Wikipedia Title Capitalization Rules
Wikipedia uses sentence case for article titles: only the first word and proper nouns are capitalised. All other words remain lowercase.
Where Wikipedia Style Is Used
Wikipedia title capitalization is the standard for Wikipedia, Online Encyclopedias, Reference Works writing. Following the correct style guide is important when submitting work for publication, academic review, or professional presentation in these fields.
Wikipedia Capitalization Rules
- Sentence case: only first word capitalised
- Proper nouns always capitalised
- Acronyms preserved as-is
- Word after colon capitalised
- All other words lowercase
How Wikipedia Style Works in Practice
Wikipedia title case is actually sentence case — only the first word of the title and any proper nouns are capitalized, while all other words remain lowercase. This is explicitly required by the Wikipedia Manual of Style (MOS:CAPS) and applies to all article titles, section headings, and category names across the English Wikipedia. The rationale is that sentence case is the natural form for English text and avoids the subjectivity of deciding which words in a title are "important enough" to capitalize. Sentence case also works better for very long titles and reduces unnecessary emphasis on common words.
Common Edge Cases in Wikipedia Style
- Proper nouns are always capitalized regardless of position: "the United States," "Python programming language."
- Acronyms and initialisms are preserved in their standard form: "HTML," "NASA," "UK."
- Brand names and trademarks retain their original capitalization: "iPhone," "eBay," "YouTube."
- The first word after a colon in a title is capitalized: "Science: A tool for understanding the world."
- Wikipedia does NOT capitalize words just because they are nouns — "the theory of evolution" is correct Wikipedia style.
Example: Wikipedia Title Case
To see Wikipedia style applied to your own title with a word-by-word explanation of every rule, use the Wikipedia title capitalizer. You can also compare all 9 styles side by side using the same title.
How Wikipedia Differs From Email
Wikipedia and Email both use sentence case — only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized. The rules are nearly identical in practice. The difference is context: Wikipedia sentence case applies to encyclopedia article titles and headings, while Email sentence case applies to professional email subject lines. Both styles reflect the modern preference for less-capitalized text in digital contexts, and both produce the same output for a given title.
See the full comparison in the Email style guide or use the side-by-side comparison tool.
How Wikipedia Differs From Other Styles
Every style guide makes different choices about prepositions, articles, and conjunctions. Here is how Wikipedia compares to the other major title capitalization standards:
- APA — widely used in social sciences.
- Chicago — standard for books and publishing.
- AP — the standard for journalism and news.
- MLA — standard for literature and language.
- Bluebook — used in legal writing and law review.
- AMA — standard for medical and health writing.
- NY Times — used in one of the world's most read publications.
- Email — sentence case for professional communication.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Wikipedia title capitalization?
Wikipedia title capitalization uses sentence case, not title case. Only the first word of the article title and proper nouns are capitalized. All other words — including main verbs and nouns — remain lowercase unless they are a proper name.
When should I use Wikipedia capitalization rules?
Use Wikipedia sentence case when writing or editing Wikipedia articles, or when following a content style that prefers sentence case for article titles and headings. Some web publishers and encyclopedic sites also adopt sentence case for a natural, less formal feel.
What words are capitalized in Wikipedia titles?
Only the first word of the title and proper nouns — specific names of people, places, organizations, products, and titles — are capitalized. All other words, including common nouns and verbs, remain lowercase.
What words are lowercase in Wikipedia title case?
All words that are not proper nouns or the first word are lowercase — including main nouns (except proper ones), verbs, adjectives, adverbs, articles, conjunctions, and prepositions.
Are articles capitalized in Wikipedia title case?
No. Articles (a, an, the) are lowercase except when they are the first word of the title. Example: "The history of the Roman Empire" — the first "The" is capitalized, but "the" before "Roman Empire" is lowercase.
Are conjunctions capitalized in Wikipedia title case?
No. Conjunctions are lowercase in Wikipedia sentence case, unless they are the first word of the title.
Are prepositions capitalized in Wikipedia title case?
No. Prepositions remain lowercase in Wikipedia sentence case, regardless of their length.
Is the first word always capitalized in Wikipedia titles?
Yes. The first word of any Wikipedia title or heading is always capitalized.
Is the last word always capitalized in Wikipedia titles?
No. Unlike title case styles, Wikipedia sentence case does not capitalize the last word unless it is a proper noun or is the only word in the title.
How is Wikipedia title case different from other styles?
Wikipedia is the only commonly used style guide that applies sentence case to titles. All other major guides — APA, Chicago, AP, MLA, AMA, NY Times — use some form of title case. Wikipedia's sentence case results in far fewer capitals than any other style.
Can I convert a title to Wikipedia style automatically?
Yes. Use the Wikipedia title capitalizer for instant sentence case conversion.
Can I compare Wikipedia with APA, Chicago, and AP?
Yes. The Compare Styles tool shows Wikipedia sentence case next to all 8 title case styles — the contrast is immediately visible.
Can I use TitleCasePro for Wikipedia capitalization?
Yes. TitleCasePro's Wikipedia mode applies correct sentence case. Use the Title Capitalizer or Batch Capitalizer.
Use the Wikipedia Capitalizer
Ready to capitalize a title in Wikipedia style? The Wikipedia title capitalizer converts your title instantly and explains every word. For processing a list of titles at once, use the batch capitalizer with CSV or TXT import. To see your title in all styles simultaneously, use the style comparison tool.