Is “the” capitalized in a title?
Usually only when it begins the title or subtitle, appears in another position covered by a specific rule, or forms part of a proper name whose styling requires it.
Are prepositions capitalized?
Sometimes. APA, AP, Chicago, MLA, and other systems treat prepositions differently, especially based on length and position.