MLA Title Capitalization
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 (all lengths)
- Lowercase: coordinating conjunctions
- First and last word always capitalised
- Capitalise both parts of hyphenated compounds
Read the full MLA title capitalization rules with examples.
When to Use MLA Title Capitalization
MLA title case is the standard for Literature, Language Studies, High School, Undergraduate writing. MLA 9th edition capitalises all principal words. Articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions are lowercase in the middle of a title. When your work will be reviewed, published, or cited within these fields, using the correct capitalization style shows attention to detail and compliance with professional standards.
MLA Title Case vs Other Styles
Title capitalization is not universal. The same title formatted in MLA style will look different from APA, Chicago, MLA, or AP — and each difference is intentional. Use the style comparison tool to enter your title and see all nine styles side by side. If you need to convert a large list of titles, the batch capitalizer handles CSV and TXT imports for bulk workflows.
How the MLA Capitalizer Works
Paste your title into the tool above. Select MLA as the active style and 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.
MLA capitalization FAQ
MLA capitalizes all principal words — nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions. Articles, prepositions (all lengths), and coordinating conjunctions are lowercase.
Yes — unlike Chicago, MLA lowercases all prepositions regardless of their length, including "from", "through", "between", and "without".
TitleCasePro follows MLA Handbook, 9th Edition (2021), the current standard.
The first word of a subtitle (after a colon) is always capitalized in MLA, even if it would otherwise be lowercase.