Title Case Converter – Convert Text to Proper Title Case

Convert any text to proper title case following APA, Chicago, AP, or MLA style rules. Handles small words, hyphenated terms, and colons correctly. Free, private, and runs entirely in your browser.

Input

Paste your text
Tip: Choose a style guide below. APA, Chicago, AP, and MLA have slightly different rules about which small words to keep lowercase.
Which one to pick? Chicago is the most common general-purpose style. APA is standard for academic writing. AP for news. MLA for humanities.

Output

Converted result

Your title case text will appear here

Enter some text and click Convert to Title Case to get started.

What does this Title Case Converter do?

This free online title case converter takes any text and converts it to proper title case following widely used style guide rules. It capitalizes major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns) while keeping minor words like articles, short prepositions, and conjunctions lowercase — except when they are the first or last word of the title.

Unlike a simple "capitalize every word" tool, this converter understands the difference between major and minor words, handles hyphenated compounds correctly, capitalizes the first word after a colon, and supports four major style guides: APA, Chicago, AP, and MLA.

Everything runs locally in your browser. Your text never leaves your device, there is no signup, and there are no limits on how much you can convert.

Title case style guides compared

Different publications and academic fields use different title case rules. Here is a quick comparison of the four styles this tool supports:

StyleCommon usePrepositionsKey rule
APA (7th ed.)Academic papers, psychology, social sciencesLowercase 3 letters or fewerCapitalize all words of 4+ letters
Chicago (18th ed.)Books, publishing, general writingLowercase 4 letters or fewerPrepositions of 5+ letters are capitalized
APJournalism, news, press releasesLowercase 3 letters or fewerCapitalize prepositions of 4+ letters
MLA (9th ed.)Humanities, literature, languageLowercase 3 letters or fewerSimilar to APA but distinct minor word list

If you are not sure which to use, Chicago is the most common general-purpose style, while APA is the standard for academic writing in the social sciences.

Title case rules explained

Major words — always capitalized

Nouns, pronouns, verbs (including "is", "are", "was", "be"), adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions (like "because", "although", "if", "since") are always capitalized in title case.

Minor words — usually lowercase

Articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet), and short prepositions (at, by, for, in, of, on, to, up, with) are lowercase in the middle of a title. However, they are capitalized when they are the first or last word of the title.

Hyphenated words

Both parts of a hyphenated compound are capitalized when they are major words. For example, "state-of-the-art" becomes "State-of-the-Art". For hyphenated numbers like "twenty-one", only the first part is capitalized.

Words after a colon

In most style guides, the first word after a colon is capitalized, even if it is a minor word. For example, "the ultimate guide: how to get started" becomes "The Ultimate Guide: How to Get Started".

First and last words

No matter how short, the first and last words of a title are always capitalized. This applies to articles, prepositions, and conjunctions as well.

Frequently asked questions

A title case converter is a tool that capitalizes the first letter of every major word in a title or heading, while keeping minor words like articles, short prepositions, and conjunctions lowercase. Different style guides (APA, Chicago, AP, MLA) have slightly different rules about which words count as minor.
In title case, most words are capitalized, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, while small words like a, an, the, and, of, and in are lowercase (unless they are the first or last word). In sentence case, only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized. Title case is used for headlines and titles, while sentence case is used for body text.
It depends on your context. APA is common in academic writing, Chicago is used in publishing and books, AP is standard for journalism and news, and MLA is used in humanities. If you are not sure, Chicago or AP are the most widely used general-purpose styles.
Yes. Most style guides, including APA and Chicago, capitalize the first word after a colon in a title. The tool follows this rule.
The tool capitalizes both parts of hyphenated compounds when they are major words. For example, state-of-the-art becomes State-of-the-Art. For hyphenated numbers like twenty-one, the first part is capitalized.
Yes, completely free. No signup, no watermark, no hidden charges. Convert as much text as you want, for personal or commercial use.
Yes. The tool is fully responsive and works on phones, tablets, and desktops. You can even add it to your home screen for quick access.
Absolutely. Everything runs in your browser. The text you paste never leaves your device — there is no server processing, no logging, and no data storage.
Yes. Once the page loads, the title case converter works without an internet connection. All processing happens locally in your browser using JavaScript.
Yes. Title case is commonly used for blog titles, headings, article titles, book titles, and any other formal titles. Just paste your text, pick a style guide, and convert.