How to use the Title Case Converter
- Paste one or more titles (one per line).
- Choose a style: standard headline rules or capitalize every word.
- Copy the correctly capitalized titles.
Example
| Input | the lord of the rings: the return of the king |
|---|---|
| Result | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
How the conversion works
Paste one title per line and the tool capitalizes each one. The first and last word are always capitalized, as is the first word after a colon, a dash, a question mark or an exclamation mark. Other words are capitalized unless they are small “minor” words such as articles, short conjunctions and prepositions.
Choosing a style
- General headline style: a sensible default that follows the rules most style guides share.
- AP style: lowercases only short minor words, so longer words like “between” or “through” get a capital.
- APA style: the same short-word rule, commonly used for academic references and papers.
- Chicago style: lowercases all prepositions, however long, and is common in books and publishing.
- MLA style: also lowercases all prepositions and is widely used in the humanities.
- Capitalize every word: capitalizes every word without exception.
Style guides disagree on details, so if you are submitting to a publisher or a school, check their guide for edge cases.
Acronyms and hyphenated words
The “Keep acronyms & brand caps” option leaves words that already have capitals inside them, such as “SEO” or “iPhone”, as you typed them. It switches itself off for text that is entirely in capitals, because in that case the capitals are not meaningful. Hyphenated words are capitalized on both parts, so “well-known” becomes “Well-Known”.
Tips for better headlines
- Convert the whole list at once. Put each title on its own line.
- Read the result once. Proper nouns that you typed in lowercase are only capitalized by the rule, not recognised as names.
- Keep headlines for web pages to about 60 characters so they fit in search results. Check them with the Meta Title Checker.
- For code and file names use the Case Converter instead, which offers camelCase, snake_case and more.
Frequently asked questions
Which style guides are supported?
AP, APA, Chicago and MLA, plus a general headline style. AP and APA capitalize words of four or more letters; Chicago and MLA lowercase all prepositions regardless of length.
Which words stay lowercase in title case?
Short articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet) and short prepositions (in, on, at, to, of, by…) stay lowercase unless they are the first or last word, or follow a colon.
Does it follow AP, APA or Chicago style?
The standard option follows rules shared by most major style guides. Guides differ on details such as prepositions of four or more letters, so check your guide for edge cases.
Why is a short word capitalized in my title?
Short words are capitalized when they are the first or last word, or come right after a colon or dash. In “Capitalize every word” mode, all words are capitalized.
Can I convert a list of titles at once?
Yes. Paste one title per line and each line is converted on its own, so the first word of every line is capitalized.