Essay Title Capitalization: Rules for Every Style Guide
Updated April 2026 · 11 min read
You finished your essay. The argument is solid, the conclusion is tight, and now you need a title. But which words do you capitalize? The answer depends entirely on the style guide your teacher, professor, or publisher requires - and each one has different rules.
This guide covers essay title capitalization for APA, MLA, Chicago, and AP style. Whether you're writing a class assignment, a college application essay, or a literary analysis, you'll know exactly what to capitalize.
In This Guide
Universal Rules That Apply to Every Style
Before getting into the specifics of each style guide, there are a few capitalization rules that all four major styles agree on:
- Always capitalize the first word of the title, no matter what part of speech it is.
- Always capitalize the last word of the title (AP, Chicago, and MLA all require this; APA does too).
- Always capitalize nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns. Words like "They," "Is," "Between," and "Quickly" are always capitalized.
- Never capitalize articles (a, an, the) in the middle of a title unless they're the first or last word.
- Never capitalize coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so) in the middle unless they're the first or last word.
The disagreements between styles come down to prepositions, hyphenated words, and a few edge cases. Those differences matter, so let's go through each one.
APA Style Essay Titles
APA 7th edition is the standard for psychology, education, nursing, and many social science courses. It uses title case for essay titles but has a unique twist: the four-letter rule for prepositions.
APA Title Case Rules
- Capitalize the first word and all major words
- Capitalize prepositions of four or more letters (With, From, Between, Through)
- Lowercase prepositions of three or fewer letters (at, by, for, in, of, on, to, up)
- Capitalize both words in a hyphenated compound (Self-Esteem, Well-Known)
- Capitalize the first word after a colon or dash
APA examples:
The Effects of Social Media on Academic Performance
Why Students Struggle With Time Management in College
Cognitive Development Through Play-Based Learning
Self-Regulation and Its Impact on Student Achievement
Notice "on" and "in" stay lowercase (three letters or fewer), but "With," "Through," and "Between" get capitalized (four or more letters). This trips up a lot of students. For a complete breakdown, see our APA title case guide.
MLA Style Essay Titles
MLA is the go-to style for English, literature, humanities, and language courses. The Purdue OWL MLA guide is a popular free reference. MLA's approach to prepositions is simpler than APA's but catches people off guard for a different reason.
MLA Title Case Rules
- Capitalize the first word, last word, and all principal words
- Lowercase all prepositions regardless of length (against, between, throughout, under)
- Lowercase articles (a, an, the) and coordinating conjunctions
- Lowercase "to" in infinitives (to Run, to See)
- Capitalize the first word after a colon
MLA examples:
The Role of Symbolism throughout The Great Gatsby
Power and Corruption in Shakespeare's Macbeth
An Argument against Standardized Testing in Schools
How to Write a Persuasive Essay without Logical Fallacies
The big difference: MLA lowercases "throughout," "against," and "without" even though they're long words. APA would capitalize all three. This is the single most common mix-up students make when switching between styles. Check our MLA title case guide for more examples.
Chicago Style Essay Titles
The Chicago Manual of Style is used in history, some humanities courses, and many book publishers. It takes yet another approach to prepositions.
Chicago Title Case Rules
- Capitalize the first word, last word, and all major words
- Lowercase prepositions unless they're used as adverbs or adjectives
- Lowercase "as" in all uses; lowercase "that" only if it's a conjunction
- Capitalize prepositions when they act as part of a phrasal verb (Turn On, Look Up)
- Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it starts a complete sentence
Chicago examples:
The Fall of the Roman Empire and Its Legacy in Modern Europe
What the Civil Rights Movement Can Teach Us about Justice
Looking Up: How Astronomy Shaped Ancient Civilizations
Democracy as a Work in Progress
Notice "Up" is capitalized in "Looking Up" because it's part of a phrasal verb, not a simple preposition. That's a Chicago-specific nuance you won't find in MLA or APA. See our Chicago style guide for the full rules.
AP Style Essay Titles
AP style is primarily for journalism, but many writing courses and publications use it. Students encounter it in journalism classes, communications programs, and some general writing courses.
AP Title Case Rules
- Capitalize words of four or more letters (same threshold as APA for prepositions)
- Lowercase articles, conjunctions, and prepositions of three or fewer letters
- Always capitalize "Is," "Are," "Be" and other forms of "to be" (even though they're short)
- Capitalize both parts of hyphenated compounds if each is a major word
AP examples:
Why Free Speech Is Under Threat on College Campuses
The Case for Year-Round Schooling in Public Education
How Social Media Has Changed the Way Students Learn
Climate Change and What It Means for Future Generations
AP and APA treat preposition length similarly, but they differ on a few edge cases. For essays, the practical difference is small. Our AP style guide covers every detail.
Side-by-Side Comparison Table
Here's how the same essay title looks under each style:
| Word or Rule | APA | MLA | Chicago | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "between" | Between | between | between | Between |
| "throughout" | Throughout | throughout | throughout | Throughout |
| "with" | With | with | with | With |
| "in" | in | in | in | in |
| "is" | Is | Is | Is | Is |
| "to" (infinitive) | to | to | to | to |
| After colon | Always cap | Always cap | Cap if sentence | Always cap |
| Hyphenated words | Both parts | Both if major | Both if major | Both if major |
The pattern is clear: APA and AP capitalize longer prepositions while MLA and Chicago keep them lowercase. For a deeper comparison, see our style comparison guide.
