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Title Case Converter
Headline capitalisation for AP, APA, Chicago and MLA.
What it does. Title case is not one convention. AP capitalises words of four letters or more; Chicago capitalises all prepositions under five letters as lowercase but always capitalises the first and last word; APA capitalises words of four letters or more plus all major words; MLA capitalises all principal words regardless of length. The same headline is capitalised differently in each.
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How to use Title Case Converter
- Paste the headline or title.
- Choose the style your publication or department uses.
- Copy the result, and compare styles side by side if you are unsure.
The same title in four styles
| Style | Result |
|---|---|
| AP | The Man Who Sold the World to a Friend |
| APA | The Man Who Sold the World to a Friend |
| Chicago | The Man Who Sold the World to a Friend |
| MLA | The Man Who Sold the World to a Friend |
They agree here, which is the point worth making: the styles diverge only on specific constructions — four-letter prepositions, phrasal verbs, hyphenated compounds and subtitles. On an ordinary headline all four produce the same output, and the disagreements are the cases people actually argue about.
Where they genuinely differ
- Prepositions of four letters — "With", "From", "Over". AP and APA capitalise them; Chicago lowercases regardless of length.
- The word "is". Two letters, but a verb, so every style capitalises it. This catches people who use a length rule mechanically.
- Phrasal verbs — the particle in "Set Up" or "Log In" is capitalised, unlike the same word as a preposition.
- Hyphenated compounds — Chicago capitalises both parts of "Well-Known"; some house styles do not.
- After a colon — every style capitalises the first word of a subtitle.
The "is" case is the clearest evidence that a length rule alone cannot produce correct title case. Any converter that lowercases short words without knowing their part of speech gets it wrong.
Sentence case is often the better choice
Title case is a convention of headlines and published titles, not of everything. Sentence case — capitalise the first word and proper nouns only — is now standard for UI labels, buttons, form fields and most product interfaces.
It is faster to read, harder to get wrong, and does not require anyone to memorise a preposition rule.
If you are writing an interface rather than a headline, use sentence case and stop thinking about this entirely.
Frequently asked questions
Which title case style should I use?
Whichever your publication specifies. AP for journalism, APA for psychology and education, Chicago for books and humanities, MLA for literature. If nothing specifies one, pick one and stay consistent.
Should short words be capitalised?
It depends on the word, not only the length. "Is" is two letters and always capitalised because it is a verb. Any converter using length alone will get that wrong.
Do the styles differ much?
Less than expected. On an ordinary headline all four usually agree. They diverge on four-letter prepositions, phrasal verbs, hyphenated compounds and subtitles — which is exactly where arguments happen.
What about the word after a colon?
Capitalised in every major style. The subtitle begins a new title element, so the first word takes a capital regardless of what it is.
Should buttons and menus use title case?
Usually not. Sentence case is now standard for interface text — faster to read and harder to get wrong. Title case belongs to headlines and published titles.