Title case
Title case is the heading style that capitalizes most words except short articles, conjunctions and prepositions, giving headings a formal, editorial look.
Also known as:
Headline case, headline style, capital case, up style
What is title case?
Title case is the convention of capitalizing the first and last word of a heading along with most words in between, while keeping short articles, conjunctions and prepositions lowercase. A headline in title case looks like: "How to Write a Better Newsletter in 2026." The exact rule varies by style guide: the Chicago Manual of Style capitalizes everything except articles, coordinating conjunctions and prepositions of four letters or fewer, and AP style capitalizes words of four letters or more. Title case remains the default for books, magazines, newspapers and many editorial brands.
Why does title case matter?
Title case matters because it signals formality and editorial weight, which is why newspapers, magazines and book publishers still use it. A title-cased headline reads as more considered and authoritative than the same headline in sentence case, so brands covering news, finance, law and luxury often default to it. The tradeoff is that title case requires more rule-following, so teams should document their chosen style guide to keep capitalization consistent across writers.
How do you use title case?
Pick a style guide to follow, such as Chicago or AP, and apply its rules for which short words to lowercase.
Always capitalize the first and last word of the heading, along with most nouns, verbs, adjectives and pronouns.
Keep short articles, coordinating conjunctions and short prepositions lowercase, unless they are the first or last word of the title.