Capitalization by Essay Type
Different kinds of essays tend to follow different style guides. Here's a quick reference for which style your essay probably needs:
| Essay Type | Typical Style | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Literary analysis | MLA | English and literature courses almost always use MLA |
| Research paper (social science) | APA | Psychology, sociology, education, nursing |
| History essay | Chicago | Sometimes called Turabian in college courses |
| Argumentative essay | Varies | Depends on the department; ask your instructor |
| College application essay | No strict rule | Use consistent title case; AP or Chicago are safe choices |
| Journalism/media studies | AP | Communications and journalism programs use AP |
| Personal essay / creative nonfiction | MLA or Chicago | Creative writing workshops often use MLA |
| Scholarship essay | Check requirements | Some specify a style; if not, use AP or Chicago |
When in doubt, check the assignment sheet or syllabus. If nothing is specified, MLA and APA are the most common choices in academic settings. For blog-style essays and online writing, AP style is standard - see our blog title capitalization guide for more.
15 Common Essay Title Mistakes
These are the capitalization errors that show up most often in student essays. Each one includes the wrong version, the correct version, and which rule was broken.
The Importance Of Education In Modern Society
The Importance of Education in Modern Society
"Of" and "in" are short prepositions - lowercase in all styles
Why social media is bad for teenagers
Why Social Media Is Bad for Teenagers
Only the first word should be lowercase-exempt; "Is" is always capitalized (it's a verb)
An analysis of the themes in To Kill A Mockingbird
An Analysis of the Themes in To Kill a Mockingbird
"A" is lowercase inside a title-within-a-title; book titles should be italicized
The Rise And Fall Of The Roman Empire
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire
"And" is a coordinating conjunction; "of" and "the" are lowercase in all styles
How technology has Changed Education
How Technology Has Changed Education
"Technology" is a noun and "Has" is a verb - both must be capitalized
A Comparison between Online and In-person Learning
A Comparison Between Online and In-Person Learning (APA/AP)
APA/AP capitalize "Between" (7 letters); "Person" in hyphenated compound is capitalized
Should college be free?: an argument for tuition reform
Should College Be Free?: An Argument for Tuition Reform
Capitalize the first word after a colon; capitalize nouns and adjectives throughout
The effects of sleep deprivation on College Students
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on College Students
"Effects," "Sleep," and "Deprivation" are all nouns and must be capitalized
What It Means To Be American
What It Means to Be American
"To" as part of an infinitive ("to be") stays lowercase in all styles
climate change: a threat we can't Ignore
Climate Change: A Threat We Can't Ignore
First words (including after colons), nouns, and verbs must all be capitalized
Gun Control In The United States
Gun Control in the United States
"In" is a preposition and "the" is an article - both lowercase when not first/last
Why I chose to Attend State University
Why I Chose to Attend State University
"Chose" and "Attend" are verbs; "I" is always capitalized
GENDER ROLES IN MODERN LITERATURE
Gender Roles in Modern Literature
Don't use ALL CAPS for essay titles - use title case instead
The Pros and Cons of Remote Learning Vs. In-Person Classes
The Pros and Cons of Remote Learning vs. In-Person Classes
"vs." is treated as a preposition/conjunction - lowercase in all styles
A look at poverty in America
A Look at Poverty in America
"Look" is a noun, "Poverty" is a noun, "America" is a proper noun - all capitalized
For more examples like these, see our full guide on common title case mistakes.
Subtitles and Colons in Essay Titles
Many essays use a colon to separate a main title from a subtitle. This is especially common in academic writing where you want a catchy hook followed by a descriptive clarification.
Colon Rules by Style
- APA: Always capitalize the first word after a colon
- MLA: Always capitalize the first word after a colon
- Chicago: Capitalize only if what follows the colon is a complete sentence
- AP: Always capitalize the first word after a colon
Examples with subtitles:
Beyond the Classroom: How Extracurriculars Shape Student Identity
Digital Natives: A Study of Technology Use Among Gen Z Students
Reading Between the Lines: Symbolism in Toni Morrison's Beloved
Nature vs. Nurture: The Debate That Refuses to Die
A few tips for essay subtitles:
- Keep the main title short and engaging - it's the hook.
- Use the subtitle to clarify the specific topic, scope, or argument.
- Don't repeat the same keywords in both the main title and subtitle.
- Some instructors discourage subtitles in short essays. Check your assignment guidelines.
Pre-Submission Checklist
Before you turn in your essay, run through this quick checklist for your title:
- Confirm which style guide your assignment requires
- Capitalize the first and last words of your title
- Capitalize all nouns, verbs (including "Is" and "Are"), adjectives, and adverbs
- Check prepositions against your style's specific rules
- Lowercase articles (a, an, the) and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or) unless first/last
- If you have a colon, capitalize the first word after it (except Chicago - only if it starts a sentence)
- Italicize titles of books, films, or other works mentioned in your title
- Don't use ALL CAPS or all lowercase - use proper title case
- Run your title through a headline capitalization tool to double-check
- Read it out loud - does it sound natural and clearly state your topic?
Getting your title right takes 30 seconds with a capitalization tool, but it makes a real first impression on your reader. A properly capitalized title signals that you understand formatting conventions and care about the details.
Check Your Essay Title Now
Paste your essay title into our free tool and get the correct capitalization for APA, MLA, Chicago, or AP style in one click.
Capitalize Your TitleRelated Guides
Academic Paper Title Capitalization
Rules for research papers, dissertations, and journal articles in APA, MLA, and Chicago.
Sentence Case vs Title Case
When to use sentence case and when to use title case in academic and professional writing.
15 Common Title Case Mistakes
The most frequent capitalization errors writers make - with wrong vs right examples and fixes.
Book Title Capitalization
How to capitalize book titles in AP, APA, MLA, and Chicago - with examples and reference list formatting.