Is "Is" Capitalized in Title Case? | TitleCasePro
Is "is" capitalized in title case? Yes, "is" is a verb, so it is capitalized in every title case style despite being two letters. Here is why, with examples.
Quick answer: Yes — “is” is always capitalized in title case. It is a verb (a linking verb), and every major style guide capitalizes verbs regardless of length. Only in sentence case (e.g. APA reference lists) does “is” stay lowercase.
The word “is” trips people up because it is short — only two letters — and writers assume short words stay lowercase in titles. But length is not the rule for verbs. “Is” is a verb, and verbs are always capitalized in title case.
Why “Is” Is Always Capitalized
Title case capitalizes all major words: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns. The words that get lowercased are minor words: articles, coordinating conjunctions, and short prepositions.
“Is” is a form of the verb “to be” — a linking verb. It belongs firmly in the major-word category, so its two-letter length is irrelevant.
The mental model: Don’t ask “how long is this word?” for verbs. Ask “what part of speech is it?” Verbs are always capitalized, even tiny ones like is, am, be, do, and go.
”Is” Across the Major Style Guides
| Style guide | ”is” in title case |
|---|---|
| APA | Capitalize |
| Chicago | Capitalize |
| MLA | Capitalize |
| AP | Capitalize |
| AMA | Capitalize |
| NY Times | Capitalize |
| Bluebook | Capitalize |
Every style agrees: in title case, “is” is capitalized.
Examples
Correct (verbs capitalized):
- Why Sleep Is Important for Students
- The Customer Is Always Right
- Less Is More: A Guide to Minimalism
Incorrect (verb wrongly lowercased):
- Why Sleep is Important for Students ❌
- The Customer is Always Right ❌
The One Exception: Sentence Case
If you are writing in sentence case — which APA uses for article titles in reference lists — then “is” stays lowercase, because sentence case only capitalizes the first word and proper nouns.
- Title case: Why Sleep Is Important
- Sentence case: Why sleep is important
So the answer depends on which case you are using. In title case, “is” is capitalized. In sentence case, it is not.
Other Short Verbs That Are Always Capitalized
The same rule applies to every short verb:
- Be — To Be or Not to Be
- Am — I Am Legend
- Do — What Do Birds Dream About?
- Go — Let It Go
- Are — We Are the Champions
Get It Right Automatically
The title capitalizer recognizes “is” as a verb and capitalizes it correctly in every title case style. It also handles the sentence case exception. Paste your title, choose your style, and see a word-by-word explanation.
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