MLA Title Capitalization Rules
MLA 9th edition capitalises all principal words. Articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions are lowercase in the middle of a title.
Word-by-word explanation
MLA Capitalization Rules
- Capitalise all principal words
- Lowercase: articles (a, an, the)
- Lowercase: prepositions of ANY length — "about," "between," "through," "without" all stay down (this is what separates MLA from APA, AP, and Chicago)
- Lowercase: coordinating conjunctions
- First and last word always capitalised
- Capitalise both parts of hyphenated compounds
Source for These MLA Rules
Primary source
MLA Handbook
- Edition
- 9th edition
- Year
- 2021
- Published by
- Modern Language Association of America
Title case is covered in the handbook’s section on titles of works (§1.2). MLA lowercases prepositions regardless of length, so the engine uses the full preposition list rather than a length cutoff — unlike APA, AP, Chicago, and Bluebook, all of which capitalize prepositions above a length threshold.
TitleCasePro is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a substitute for the publisher above. For how these rules were turned into code, which edge cases the engine decides for you, and how the results are tested, read the methodology. If you believe a rule here is wrong, tell us and cite the section you are reading.
Where MLA Title Case Is Used
MLA title capitalization is the standard for Literature, Language Studies, High School, Undergraduate writing. When your work will be reviewed, published, or cited within these fields, using the correct capitalization shows attention to detail and compliance with professional standards. If your publication specifies a house style, follow that preference over the base standard.
How MLA Style Works in Practice
MLA title case is defined by the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (2021), published by the Modern Language Association. It is the standard for literature, linguistics, cultural studies, language arts, and most English courses at the high school and undergraduate level. MLA lowercases all prepositions regardless of length — a preposition is a preposition regardless of how long it is — and this is the rule that sets MLA apart from every other title case style here. APA, AP, Chicago, and Bluebook all capitalize prepositions above a length threshold, so MLA gives "Learning without Fear" and "Reading between the Lines" where APA and AP give "Learning Without Fear" and "Reading Between the Lines." MLA also lowercases articles and coordinating conjunctions. The style is widely used in US high schools and colleges for papers in English and the humanities, and its title case rules are applied to both the paper title and to titles cited in the Works Cited list.
How the MLA Capitalizer Works
Paste your title into the tool above. MLA is already selected, so the result appears immediately. Click "Explain" to see the rule applied to each word. Use the copy button or press ⌘↵ to copy the output. Everything runs in the browser — no account, no signup, no data sent to a server.
To convert a list of titles at once, the batch capitalizer imports CSV and TXT files. To see one title in all nine styles simultaneously, use the style comparison tool.
MLA Title Case Examples
These examples are generated in real time by the same engine that powers the tool above — every result is guaranteed to match the tool's output.
| Original (lowercase) | MLA Style |
|---|---|
| the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog | The Quick Brown Fox Jumps over the Lazy Dog |
| a guide to writing about the world | A Guide to Writing about the World |
| why sleep is important for students | Why Sleep Is Important for Students |
| learning through failure and success | Learning through Failure and Success |
| notes on the art of writing without fear | Notes on the Art of Writing without Fear |
| how to capitalize titles in academic writing | How to Capitalize Titles in Academic Writing |
| the effects of social media on mental health | The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health |
| introduction to machine learning with python | Introduction to Machine Learning with Python |
MLA in Context
Works Cited — book (illustrative entry)
Marlowe, Diane. Writing about the Natural World: A Reader. Harbor Press, 2019.
Author names, publisher, and year here are placeholders for format only. Note "about" stays lowercase mid-title while "A" after the colon is capitalized.
Works Cited — journal article (illustrative entry)
Okafor, Nneka. "Thinking about Thinking in Early Modern Drama." Journal of Renaissance Studies, vol. 34, no. 2, 2021, pp. 145-63.
Format placeholders again. The article title sits in quotation marks and still uses MLA title case — "about" is lowercase because it is a preposition, not because the entry is cited.
How to capitalize a title in MLA
- 1 Capitalize the first word of the title, whatever part of speech it is. This is why "Of Mice and Men" starts with a capital "Of."
- 2 Capitalize the last word of the title as well, again regardless of part of speech.
- 3 Capitalize every principal word in between: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
- 4 Lowercase the three closed categories when they fall in the middle — articles (a, an, the), prepositions of any length (about, between, through, without), and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet).
- 5 Capitalize the first word after a colon, so a subtitle starts with a capital: "Writing about the Natural World: A Reader."
- 6 In a hyphenated compound, capitalize the first element, then capitalize each later element unless it is one of the lowercase words above — "State-of-the-Art."
- 7 Apply the same result everywhere the title appears: MLA uses title case in the paper, in running text, and in the Works Cited list alike.
Common Edge Cases in MLA Style
- All prepositions stay lowercase regardless of length — "about," "between," "through," and "without" are all lowercase in MLA. APA is often described as doing the same thing; it does not. APA capitalizes any word of four letters or more, so those four words take capitals in APA.
