APA · MLA · AP · Chicago
Title case converter
Paste a title and capitalize it by the rules of APA, MLA, AP or Chicago style. All four are shown side by side, with the words they disagree on highlighted.
APA
What if We Are Wrong About the World We Live in
Compare the four style guides
Highlighted words are where the guides disagree.
- APAWhat if We Are Wrong About the World We Live in
- MLAWhat If We Are Wrong about the World We Live In
- APWhat if We Are Wrong About the World We Live In
- ChicagoWhat If We Are Wrong about the World We Live In
Title capitalization rules by style guide
The four big guides agree on the basics: capitalize the first word and the important words, and keep articles and short connecting words lowercase. They split on long prepositions, some conjunctions and the last word.
APA title case
Publication Manual of the APA, 7th edition (section 6.17)
- Capitalize the first word of the title and of any subtitle, and the first word after a colon, em dash or end punctuation.
- Capitalize every word of four letters or more, including prepositions like With, From and Between.
- Capitalize all major words, even short ones: verbs (Is, Be, Are), pronouns (It, We, Our), nouns, adjectives and adverbs.
- Capitalize both parts of a hyphenated major word: Self-Report, Well-Being.
- Lowercase only minor words of three letters or fewer: a, an, the, and, as, but, for, if, nor, or, so, yet, at, by, in, of, off, on, per, to, up, via.
MLA title case
MLA Handbook, 9th edition
- Capitalize the first and last words of the title and subtitle, and every principal word.
- Lowercase articles (a, an, the) when they are not first.
- Lowercase prepositions of any length: of, with, between, through, against.
- Lowercase the coordinating conjunctions and, but, for, nor, or, so and yet, and the to in infinitives.
- Capitalize subordinating conjunctions such as If, Because and Although.
AP title case
Associated Press Stylebook, composition titles
- Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters.
- Lowercase articles, and prepositions and conjunctions of three letters or fewer.
- Always capitalize the first and last word, even if it is a short preposition or article.
- AP uses these rules for the titles of books, movies, songs and other works. News headlines in AP style use sentence case instead.
Chicago title case
The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th and 18th editions (8.159 to 8.161)
- Capitalize the first and last words of the title and subtitle, and all major words.
- Lowercase articles, and prepositions regardless of length (with, between, according to, concerning).
- Lowercase the conjunctions and, but, for, or and nor, and the words to and as in any use. So, Yet, If and Because are capitalized.
- In hyphenated compounds, capitalize the first element and any later element that isn't a minor word: Record-Breaking, Under-the-Counter.
- After a prefix that can't stand alone, such as anti-, pre- or non-, keep the second element lowercase: Anti-intellectual.
Same title, four styles
These examples were run through the converter above. They show exactly where the guides part ways.
| APA | MLA | AP | Chicago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gone With the Wind | Gone with the Wind | Gone With the Wind | Gone with the Wind |
| What if We Are Wrong | What If We Are Wrong | What if We Are Wrong | What If We Are Wrong |
| Small yet Mighty | Small yet Mighty | Small yet Mighty | Small Yet Mighty |
| What Are You Looking at | What Are You Looking At | What Are You Looking At | What Are You Looking At |
| Anti-Intellectual Pursuits | Anti-Intellectual Pursuits | Anti-Intellectual Pursuits | Anti-intellectual Pursuits |
Title case or sentence case?
Title case capitalizes the main words: The Art of War. It is used for book, movie and song titles, essay titles, and headings in APA and Chicago.
Sentence case capitalizes only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns: The art of war. APA uses it for article and book titles in the reference list, and many news sites and apps use it for headlines.
Capitalize Each Word gives every word a capital, including a, of and the. No style guide asks for it, but it is common for YouTube titles and product names.
Title case questions
What is title case?+
Title case is a way of capitalizing a title where the important words start with a capital letter and small words such as a, the, and, of and to stay lowercase. Each style guide draws the line between important and small words differently, which is why the same title can come out four ways.
Which words should not be capitalized in a title?+
In every major style, articles (a, an, the), short coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor) and short prepositions (of, in, on, to, at, by) stay lowercase unless they are the first word. MLA and Chicago also lowercase long prepositions such as with, between and through, while APA and AP capitalize any word of four letters or more.
Do you capitalize the word after a colon in a title?+
Yes. APA, MLA, AP and Chicago all treat the words after a colon as a subtitle and capitalize its first word, even if it is a small word like a or the. MLA, AP and Chicago also capitalize the last word before the colon.
Is "with" capitalized in a title?+
It depends on the style. APA and AP capitalize With because it has four letters. MLA and Chicago lowercase it because it is a preposition. So the same movie is Gone With the Wind in APA and AP, and Gone with the Wind in MLA and Chicago.
Should I use title case or sentence case for APA references?+
APA 7 uses title case for the title of your paper, section headings and titles of works mentioned in your text, but sentence case for the titles of articles and books in your reference list. Use the sentence case button for reference entries, then capitalize any proper nouns by hand.
What can't an automatic title capitalizer know?+
Two things. It can't tell a proper noun from a common word, so check names like Apple or the Bay of Pigs. And it can't always tell when a short word like up, on or in is part of a phrasal verb (Log In, Look Up), which style guides capitalize mid-title. The converter keeps any capitals you type inside a word, such as iPhone or NASA, and always capitalizes the last word in MLA, AP and Chicago, so most phrasal verbs at the end come out right.
Does this tool use AI?+
No. It follows fixed word lists and position rules taken from each style guide, so the same title always gives the same result, and nothing you type leaves your browser.