Chicago Manual of Style
title-case rules
For book publishing, humanities, business writing.
The Chicago rules
The Chicago Manual of Style is the standard for book publishing, humanities scholarship, and general-interest non-fiction.
- Capitalize the first and last word.
- Capitalize all major words — nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, subordinating conjunctions.
- Lowercase articles.
- Lowercase coordinating conjunctions.
- Lowercase prepositions regardless of length — the big difference from AP.
- Capitalize after a colon.
Worked examples
The same set of titles, converted under Chicago Manual of Style rules. Try them yourself by switching the style pill on the homepage.
| Input | Chicago |
|---|---|
the way through the woods |
The Way through the Woods |
of mice and men |
Of Mice and Men |
the man with the golden gun |
The Man with the Golden Gun |
a state-of-the-art device |
A State-Of-The-Art Device |
Edge cases we handle
- Proper nouns — iPhone, JavaScript, NASA stay capitalized correctly mid-title.
- Hyphenated compounds — handled per Chicago's specific rule.
- After a colon — the first word after a colon is capitalized.
- Acronyms and ALLCAPS runs — preserved as-is.
Try Chicago title case now.
Open the converter →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Chicago Style and AP Style capitalization?
Prepositions are the key difference. AP lowercases only short prepositions (three letters or fewer); Chicago lowercases prepositions of any length unless they're functioning adverbially (as in "Look Up"). Both capitalize the first/last word and all major words.
How do I capitalize a title according to Chicago?
Capitalize the first and last word, plus all major words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, subordinating conjunctions). Lowercase articles and coordinating conjunctions, lowercase prepositions regardless of length, and capitalize the word after a colon.
Source
This page summarizes public guidance from The Chicago Manual of Style. For the complete, authoritative rules, consult the official source directly:
- The Chicago Manual of Style Online — the official, subscription-based reference published by the University of Chicago Press
Want to compare with another style? See the style guides index.