The simplest way to decide how to capitalize your title is to look at the grammatical structure: is it a phrase or a complete sentence? If it’s a short, punchy phrase—especially one that’s less than 4 words—then title case is the logical way forward.

Which is better title case or sentence case?

Title case is better for printed newspapers and headlines. But, for writing for the web, sentence case is more appropriate because of how people read online and it’s more conversational manner. The most important thing to remember is consistency .

Should headlines be sentence case?

While sentence case is used most commonly in prose, title case is most frequently employed for headings and titles of works such as books, movies, papers, paintings, etc. News headlines employ both sentence case and title case for headings, depending on the publication.

Should website headings be capitalized?

1) Capitalize the first word of the title or heading. 2) Capitalize the last word of the title or heading. 3) All other words are capitalized unless they are conjunctions (and, or, but, nor, yet, so, for), articles (a, an, the), or prepositions (in, to, of, at, by, up, for, off, on).

What headlines should not be capitalized?

Words in Headlines That Aren’t Capitalized



The following types of words are generally not capitalized: Articles (a, an, the) Coordinating Conjunctions (and, but, for) Short (less than 5 letters) Prepositions (at, by, from)

What is the sentence case rule?

The title of your thesis, dissertation, or report must be in sentence case. That is, capitalize only the first letter of the first word in the title, with the exception of proper nouns/terms, as you would when writing a sentence.

What is capitalized in sentence case?

In sentence case, most major and minor words are lowercase (proper nouns are an exception in that they are always capitalized). major words: Nouns, verbs (including linking verbs), adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and all words of four letters or more are considered major words.

How do you capitalize headings and titles?

How to Capitalize Headings and Titles

1. Capitalize the first word of the title or heading.
2. Capitalize the last word of the title or heading.
3. All other words are capitalized unless they are conjunctions (and, or, but, nor, yet, so, for), articles (a, an, the), or prepositions (in, to, of, at, by, up, for, off, on).

Should titles be all caps?

According to most style guides, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are capitalized in titles of books, articles, and songs. You’d also capitalize the first word and (according to most guides) the last word of a title, regardless of what part of speech they are.

When should you use all caps on a website?

When is it okay to use all caps? All caps are fine in contexts that don’t involve much reading, such as logos, headings, acronyms, and abbreviations. But when your message involves reading, don’t force users to read words with bad shape contrast. The caps lock key is a key that designers should rarely use.

What words do not get capitalized in titles?

Capitalize the first and the last word. Capitalize nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions. Lowercase the ‘to’ in an infinitive (I want to play guitar).

What do you capitalize in an AP style headline?

Under AP Style: Capitalize only the first word of your headline and all proper nouns or abbreviations; all other words should be lowercase (e.g. “The people making North Dakota’s future bright”). Use numerals for all numbers (e.g. “3 ways to write headlines” as opposed to “Three ways to write headlines”).

Is this capitalized in title case?

When using title case, all words are capitalized except for minor words (typically articles, short prepositions, and some conjunctions) unless they are the first or last word of the title.

How do you format a headline?

About Headlines



Headlines should be clear and specific, telling the reader what the story is about, and be interesting enough to draw them into reading the article. Avoid repetition – Headlines summarize; they don’t repeat the lede. They Win Pennant!

What words don’t you capitalize in titles?

The rules are fairly standard for title case: Capitalize the first and the last word. Capitalize nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs (including phrasal verbs such as “play with”), adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions (regardless of length).

How do you write a headline in AP style?

In AP style, headlines capitalize the first word, proper names, or proper abbreviations, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs. If that sounds like a lot to remember, think of it this way instead: as a general rule of thumb, any word that’s three letters or less should not be capitalized.

What is an example of sentence case?

“Barack Obama flies to thank troops who killed Bin Laden.” “FBI investigating Cardinals’ alleged hacking of Astros’ computer system.” “Only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized…”

Are titles capitalized in a sentence?

Is it a job title or job description? When it comes to occupation titles, whether or not you capitalize comes back to context. Titles should be capitalized, but references to the job are not. For instance, if you are using a job title as a direct address, it should be capitalized.

What titles are written in sentence style capitalization?

Sentence Case

• Capitalize the first word of the title/heading and of any subtitle/subheading;
• Capitalize any proper nouns and certain other types of words; and.
• Use lowercase for everything else.