Title Case Rules: Which Words Get Capitalised?

What Is Title Case?

Title case is a capitalisation style in which the first letter of most words in a title or heading is capitalised. It is used for book titles, article headlines, film titles, song names, and heading text in documents. It is distinct from sentence case (only the first word and proper nouns capitalised) and all-caps.

The complication is that title case is not one rule — it is a family of rules that differ significantly between the major style guides used in publishing, journalism, and academia.

The Core Agreement: Always Capitalise These

All major style guides agree on a core set of words that are always capitalised in title case:

• The first word of the title, regardless of its part of speech
• The last word of the title (Chicago, APA, and MLA agree; AP does not explicitly state this)
• Nouns — concrete nouns, abstract nouns, proper nouns
• Verbs — including short verbs like "Is," "Be," "Do," "Go," "Run"
• Adjectives
• Adverbs — including "Not," "Never," "Very," "Just"
• Pronouns — "I," "He," "She," "It," "We," "They"

The Disagreements: Small Words

The real divergence is over what are commonly called "minor words" — short function words that style guides typically specify should remain lowercase when they appear in the middle of a title.

Articles: a, an, the

All four major guides agree: a, an, and the are lowercase in the middle of a title. They are always capitalised at the beginning or end of a title.

Example: The Lord of the Rings (both "The"s handled correctly — first word capitalised, middle "the" lowercase).

Prepositions

This is where the guides diverge significantly:

• Chicago Manual of Style: Lowercase all prepositions, regardless of length — "of," "in," "on," "at," "to," "for," "with," "about," "between," "through," "without"
• APA: Lowercase prepositions of fewer than four letters — "to," "of," "in," "on," "at." Capitalise longer ones — "From," "With," "About," "Over," "Between"
• AP Stylebook: Lowercase prepositions unless they are used as adverbs or adjectives (Look Up, Stand Out)
• MLA: Lowercase prepositions of any length in the middle of a title

The practical result: "Between" is capitalised in an APA title but lowercase in a Chicago or MLA title. This causes significant confusion in cross-disciplinary writing.

Coordinating Conjunctions: and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so

All major guides agree these are lowercase in the middle of a title. The mnemonic FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So) covers the set. Despite being only two or three letters, these remain lowercase under all standard guides.

The Infinitive "To"

Tricky because "to" can be a preposition (go to the store) or the infinitive marker (to run). Chicago and MLA lowercase "to" in both cases. APA lowercases "to" only when it is a preposition; as an infinitive marker, it is capitalised. So:

• Chicago: How to Write a Novel
• APA: How To Write a Novel

Hyphenated Words in Titles

Hyphenated compound words present a special case. The guides again diverge:

• Chicago: Capitalise the first element always. Capitalise subsequent elements unless they are articles, prepositions, or coordinating conjunctions. Self-Aware, Part-Time, Up-to-Date
• APA: Capitalise all "major" elements of hyphenated compounds. Self-Aware, Long-Term
• AP: Follow normal title case rules for each element as if it stood alone

Sentence Case vs. Title Case in Digital Contexts

In web and product design, there is an ongoing debate about title case vs. sentence case for headings and UI elements. The trend in modern product design — particularly following Google's Material Design guidelines — has shifted toward sentence case for interface text. Reasons given include:

• Sentence case is easier to read at a glance (less visual noise from scattered capitals)
• Sentence case is more consistent internationally (title case rules vary between languages and don't translate)
• Sentence case is easier to implement consistently (fewer judgement calls per heading)

Many content publishers — including major newspapers like The Guardian and The New York Times for their digital editions — have moved toward sentence case for article subheadings while keeping title case for article titles.

A Practical Decision Framework

If you need to choose a title case style:

• Academic writing: Follow your field's guide — APA for social sciences, psychology; Chicago for humanities; MLA for literature; AP for journalism
• Book titles: Chicago or whatever your publisher specifies
• Blog and website headings: Either sentence case (for modernity and ease) or a consistent title case style — mixing is the only wrong answer
• Marketing and brand copy: Often uses title case aggressively, even for taglines, as a visual hierarchy device

The single most important rule is consistency. Mixing conventions within the same document — or the same website — is more distracting than any particular style choice.

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