Title Case Converter: Capitalize Headlines Correctly

Title case capitalization makes your headlines, article titles, and headings look professional and polished. However, the rules can be tricky because different style guides have different requirements. Understanding title case rules helps you create consistent, professional content across all your writing. The Title Case Converter handles the complexity automatically.

What is Title Case?

Title case capitalizes the first letter of most words in a title or heading. Unlike sentence case where only the first word is capitalized, title case creates a more formal, emphasized appearance that draws attention to headings.

Here is the difference:

• Sentence case: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
• Title case: "The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog"
• ALL CAPS: "THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG"

The key challenge is that title case is not simply "capitalize every word." Certain words (articles, short prepositions, and conjunctions) remain lowercase unless they are the first or last word. Different style guides disagree on exactly which words to lowercase.

Why Title Case Matters

Proper title case serves several important purposes:

• Professional appearance: Well-capitalized titles signal attention to detail
• Readability: Title case helps readers scan headings quickly by emphasizing content words
• Style compliance: Academic journals, publishers, and media organizations require specific capitalization
• Consistency: Uniform formatting throughout documents improves user experience
• SEO display: Search engines display properly formatted titles in results, improving click-through rates
• Brand standards: Many organizations mandate specific title case rules in their style guides

Common Use Cases

Article Headlines

News organizations and blogs use title case for professional, attention-grabbing headlines. A content editor at a major publication reported that properly capitalized headlines received 8% higher click-through rates in A/B testing, likely because they appeared more professional and trustworthy.

Book and Chapter Titles

Publishing standards universally require title case for book titles, chapter headings, and section headers. Authors submitting manuscripts with inconsistent capitalization signal inexperience to acquisitions editors.

Presentation Slides

Slide titles in PowerPoint, Keynote, and Google Slides look more professional in title case. A consultant preparing executive presentations noted that consistent title case formatting was specifically praised by C-level audiences as contributing to a polished, credible appearance.

Email Subject Lines

Marketing emails often use title case to stand out in crowded inboxes. However, some marketers now prefer sentence case for a more casual, conversational tone. Test what works for your audience.

Navigation Menus and UI

Many websites use title case for navigation links and button text. Apple's Human Interface Guidelines recommend title case for buttons, while Material Design often uses sentence case. Choose one approach and apply it consistently.

Basic Title Case Rules

While style guides differ on specifics, these rules are nearly universal:

Words to always capitalize:

• First and last words: Always capitalized regardless of word type
• Nouns: Person, place, thing (dog, city, computer, happiness)
• Verbs: All verbs, including short ones (run, is, was, be, goes, are)
• Adjectives: Descriptive words (big, blue, quick, beautiful)
• Adverbs: Words modifying verbs (quickly, very, well, often)
• Pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who

Words usually lowercase (unless first or last):

• Articles: a, an, the
• Short prepositions: in, on, at, to, for, of, by, as, up (rules vary by length)
• Short conjunctions: and, but, or, nor, so, yet
• The infinitive "to": "How to Write" (some guides capitalize this)

Style Guide Differences

Different style guides have specific rules. Choose one and apply it consistently:

AP Style (Journalism)

Associated Press capitalizes prepositions of four or more letters:

• "Looking Into the Future" (Into is capitalized, 4+ letters)
• "Looking at the Future" (at is lowercase, 2 letters)
• Capitalize both words in hyphenated compounds: "Self-Aware"

Chicago Style (Publishing)

Chicago Manual of Style lowercases prepositions regardless of length:

• "Looking into the Future" (into is lowercase)
• "Standing between Good and Evil" (between is lowercase)
• For hyphenated compounds, capitalize unless articles/prepositions: "Self-aware"

APA Style (Academic)

American Psychological Association capitalizes words of four letters or more:

• "Looking Into the Future" (Into is capitalized)
• Also capitalizes both words in hyphenated compounds: "Self-Aware"

MLA Style (Academic)

Modern Language Association follows similar rules to Chicago with specific guidance for hyphenated compounds and subtitles.

Tricky Title Case Scenarios

Hyphenated Words

Rules vary significantly by style guide:

• AP: "Self-Aware" (capitalize both)
• Chicago: "Self-aware" (second word lowercase if minor word)
• APA: "Self-Aware" (capitalize both)
• Special case: "E-Book" vs "e-Book" (check your style guide)

Short Verbs

Even short verbs like "is," "be," "am," "are," and "do" are always capitalized:

• "It Is What It Is" (not "It is What it is")
• "How to Be a Better Writer" (not "How to be a Better Writer")
• "What Do We Know?" (not "What do We Know?")

