Do You Capitalize After a Colon? | TitleCasePro
Do you capitalize after a colon? In a title, always capitalize the first word. In a sentence, it depends on whether a full sentence follows. See the rules.
Quick answer: In a title or subtitle, always capitalize the first word after a colon — in every style guide. In a regular sentence, capitalize after a colon only if a complete sentence follows (APA, AP, and Chicago 18th edition); lowercase it if a list or fragment follows.
Capitalization after a colon has two completely different sets of rules depending on whether you are writing a title or a sentence. Mixing them up is the most common source of errors.
In a Title: Always Capitalize
Universal title rule: The first word after a colon in a title is always capitalized, regardless of which style guide you follow — APA, Chicago, AP, MLA, AMA, NY Times, and Bluebook all agree.
This is because the text after the colon is treated as a subtitle, and the first word of a subtitle follows the same rule as the first word of the main title: it is always capitalized.
Examples:
- Web Design: A Complete Guide for Beginners
- The Art of War: Strategy for the Modern World
- Python Basics: The Fastest Way to Learn
Even short words like a, the, and to get capitalized when they immediately follow the colon:
- Minimalism: The Art of Less
- Success: A Practical Framework
In a Sentence: It Depends
In regular prose, the rule changes. Whether you capitalize after a colon depends on what follows the colon.
| What follows the colon | Capitalize? | Style guides |
|---|---|---|
| A complete sentence | Yes (optional in some) | APA, AP, Chicago 18th ed. |
| A list of items | No | All styles |
| A word or phrase fragment | No | All styles |
| A proper noun | Yes | All styles |
Complete sentence after colon (capitalize):
- She had one goal: She would finish the marathon.
List after colon (lowercase):
- Bring three things: a pen, paper, and your ID.
Fragment after colon (lowercase):
- He had one weakness: chocolate.
⚠️ The key distinction: Ask whether a complete sentence follows the colon. If yes, capitalize (in APA/AP/Chicago). If it’s just a list or fragment, lowercase it.
Style-Specific Notes for Sentences
- APA: Capitalize the first word after a colon if it begins a complete sentence.
- AP: Capitalize if a complete sentence follows. AP always capitalizes after a colon in headlines.
- Chicago (18th edition): Now matches AP — capitalize if a complete sentence follows, lowercase for a fragment. (Earlier editions only capitalized when two or more sentences followed.)
- MLA: Lowercase unless a proper noun or a quoted sentence follows.
Quick Decision Guide
- Writing a title? → Always capitalize the first word after the colon.
- Writing a sentence, and a full sentence follows the colon? → Capitalize (APA/AP/Chicago).
- Writing a sentence, and a list or fragment follows? → Lowercase.
Get It Right Automatically
The title capitalizer automatically capitalizes the first word after a colon in any title — handling subtitles correctly for every style guide. Paste your title and see the result instantly.
Related Articles
Ready to try it?
Use our free Title Capitalizer to apply these rules instantly — no signup required.
Open Title Capitalizer →Related articles
How Long Does It Take to Read and Speak Text? (WPM Reference)
Reading time and speaking time are calculated from word count. Here are the exact formulas, average WPM rates by context, and a comparison table for common content lengths.
How to Clean Up Messy Text — Remove Line Breaks, Spaces, and Duplicates
A practical guide to fixing common text formatting problems: extra line breaks from PDFs, double spaces, blank lines, and duplicate entries. Includes one-click fixes.
How to Extract Email Addresses From Text (Any Format)
Learn how to extract email addresses from plain text, HTML, CSV files, and logs instantly — and which patterns count as valid emails.
How to Extract URLs From Text — Links, Hrefs, and Bare Domains
How to pull all URLs and links out of any text — HTML source, Markdown, log files, or plain prose — and get a clean deduplicated list.