- "To" in infinitives stays lowercase: "How to Write," not "How To Write."
- Verbs "is," "are," "be" are always capitalized — they are verbs, not prepositions.
- First word after a colon or em dash in a title is always capitalized.
- MLA uses title case for both the paper title AND for titles in the Works Cited list (unlike APA, which uses sentence case in references).
- Because MLA lowercases long prepositions and APA does not, a title cannot be assumed to be correct in both: "A Guide to Writing about the World" is MLA, while APA wants "A Guide to Writing About the World."
- The first-word rule overrides part of speech: "Of Mice and Men" opens with a capital "Of" because it is the first word, while the same preposition is lowercase mid-title in "A Companion to the Works of John Steinbeck."
- Lowercase words keep their lowercase inside a cited title too — "Thinking about Thinking in Early Modern Drama" keeps "about" down even though the entry is otherwise in title case.
How MLA Differs From Chicago
MLA stands apart from the other styles here because it lowercases prepositions of any length, so nothing matches it exactly — Chicago is simply the nearest. Chicago agrees with MLA on every preposition of four letters or fewer ("into," "with," "from"), and the two split only on prepositions of five or more letters, which Chicago capitalizes: Chicago gives "Writing About Anxiety Without Fear" where MLA gives "Writing about Anxiety without Fear." MLA is often said to be interchangeable with APA; that is not true. APA capitalizes every word of four letters or more, which makes it further from MLA than Chicago is, and identical to AP.
MLA Title Capitalization FAQ
Common questions about MLA title case rules and the MLA capitalizer.
MLA title capitalization follows the MLA Handbook, 9th Edition. It capitalizes all principal words — nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, subordinating conjunctions — and lowercases all prepositions regardless of length, articles, and coordinating conjunctions.
Use MLA title case for literature, language studies, comparative literature, and most undergraduate humanities papers. The MLA Handbook is standard in English departments at US universities and colleges.
Nouns, pronouns, verbs (including "is" and "are"), adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions (although, because, when, while, since, unless) are capitalized. The first and last word are always capitalized.
Articles (a, an, the), all prepositions regardless of length — including "from," "through," "between," "without," "against" — and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet) are lowercase in the middle of an MLA title.
No. Articles (a, an, the) are lowercase in the middle of an MLA title. "A," "An," or "The" is capitalized only when it opens the title.
Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet) are lowercase. Subordinating conjunctions (because, although, while, when, since, unless) are capitalized as principal words.
No. MLA lowercases all prepositions regardless of their length. This includes short ones (of, in, at) and long ones (between, through, without, against, during). This is what separates MLA from every other style here: Chicago capitalizes prepositions of five or more letters, and APA and AP capitalize any word of four letters or more.
Yes. The first word of an MLA title is always capitalized, whatever its part of speech.
Yes. The last word of an MLA title is always capitalized regardless of part of speech.
MLA is the only style here that lowercases all prepositions regardless of length. Unlike Chicago, which capitalizes "About," "Between," and "Through," MLA leaves them lowercase. Unlike APA and AP, which capitalize every word of four letters or more, MLA keeps "with," "from," and "into" down as well.
Yes. Use the MLA title capitalizer to convert any title with a full word-by-word explanation.
Yes. The Compare Styles tool shows all 9 styles side by side.
Yes. TitleCasePro follows MLA 9th Edition rules. Use the Title Capitalizer for single titles or the Batch Capitalizer for large lists.
The MLA title capitalizer converts any title into correct MLA Handbook (9th Edition) capitalization automatically. Select MLA, paste your title, and see the result with an optional word-by-word explanation.
MLA capitalizes all principal words — nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions. Articles (a, an, the), all prepositions regardless of length, and coordinating conjunctions are lowercase unless they are the first or last word.
Yes. TitleCasePro follows MLA Handbook, 9th Edition (2021). All prepositions are lowercased regardless of length — including long ones like "between," "through," and "without" — which distinguishes MLA from Chicago.
MLA capitalizes nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions. It lowercases articles, all prepositions (short and long), and coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) in the middle of a title.
Yes. Click "Explain" to see a word-by-word table with the rule for each word — for example, "between — preposition, lowercase per MLA 9th Edition."
Yes. Click the Copy button or press ⌘↵ to copy the MLA-formatted title to your clipboard.
Yes. The Compare Styles tool shows MLA alongside APA, Chicago, AP, and 5 other styles in one view.
Yes. MLA title case applies to journal and magazine article titles cited in MLA format. The tool applies the 9th Edition rules accurately.
Yes. MLA is the standard for English literature, humanities, and most undergraduate writing courses. The tool formats your essay title correctly.
Yes. Book titles in MLA format follow the same title case rules. Paste the title and copy the correctly formatted result.
Yes. The tool handles headings, chapter titles, and section labels in MLA-formatted documents.
Yes. Completely free — no account, no signup, no usage limit.
Yes. Runs entirely in your browser — no server, no storage, works on desktop and mobile.