Proper Case vs Title Case: What Is the Difference?
Proper case and title case both start words with capital letters, but they are built for different text. Proper case capitalizes every word and never lowercases a letter, which suits names. Title case follows style-guide rules for titles: short words stay lowercase, and a title typed in all caps is converted.
The Title Case converter follows AP rules. The examples below come from the Proper Case and Title Case converters.
Side by side
| Input | Proper case | Title case | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| the lord of the rings | The Lord Of The Rings | The Lord of the Rings | Short words. |
| mary-jane o'brien meets the mcdonald family | Mary-Jane O'Brien Meets The McDonald Family | Mary-Jane O'brien Meets the Mcdonald Family | Names. |
| notes from d'angelo and o'neill | Notes From D'Angelo And O'Neill | Notes From D'angelo and O'neill | D' and O' names. |
| mother-in-law visits | Mother-In-Law Visits | Mother-in-Law Visits | A three-part compound. |
| THE GREAT GATSBY | THE GREAT GATSBY | The Great Gatsby | A title typed in all caps. |
| iPhone tips and tricks | iPhone Tips And Tricks | iPhone Tips and Tricks | A brand with an inner capital. |
The rules compared
| Rule | Proper case | Title case |
|---|---|---|
| Short words | Every word is capitalized, including a, the, of, and and. | Articles, and conjunctions and prepositions of three letters or fewer, stay lowercase unless they are first or last. |
| Text in all caps | Kept: proper case never lowercases a letter. | A line typed entirely in capitals is converted as if it were lowercase. |
| O', D', and Mc names | A second capital: O'Brien, D'Angelo, McDonald. | Only the first letter is capitalized (O'brien) unless you type the inner capital. |
| Hyphenated words | Every part is capitalized: Mary-Jane, Mother-In-Law. | Both parts of a two-part compound are capitalized; short words inside longer ones stay lowercase: Mother-in-Law. |
| Mixed case | Words such as iPhone and eBay are kept as typed. | Words such as iPhone and eBay are kept as typed. |
When to use each
Proper case
Names, places, and labels typed in lowercase, such as a mailing list, name badges, or a column of cities.
Proper Case Converter