First Word After Colon

Usually capitalized when introducing a complete sentence:

• "Writing Tips: How to Improve Your Headlines" (complete sentence follows)
• "The result: failure" (not a complete sentence, may vary by guide)

Brand Names and Proper Nouns

Preserve the original capitalization of brand names: "iPhone Apps," "eBay Sellers," "YouTube Videos."

Advanced Techniques

Handling Acronyms and Initialisms

Acronyms typically remain in all caps: "NASA Launches New Mission" or "How to Build an API for Your App." Some style guides lowercase familiar acronyms like "radar" or "laser."

Technical and Programming Terms

Programming terms with specific capitalization should be preserved: "Understanding JavaScript Functions" (not "Javascript") or "Working with MySQL Databases" (not "Mysql").

Non-English Words

Foreign words integrated into English follow normal title case rules. Italicize unfamiliar terms: "Understanding the Zeitgeist of Social Media."

Multi-Word Prepositions

Compound prepositions like "according to," "in front of," and "on behalf of" follow the same rules as single prepositions for their first word.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Watch out for these frequent title case errors:

• Capitalizing all words: "Over The Lazy Dog" should be "Over the Lazy Dog" (the is an article)
• Lowercasing verbs: "What it is" should be "What It Is" (is is a verb)
• Inconsistent prepositions: Pick one style guide and stick with it. Do not capitalize "into" in one title and lowercase it in another.
• Forgetting first/last rule: "The End Is Near" and "Near Is the End" both capitalize "the" when it starts/ends the title
• Breaking brand names: Do not change "iPhone" to "IPhone" or "Iphone"

Title Case in Programming

Here are examples of implementing title case conversion:

JavaScript

// Simple title case (capitalizes all words)
function simpleTitle(str) {
    return str.toLowerCase().replace(/\b\w/g, c => c.toUpperCase());
}

// Smart title case (handles minor words)
const minorWords = ['a', 'an', 'the', 'and', 'but', 'or', 'for', 'nor', 'on', 'at', 'to', 'by', 'of'];

function titleCase(str) {
    return str.toLowerCase().split(' ').map((word, i, arr) => {
        if (i === 0 || i === arr.length - 1 || !minorWords.includes(word)) {
            return word.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + word.slice(1);
        }
        return word;
    }).join(' ');
}

Python

# Using titlecase library (recommended for accuracy)
from titlecase import titlecase
result = titlecase("the quick brown fox")  # "The Quick Brown Fox"

# Simple implementation
def simple_title(s):
    return s.title()  # Built-in, but capitalizes after apostrophes

# Custom implementation
minor_words = {'a', 'an', 'the', 'and', 'but', 'or', 'for', 'of', 'to'}
def title_case(s):
    words = s.lower().split()
    return ' '.join(
        w.capitalize() if i == 0 or i == len(words)-1 or w not in minor_words
        else w for i, w in enumerate(words)
    )

Best Practices

Follow these guidelines for consistent title case:

• Choose a style guide: Select AP, Chicago, APA, or MLA and follow it consistently
• Document your choice: Add your title case convention to your organization's style guide
• When in doubt, capitalize: It is generally safer than leaving important words lowercase
• Use tools for consistency: Automation prevents human error and saves time
• Review edge cases: Check hyphenated words, acronyms, and brand names manually
• Consider your audience: Some contexts (formal publishing) require stricter adherence than others (blog posts)

Related Tools

Explore other case conversion options:

• Uppercase Converter - Convert to ALL CAPS
• Lowercase Converter - Convert to all lowercase
• Case Converter - Access all case transformations
• Sentence Case Converter - Capitalize first letter only

Conclusion

Title case makes headlines more impactful and professional, but the rules require attention to detail. Different style guides (AP, Chicago, APA, MLA) have specific requirements for handling prepositions, hyphenated words, and edge cases. The key is choosing one standard and applying it consistently throughout your content. For quick conversions with proper handling of minor words, the Title Case Converter applies capitalization rules automatically, ensuring your titles look polished and professional.