How to Capitalize Headlines: A Practical Title Case Guide

Title case usually capitalizes important words and leaves some short articles, conjunctions and prepositions lowercase. Sentence case capitalizes the first word and proper nouns, much like an ordinary sentence. Both are common. A publication's style guide takes priority over general rules.

If you are writing for a blog, product page or newsletter without a house style, choose one approach and use it across similar pages. Consistency makes a site feel edited, even when several people contribute.

In many title case styles, capitalize nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Short words such as a, an, the, and, but, for and of are often lowercase unless they begin or end the title. The exact list differs between guides, which is why one universal rule will not fit every publication.

For example, a title might read 'A Guide to Writing Clear Product Descriptions' in one style and 'A guide to writing clear product descriptions' in sentence case. Neither is automatically wrong; the important thing is using the chosen style consistently.

Many title case guides capitalize the first and last word regardless of length. This means a short word such as to or of may be capitalized at the end of a title even if it would stay lowercase in the middle. Check your style guide when a title ends with a preposition or article.

After a colon or question mark, capitalize the first word of a subtitle if your chosen style treats the subtitle as a new phrase. Keep the same rule across all page titles and article headings.

Hyphenated compounds do not follow one universal capitalization rule. Some styles capitalize both parts, while others lowercase a short second element. Proper names, trademarks and technical terms may have their own spelling, such as iPhone or eBay, that should not be overridden by a general title rule.

A converter can save time on a list of headings, but review brand names, acronyms and hyphenated words after conversion. Automatic rules are a useful first pass, not a substitute for a publication's style sheet.

Before publishing, check more than capitalization. A clear headline should describe the benefit or question the page answers without promising something the content does not deliver.

• ▸Use one capitalization style across the page and related pages.
• ▸Keep proper names and product spellings intact.
• ▸Read the headline aloud to catch awkward phrasing.
• ▸Make sure the article delivers on the headline's promise.
• ▸Check how the title looks in a search result or on a phone.