Style guide reference
Title case rules in AP, APA, Chicago and MLA
The four style guides agree on most words and argue over a few dozen small ones. Look up a word, or read the rules side by side.
How each style writes it in the middle of a headline, before a noun. Try with, so, if, up or re-election.
AP
Between
Capitalized: prepositions of four or more letters.
APA
Between
Capitalized: APA capitalizes every word of four letters or more, prepositions included.
Chicago
between
Lowercase: prepositions, whatever their length.
MLA
between
Lowercase: prepositions, whatever their length.
At the start or end of a headline, and right after a colon, every style capitalizes it.
The rules side by side
Highlighted: where the guides disagree.
| Rule | Example | AP | APA | Chicago | MLA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles: a, an, the | notes from the field | the | the | the | the |
| Prepositions of three letters or fewer | the cat in the hat | in | in | in | in |
| Prepositions of four letters or more | working with friends | With | With | with | with |
| and, but, or, nor, for | salt and pepper | and | and | and | and |
| so or yet joining two clauses | tired, so we slept | so | so | So | so |
| if | what if we stayed | if | if | If | If |
| as | cats as pets | as | as | as | as |
| to before a verb | born to run | to | to | to | to |
| Short verbs and pronouns | it is what it is | Is | Is | Is | Is |
| Last word — APA's rules don't mention the last word; a short word there works as an adverb, which APA capitalizes. | what are you waiting for | For | For | For | For |
| First word after a colon — AP's stylebook doesn't cover subtitles; capitalizing the first word is the usual practice. | the long road: a story of hope | A | A | A | A |
| Hyphenated words | self-driving cars | Self-Driving | Self-Driving | Self-Driving | Self-Driving |
| After a prefix such as re- | the re-election campaign | Re-Election | Re-Election | Re-election | Re-Election |
| Small words inside a compound | a behind-the-scenes look | Behind-the-Scenes | Behind-the-Scenes | Behind-the-Scenes | Behind-the-Scenes |
| Phrasal verbs (set up, log in) | how to set up a blog | Up | Up | Up | Up |
AP: the Associated Press Stylebook
- Capitalize the principal words: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
- Capitalize prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters (With, From, Because).
- Lowercase articles, and conjunctions and prepositions of three letters or fewer, unless one is the first or last word.
- The stylebook doesn't spell out subtitles or hyphenated words; writers usually capitalize the first word after a colon and each main part of a compound.
- These are AP's rules for the titles of works. AP's own news headlines use sentence case.
APA: the Publication Manual, 7th edition
- Capitalize the first word of a title and of any subtitle, and the first word after a colon, em dash or end punctuation in a heading.
- Capitalize major words, short verbs such as Is and Be included, and every word of four letters or more.
- Capitalize the second part of hyphenated major words (Self-Report).
- Lowercase minor words of three letters or fewer: and, as, but, for, if, nor, or, so, yet; a, an, the; at, by, in, of, off, on, per, to, up, via.
- Title case is for headings and for titles named in your text; the reference list uses sentence case for article and book titles.
Chicago: the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition
- Capitalize the first and last words of the title and subtitle, and all major words.
- Lowercase articles, and prepositions whatever their length, unless a preposition works as an adverb or adjective (Look Up, The On Button).
- Lowercase the conjunctions and, but, for, or and nor, and the words to and as in every use.
- In hyphenated words, capitalize the first part and the rest too, unless they are articles, prepositions or coordinating conjunctions. After a prefix that can't stand alone (anti-, pre-, re-), keep the next part lowercase unless it is a proper noun.
MLA: the MLA Handbook, 9th edition
- Capitalize the first and last words of the title and subtitle, and all principal words, including those after a hyphen (Self-Portrait).
- Lowercase in the middle: articles, prepositions whatever their length, the coordinating conjunctions and, but, for, nor, or, so and yet, and to before a verb.
- Join a subtitle to the title with a colon and a space.
Sentence case
Sentence case capitalizes what a sentence would: the first word, names and the pronoun I, plus the first word of a subtitle in APA style. AP writes its news headlines this way, APA uses it for titles in reference lists, and many websites and apps use it for every heading. The catch is names: a converter can't tell them from ordinary words, so check them by hand.
Start case
Start case capitalizes every word, small ones included. No style guide calls for it, though video titles, buttons and menus often use it. If a headline looks right in start case but your guide wants title case, the converter on the home page will lowercase the small words for you.
Sources
Summaries in our own words: check the guide your publisher follows.
- The Associated Press, AP Stylebook, entries “composition titles” and “headlines”: apstylebook.com.
- American Psychological Association, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. (2020), section 6.17; and the APA Style pages on title case and sentence case.
- The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (2017), sections 8.159 and 8.161 on headline-style capitalization and hyphenated compounds: chicagomanualofstyle.org. An 18th edition appeared in 2024; if your publisher uses it, check its section on headline style.
- Modern Language Association, MLA Handbook, 9th ed. (2021), on capitalizing titles in English: MLA Style Center.
Questions
Does AP use title case for headlines?
Not for its own news headlines: AP writes those in sentence case, capitalizing only the first word and proper nouns. Its title case rules are for the titles of books, films, songs and other works. Many websites still use AP-style title case for their headlines.
Are short words like is and be capitalized?
Yes, in every style. They are verbs, and verbs are major words however short they are. The same goes for pronouns such as It, He and Its.
Why do up and in sometimes get a capital?
In a phrasal verb such as set up, log in or turn off, the short word is an adverb, not a preposition, so it is capitalized: Set Up Your Office. In “up the hill” it is a preposition and stays lowercase. The converter recognizes the common phrasal verbs.