Which Words Are Capitalized in a Title? Full Word List
Updated September 2026 · 9 min read
"Is 'is' capitalized in a title?" "What about 'to'? Or 'with'?" These are some of the most-searched questions about title case, and for good reason - the rules aren't obvious, and they change depending on which style guide you're using. Instead of answering one word at a time, this page is a single reference: every commonly confused word, whether it's capitalized, and why.
The short version: capitalize nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Keep articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so), and short prepositions (in, on, at, to, for, of, up, by) lowercase - unless they're the first or last word of the title, in which case they're always capitalized. The tricky part is the "gray zone": words like "to," "with," and "from" that different style guides treat differently.
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Word-by-Word Reference Table
This covers the words people ask about most. "Depends" means the answer changes by style guide - see the breakdown further down for exactly which styles capitalize it.
| Word(s) | Part of Speech | Capitalized? | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| a, an, the | Article | No | Lowercase unless first or last word of the title. |
| and, but, or, nor | Coordinating conjunction | No | All seven coordinating conjunctions (add "for, yet, so") stay lowercase in the middle of a title. |
| is, are, was, were, be, been, am | Verb (to be) | Yes | Every form of "to be" is a verb, and verbs are always capitalized - regardless of length. This is the single most common title case mistake. |
| to | Preposition or infinitive marker | Depends | As a preposition ("a Guide to Cooking") it's lowercase everywhere. As part of an infinitive ("How to Run"), Chicago, APA, and MLA capitalize it; AP lowercases it. |
| in, on, at, of, up, by | Short preposition (2-3 letters) | No | Lowercase in AP, Chicago, APA, and MLA alike, unless first or last word. |
| with, from, into, over, after | Longer preposition (4+ letters) | Depends | AP and APA capitalize prepositions of 4+ letters, so these are capitalized. Chicago (5+ letters) and MLA (always lowercase) treat some of these differently - see the breakdown below. |
| because, although, since, unless, while | Subordinating conjunction | Yes | These function more like main-clause words, so all four style guides capitalize them. |
| also, than, so, yet | Adverb or short conjunction | Depends | "Also" and "than" are adverbs and get capitalized. "So" and "yet" are coordinating conjunctions and stay lowercase in the middle of a title. |
Not sure which category your word falls into? The fastest way to check is to paste your title into our free tool and pick a style guide - it applies these rules automatically so you don't have to look up every word by hand.
The "Gray Zone" Prepositions
Most words in title case are easy - style guides agree on articles, short prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions. Where they actually disagree is longer prepositions, and it comes down to a simple length cutoff each style guide sets for itself:
| Style Guide | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| AP | Capitalizes prepositions of 4+ letters | "With," "From," "Into" are capitalized; "in," "of," "at" are not |
| Chicago | Capitalizes prepositions of 5+ letters | "Under," "Before," "Without" are capitalized; "with," "from" are not |
| APA | Capitalizes prepositions of 4+ letters | Same as AP - "With," "From," "Into" are capitalized |
| MLA | Lowercases all prepositions regardless of length | "with," "from," "without" all stay lowercase |
That's why a title like "Cooking With Fire" can be correct under AP and APA (four-letter "With" gets capitalized) while "Cooking with Fire" is correct under Chicago and MLA. Neither is wrong - they're just following different rulebooks. See the full breakdown on our AP vs Chicago vs APA vs MLA comparison.
Specific Word Questions
Is "is" capitalized in a title?
Yes, always. "Is" is a verb, and every major style guide capitalizes verbs in title case no matter how short they are. The same goes for "are," "was," "were," "am," and "be."
Is "to" capitalized in a title?
It depends on the job "to" is doing. As a preposition ("A Guide to Grammar") it stays lowercase in every style guide. As part of an infinitive verb ("Learn to Write"), Chicago, APA, and MLA capitalize it, but AP lowercases it.
Is "with" capitalized in a title?
Under AP and APA style, yes - both capitalize prepositions of four or more letters, and "with" has four. Under Chicago (which only capitalizes prepositions of five or more letters) and MLA (which lowercases prepositions regardless of length), "with" stays lowercase.
Is "for" capitalized in a title?
No, in every major style guide. "For" is one of the seven coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so), and all four styles lowercase coordinating conjunctions in the middle of a title regardless of letter count.
Is "at" capitalized in a title?
No. "At" is a two-letter preposition, and every style guide - AP, Chicago, APA, and MLA - lowercases short prepositions in the middle of a title. It's only capitalized if it starts or ends the title.
Is "in" capitalized in a title?
No, under all four style guides, unless it's the first or last word. "In" is a short preposition, and short prepositions stay lowercase across AP, Chicago, APA, and MLA.
Is "on" capitalized in a title?
No. Like "in" and "at," "on" is a two-letter preposition that stays lowercase in the middle of a title under every major style guide.
Is "and" capitalized in a title?
No. "And" is a coordinating conjunction, and coordinating conjunctions are lowercase in title case across AP, Chicago, APA, and MLA - unless "and" happens to be the first or last word.
Is "from" capitalized in a title?
It depends on the style guide. AP and APA capitalize prepositions of four or more letters, so "from" (4 letters) is capitalized. Chicago requires five or more letters, and MLA lowercases prepositions regardless of length - so "from" stays lowercase in those two.
Are conjunctions like "because" and "although" capitalized in a title?
Yes. Words like "because," "although," "since," "unless," and "while" are subordinating conjunctions, not coordinating ones, and every style guide treats them as major words that should be capitalized.
Two Rules That Override Everything Else
No matter what word it is or which style guide you follow, two rules always win:
- The first word is always capitalized. "The Cat in the Hat" - "The" is capitalized even though it's an article, because it opens the title.
- The last word is always capitalized. "What Are You Waiting For" - "For" is capitalized even though it's a coordinating conjunction, because it closes the title.
Every other rule on this page - articles, prepositions, conjunctions, verbs - only applies to words in the middle of a title. Once you're at the first or last position, capitalize it, full stop.
Try our free title capitalization tool - paste your title, choose AP, Chicago, APA, or MLA, and every word on this page gets capitalized correctly for you automatically.