Headline Capitalization FAQ: Your Questions Answered

Headline capitalization refers to the rules that determine which words get capitalized in a title or heading. The most common approach is title case, where major words are capitalized and minor words (like articles, short prepositions, and conjunctions) stay lowercase. Different style guides - AP, Chicago, APA, and MLA - each have slightly different rules for which words count as "minor."

In title case, always capitalize the first and last word of the title, all nouns, pronouns, verbs (including short ones like "is" and "be"), adjectives, and adverbs. Words that typically stay lowercase include articles (a, an, the), short prepositions (in, on, at, to, for, of), and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so). The exact rules vary by style guide.

Title case capitalizes the first letter of major words in a heading ("How to Write Better Headlines"). Sentence case only capitalizes the first word and proper nouns, just like a regular sentence ("How to write better headlines"). Title case looks more formal and is standard in journalism and publishing. Sentence case feels more casual and is popular with tech companies like Google and Apple.

For a deeper comparison, see our sentence case vs title case guide.

No. Capitalizing every word ("The Art Of The Deal") is called "start case" and is generally considered incorrect. Proper title case leaves minor words lowercase - articles, short prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions. The correct title case version is "The Art of the Deal," where "of" and "the" (in the middle) stay lowercase.

It depends on where it appears. "The" is always capitalized when it's the first or last word of a title. In the middle of a title, all four major style guides agree that "the" should be lowercase. So "The Art of the Deal" is correct - the first "The" is capitalized because it starts the title, and the second "the" stays lowercase.

It depends on how "to" is being used. When "to" is part of an infinitive verb phrase (like "to Run" or "to Eat"), AP style lowercases it while Chicago, APA, and MLA capitalize it. When "to" is used as a preposition ("a Guide to Cooking"), all four style guides keep it lowercase because it's a short preposition.

It depends on the style guide and the preposition's length. AP style lowercases all prepositions ("in," "between," "throughout"). Chicago capitalizes prepositions of five or more letters ("Between" and "Throughout" but not "in"). APA capitalizes prepositions of four or more letters. MLA lowercases all prepositions. When in doubt, check your chosen style guide's specific rules.

Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so) are lowercase in title case across all major style guides. However, subordinating conjunctions like "because," "although," "since," and "unless" are capitalized in most styles because they function more like major words in a sentence. The key distinction is between the seven coordinating conjunctions and everything else.

Yes, always. Every major style guide - AP, Chicago, APA, and MLA - requires the last word of a title to be capitalized, regardless of what part of speech it is. So even words that would normally be lowercase (like "in" or "to") get capitalized when they're the last word: "What City Do You Live In" is correct.

It depends on your field. AP style is standard for journalism and marketing. Chicago Manual of Style is the default for book publishing and long-form content. APA is required for academic papers in psychology, education, and social sciences. MLA is used in humanities and literary studies. If you're writing for the web and don't have a specific requirement, AP style is the most widely recognized choice.

Compare all four styles side by side: AP vs Chicago vs APA vs MLA.

Hyphenated words are one of the trickiest areas of title case. The general rule is to capitalize the first element and then capitalize subsequent elements if they're major words. So "Well-Known" is correct (both parts are significant), but "Self-driving" would be "Self-Driving" in most styles. Style guides differ on details - Chicago has the most complex rules, while AP takes a simpler approach.

Most style guides capitalize the first word after a colon in a title. So "Writing Well: A Guide for Beginners" is correct with a capital "A" after the colon. AP, Chicago, and MLA all follow this rule. APA specifically requires the first word after a colon to be capitalized, treating what follows the colon almost like a subtitle.

Numbers themselves don't change in title case, but words next to them follow normal rules. So it's "Top 10 Ways to Improve" ("Ways" is capitalized as a noun, "to" stays lowercase). For abbreviations and acronyms like SEO, HTML, or NASA, keep them in their standard form - don't change them to match title case or sentence case. They always appear in all caps.

Keep brand names in their official casing, even if it breaks normal title case rules. "iPhone" stays lowercase-i even at the start of a sentence (though some style guides recommend restructuring to avoid starting with a lowercase letter). "eBay" stays "eBay" in any position. The brand's chosen styling takes precedence over capitalization rules.

Capitalization doesn't directly affect search rankings, but it impacts click-through rates. Properly capitalized titles look more professional and trustworthy in search results, which can lead to more clicks. The most important thing for SEO is consistency - pick either title case or sentence case and use it across your entire site. Avoid ALL CAPS, which looks spammy and may trigger Google to rewrite your title.

Read more: Headline capitalization for SEO.

See also: Google's documentation on title links for how Google handles titles in search results.