MLA Style Title Case Converter
MLA style title case is the capitalization the MLA Handbook, 9th edition, uses for titles of works. The first word, the last word, and principal words are capitalized, while articles, prepositions of any length, coordinating conjunctions, and the "to" of infinitives stay lowercase. This converter applies those rules to each line of your text.
MLA Style Title Case Converter examples
| Case | Input | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Long preposition | the calm before the storm | The Calm before the Storm |
| Coordinating conjunctions | slow and steady yet sure | Slow and Steady yet Sure |
| Subordinating conjunction | what dreams may come if we wait | What Dreams May Come If We Wait |
| Last word | what are you looking at | What Are You Looking At |
| "Etc." as the last word | treaty with the dwamish, suquamish, etc. | Treaty with the Dwamish, Suquamish, Etc. |
| Hyphenated words and colon | the self-report study: a meta-analysis | The Self-Report Study: A Meta-Analysis |
| Acronym, brand, and apostrophe | NASA's plan for the iPhone era | NASA's Plan for the iPhone Era |
| Subtitle after a question mark | does it work? a test of the method | Does It Work? A Test of the Method |
MLA Style Title Case Converter rules
The rules, sources, known limits, and test cases behind this converter are on Title Case Rules by Style Guide.
- Capitalize the first word, the last word, and all principal words: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions such as If (MLA Handbook, 9th edition).
- Lowercase the articles a, an, and the.
- Lowercase prepositions no matter how long, including two-word prepositions ("The World according to Garp"), unless they are the first or last word.
- Lowercase the coordinating conjunctions and, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet.
- Lowercase "to" in infinitives (How to Win Friends).
- Capitalize words after a hyphen in compound terms unless they are articles, prepositions, or coordinating conjunctions (Self-Report, Mother-in-Law).
- The last word is always capitalized, even an abbreviation ("Suquamish, Etc."). The converter makes one exception: a.m. and p.m. stay lowercase (Meeting at 9 a.m.), because "A.m." is not a correct spelling in any style.
- Capitalize the first word of a subtitle, even an article. A colon separates the subtitle, or a question mark or exclamation point that ends the main title (Spartan Fit! Thirty Days to a New You). The converter also capitalizes the word before that mark as the last word of the main title, and treats an em dash as ordinary punctuation.
- MLA lowercases prepositions by part of speech, and the converter cannot detect it: words that often work otherwise (down, like, out, past, since, until) are always capitalized, and "after", "before", and "as" are always lowercased, even as subordinating conjunctions.
Words kept lowercase (64)
aantheandbutfornororsoyetaccordingconcerningregardingaboutaboveacrossafteragainstalongamidamongaroundasatatopbeforebehindbelowbeneathbesidebetweenbeyondbydespiteduringexceptfromininsideintonearofoffonontooutsideoverperthroughthroughouttilltotowardtowardsunderunderneathunlikeuntoupuponviawithwithinwithout
How MLA style differs from APA style
MLA lowercases prepositions of any length ("Life between the Lines"), while APA capitalizes every word of four or more letters ("Life Between the Lines"). MLA always capitalizes the last word ("What Are You Looking At"); APA leaves a short last word lowercase. MLA capitalizes subordinating conjunctions such as If, which APA lowercases when they have three letters or fewer. Try the same text in the APA Style Title Case Converter.
Full comparison with examples: APA vs MLA Title Case: How the Rules Differ
Spotted a wrong capitalization?
How to use
Type or paste a title, or several titles on separate lines.
Press MLA Style Title Case to convert the text in place; pasted text converts at once. Open Compare styles to see it in AP, Chicago, APA, and MLA, or Explain each word for the rule behind each capital.
Check words such as "before" or "after" when they start a clause, then copy the result.
When to use MLA Style Title Case Converter
High school and college students
Essay titles and titles of works in English and humanities papers.
Literature and language scholars
Titles of books, poems, and articles in MLA works-cited lists.
Teachers
Checking how a title should be capitalized in MLA style.
FAQ
No. MLA lowercases prepositions no matter how long they are ("The Calm before the Storm"), unless the preposition is the first or last word.
Yes. MLA capitalizes the last word of a title in every case, even a short preposition or an abbreviation such as "Etc." The converter keeps a.m. and p.m. lowercase at the end (Meeting at 9 a.m.), because "A.m." is not a correct spelling.
Yes. They are subordinating conjunctions, which MLA capitalizes. Only the coordinating conjunctions and, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet stay lowercase.
Capitalize the words after the hyphen unless they are articles, prepositions, or coordinating conjunctions: "Self-Report", "Mother-in-Law".
No, unless it is the first or last word. MLA lowercases "to" both as a preposition and in infinitives (How to Win Friends).
The conversion runs in your browser, so your text is not uploaded to a server to be converted.