When using title case, which words in a title or headline should be capitalized and which should not?
When creating a title or headline, proper capitalization is crucial for ensuring a polished and professional appearance. However, determining which words to capitalize can be confusing. To help you create correctly capitalized titles, here are some guidelines to follow:
- First, capitalize the first and last words of the title.
- Second, capitalize all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs in the title.
- Lastly, do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), prepositions (to, at, on, in), or coordinating conjunctions (and, or, but) in the title unless they are the first or last word.
This is a simplified representation of the title case rules.
It is important to note that different style guides may have different capitalization rules. For example, some style guides recommend capitalizing all words in a title, while others may only capitalize the first word and proper nouns.
Proper capitalization is not only important for creating a professional appearance, but it can also impact SEO. Search engines may use capitalization to help determine the topic and relevance of a page. By following proper capitalization guidelines, you can help ensure your titles are optimized for search engines.
Detailed rules for various styles can be found here: Title Capitalization Rules. See also the title case converter tool.