How to use the title capitalization tool
- Type or paste your title in any case, even all caps.
- Choose a style guide. The result shows above the comparison table, with the words it left lowercase listed underneath.
- Check the table to see the same title in every style and in sentence case, then copy the version you need.
Words that already contain a capital after the first letter, such as NASA, iPhone or McDonald, are left exactly as you typed them.
Title capitalization rules by style
| Style | Capitalize | Keep lowercase |
|---|---|---|
| APA title case (7th ed.) | First word of the title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or dash, all major words, every word of four or more letters, both parts of hyphenated major words | Minor words of three letters or fewer: a, an, the; and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet, as, if; at, by, in, of, off, on, per, to, up, via |
| AP style titles | Principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters; the first and last word | Articles, and prepositions and conjunctions of three letters or fewer |
| Chicago (18th ed.) | First and last word, major words, prepositions of five or more letters | a, an, the; and, but, for, or, nor; to and as; prepositions of four letters or fewer (in, of, from, with, into) |
| MLA title capitalization (9th ed.) | First and last word and all principal words | Articles, all prepositions of any length (between, through), coordinating conjunctions, and the to in infinitives |
Chicago changed its rule in the 18th edition: prepositions of more than four letters are now capitalized, where earlier editions lowercased prepositions regardless of length (CMOS Q&A). If your publisher still uses the 17th edition, lowercase long prepositions such as “through” by hand.
Examples in APA, AP, Chicago and MLA
| Style | “a walk through the woods: notes from above the trees” | “what to look for in a used car” | “life between the lines” |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA (7th edition) | A Walk Through the Woods: Notes From Above the Trees | What to Look for in a Used Car | Life Between the Lines |
| AP Stylebook | A Walk Through the Woods: Notes From Above the Trees | What to Look for in a Used Car | Life Between the Lines |
| Chicago (18th edition) | A Walk Through the Woods: Notes from Above the Trees | What to Look for in a Used Car | Life Between the Lines |
| MLA (9th edition) | A Walk through the Woods: Notes from above the Trees | What to Look for in a Used Car | Life between the Lines |
| Sentence case | A walk through the woods: Notes from above the trees | What to look for in a used car | Life between the lines |
The differences come from the small words: “through” and “above” are capitalized in APA and AP because they have more than three letters, while MLA keeps every preposition lowercase. Chicago capitalizes “Through” and “Above” (five letters or more) but keeps the four-letter “from” lowercase.
Sentence case vs. title case
Title case, also called headline capitalization, capitalizes the major words. Sentence case capitalizes only the first word, the first word after a colon and proper nouns. APA uses title case for the title of your paper and its headings, but sentence case for the titles of articles and books in the reference list, which is why students often need both versions of the same title.
What the title case generator cannot know
- Part of speech. “Up” is lowercase as a preposition but capitalized in “Set Up Your Account”, and “like”, “over” and “down” can be verbs or adverbs. The tool treats them as prepositions, so check them.
- Proper nouns in sentence case. A name typed in lowercase stays lowercase in the sentence case row.
- House styles. Newspapers, journals and companies often adjust the published guides; follow their style sheet when it differs.