What is Title Case? A Complete Guide with Examples
Learn what title case is, which words to capitalize, and how APA, MLA, Chicago, and AP style rules differ. Includes examples and a free title case converter.
What is Title Case?
Title case is a capitalization style where the first letter of most words in a phrase or heading is capitalized. It is used for titles of books, articles, films, and headings throughout many formal and journalistic writing styles. The core rule is simple: <strong>capitalize major words, lowercase minor words</strong>. But the definition of "major" and "minor" varies slightly between different style guides — which is where the confusion begins.
Which Words Are Capitalized in Title Case?
As a general rule, capitalize: Do <em>not</em> capitalize (unless they are the first or last word): <strong>Nouns</strong> — person, place, thing, or idea (Book, River, Technology) <strong>Verbs</strong> — action or state words (Run, Is, Become) <strong>Adjectives</strong> — describing words (Beautiful, Fast, Blue) <strong>Adverbs</strong> — words modifying verbs/adjectives (Quickly, Never, Always) <strong>The first word</strong> of the title, regardless of its type <strong>The last word</strong> of the title, regardless of its type <strong>Proper nouns</strong> — specific names (London, JavaS
Title Case Rules by Style Guide
Different fields and publishers follow different style guides. Each has slightly different rules for which words to capitalize. Here is a summary of the four most common: APA title case is used in psychology, education, and social sciences. The rules: <em>Example:</em> "A Study of the Effects of Sleep on Learning and Memory" MLA is used widely in humanities and liberal arts. Rules are similar to APA but slightly different: <em>Example:</em> "The Representation of Women in Contemporary American Fiction" Chicago style is widely used in book publishing and general non-fiction. Rules: <em>Example:
When Should You Use Title Case?
<strong>Book, film, and album titles</strong> — always use title case <strong>Academic paper titles</strong> — required by APA, MLA, and Chicago <strong>News headlines</strong> — AP style, used by most newspapers <strong>Blog post titles</strong> — common in American content, though sentence case is increasingly popular <strong>Section and chapter headings</strong> — varies by publisher's style guide <strong>Job titles used before a name</strong> — e.g., "President Biden" (not after a name)
Read What is Title Case? A Complete Guide with Examples on Case Modify