How do you capitalize a headline?

Follow your style guide (AP, Chicago, etc.). Generally: capitalize first and last words, nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), short prepositions (of, in, to), and conjunctions (and, but, or) in the middle.

Should I capitalize "is" in a headline?

Yes, always capitalize "is" (and all forms of "to be": am, are, was, were, be, been). Verbs are always capitalized in titles, regardless of length. This is a common mistake—"is" may be short, but it is a verb.

What about hyphenated words in headlines?

Generally capitalize both parts of hyphenated words in titles: "Self-Driving Cars", "Well-Known Facts". Exception: if the second part is a short article or preposition ("Editor-in-Chief"), keep it lowercase.

Headline Capitalizer

Create professionally formatted headlines with our capitalizer that follows standard style guide rules. Whether you're writing for news, blogs, or marketing, proper headline capitalization ensures your titles look polished and credible.

Style Guide Capitalization Comparison

Headline Capitalization Engine

``javascript function capitalizeHeadline(headline, style = 'ap') { const rules = { ap: { lowercase: ['a', 'an', 'the', 'and', 'but', 'or', 'for', 'nor', 'on', 'at', 'to', 'from', 'by', 'in', 'of'], minLength: 3 // Capitalize words 4+ letters }, chicago: { lowercase: ['a', 'an', 'the', 'and', 'but', 'or', 'for', 'nor', 'as', 'at', 'by', 'in', 'of', 'on', 'to', 'vs'], minLength: 0 } };

const config = rules[style] || rules.ap; const words = headline.toLowerCase().split(' ');

return words.map((word, i, arr) => { // Always capitalize first and last word if (i === 0 || i === arr.length - 1) { return word.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + word.slice(1); } // Check against lowercase list if (config.lowercase.includes(word)) { return word; } return word.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + word.slice(1); }).join(' '); }

console.log(capitalizeHeadline("the art of war")); // AP Output: "The Art of War"``

Common Headline Capitalization Mistakes

Avoid these errors: capitalizing every word regardless of length ("A Day In The Life" → should be "A Day in the Life"), inconsistent style within a publication, and forgetting that the first and last words are always capitalized regardless of part of speech. Also remember: after a colon, the first word of a subtitle capitalizes.

Digital Headline Best Practices

For web headlines, keep it under 60 characters to avoid truncation in search results. Front-load important keywords for SEO. While proper capitalization matters for readability, search engines are case-insensitive—focus on clarity and click appeal over strict formatting rules.

Headline Capitalizer