Writing Styles
Title Case vs Sentence Case: Complete Capitalization Guide (AP, APA, Chicago & MLA)
Master the rules of Title Case across AP, APA, Chicago, and MLA style guides, and avoid common capitalization mistakes.
Headlines and article titles command the first impression of your content. Capitalizing titles correctly signals professionalism and improves editorial quality.
Major Style Guide Rules for Title Case
| Style Guide | Rules for Prepositions | First & Last Word | Short Words (a, an, the, and, but) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AP Style (Journalism) | Capitalize prepositions with 4+ letters (e.g., With, From, Into). | Always capitalized | Lowercase if under 4 letters. |
| Chicago Manual (Books) | Lowercase all prepositions regardless of length (e.g., through, between). | Always capitalized | Lowercase articles & conjunctions. |
| APA Style (Academics) | Capitalize words with 4+ letters, including prepositions. | Always capitalized | Lowercase 3 letters or fewer. |
| MLA Style (Humanities) | Lowercase all prepositions, articles, and coordinating conjunctions. | Always capitalized | Lowercase unless first/last word. |
Instantly Capitalize Your Headlines
Switching between styles manually is time-consuming. Paste your draft title into our Title Case Converter & Headline Analyzer to apply AP, APA, Chicago, or MLA rules in one click!
Related topics: title case · headline capitalization · ap style · apa style · chicago manual
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