Proper Case Converter
Proper case capitalizes the first letter of every word, the way names and places are written. This proper case converter capitalizes each word and each part of a hyphenated word, spells names such as O'Brien and McDonald, and never lowercases a letter, so short words such as "of" and "the" are capitalized too.
Universal Text Transformer
Skip to text inputInput
Processed in your browser. Your text is never uploaded.
Type or paste text. The output updates as you type.
Output
The converted text appears here as you type.
Each line is converted as its own title, so you can paste a list of headlines.
Proper Case Converter examples
| Case | Input | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Name | john smith | John Smith |
| Place | new york city | New York City |
| Short words are capitalized too | the lord of the rings | The Lord Of The Rings |
| Capitals are kept | NASA and ALL CAPS | NASA And ALL CAPS |
| Apostrophe and hyphen | o'brien and mary-jane | O'Brien And Mary-Jane |
| Mc names and brand names | ronald mcdonald bought an iPhone | Ronald McDonald Bought An iPhone |
Proper Case Converter rules
- The first letter of every word is capitalized. Words are separated by spaces, tabs, line breaks, or em dashes.
- Each part of a hyphenated word is capitalized (Mary-Jane, Well-Known).
- Apart from the name prefixes below, the rest of each word is left as typed. Proper case does not lowercase anything, so text in all caps stays in all caps.
- Every word is capitalized, including a, the, of, and and. Use title case if short words should stay lowercase.
- Names that start with O' or D' get a capital after the apostrophe (O'Brien, D'Angelo), and names that start with Mc get a capital after it (McDonald). Contractions such as don't and o'clock get no second capital (Don't, O'clock).
- Names that start with Mac keep one capital (Macdonald), because many ordinary words start with mac (machine). Type MacDonald with its inner capital and it is kept.
- A word after an opening quotation mark or bracket is capitalized ("Hello", (Note)). A word that starts with other punctuation, such as # or @, is left unchanged.
- A word that already has a capital after its first letter, such as iPhone, eBay, or McDonald, is kept as typed.
How proper case differs from title case
Proper case capitalizes every word, so "the lord of the rings" becomes "The Lord Of The Rings". Title case keeps short articles, conjunctions, and prepositions lowercase and gives "The Lord of the Rings", which is how style guides capitalize titles. Try the same text in the Title Case Converter.
Full comparison with examples: Proper Case vs Title Case: What Is the Difference?
How to use
- 1
Type or paste names, places, or labels, one per line if you like.
- 2
Each word gets a capital first letter in the output as you type.
- 3
Check names that start with Mac (MacDonald), which need their inner capital typed, then copy the result.
That's it! Your text is transformed and ready to use.
Three simple steps to use Proper Case Converter
When to use Proper Case Converter
Data cleanup
Lists of names, cities, or product names that were typed in lowercase.
Office and admin staff
Mailing labels, name badges, and sign-up sheets.
Developers
Turning lowercase labels or tags into display text.
FAQ
What is proper case?
Proper case capitalizes the first letter of every word, like a name ("John Smith"). Unlike title case, it does not keep short words such as "of" and "the" lowercase.
Is proper case the same as title case?
No. Title case follows a style guide and keeps short words lowercase ("The Lord of the Rings"). Proper case capitalizes every word ("The Lord Of The Rings").
Does proper case lowercase text typed in all caps?
No. It only adds capitals and never lowercases a letter, so text in all caps stays in all caps. Run the Lowercase Converter first if your text is in all caps.
How does proper case handle names like O'Brien or McDonald?
It capitalizes the letter after an O' or D' prefix and after Mc, so "o'brien" becomes "O'Brien" and "mcdonald" becomes "McDonald". Names that start with Mac keep one capital ("Macdonald"), because many ordinary words start with mac. A name typed with its inner capital, such as "MacDonald", is kept as typed.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
The conversion runs in your browser, so your text is not uploaded to a server to be converted.