The New York Times
title-case rules
For newspaper headlines and standing heads.
The New York Times rules
The Times maintains its own internal manual, similar to AP but with editorial nuance.
- Capitalize the first and last word.
- Capitalize all principal words.
- Lowercase articles.
- Lowercase coordinating conjunctions.
- Lowercase short prepositions — three letters or fewer.
- Capitalize longer prepositions.
- Capitalize after a colon.
Worked examples
The same set of titles, converted under The New York Times rules. Try them yourself by switching the style pill on the homepage.
| Input | NYTimes |
|---|---|
a study of pangrams in english |
A Study of Pangrams in English |
the rise and fall of empires |
The Rise and Fall of Empires |
how cities adapt to climate change |
How Cities Adapt to Climate Change |
when a stock split is not enough |
When a Stock Split Is Not Enough |
Edge cases we handle
- Proper nouns — iPhone, JavaScript, NASA stay capitalized correctly mid-title.
- Hyphenated compounds — handled per NYTimes's specific rule.
- After a colon — the first word after a colon is capitalized.
- Acronyms and ALLCAPS runs — preserved as-is.
Try NYTimes title case now.
Open the converter →Frequently asked questions
How does the New York Times capitalize its article headlines?
Close to AP: capitalize the first/last word, all principal words, and prepositions of four-plus letters; lowercase articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions of three letters or fewer.
What style guide rules does NY Times capitalization follow?
Its own internal reference — The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage — not a public rules site. The pattern closely tracks AP's cutoff but isn't identical in every edge case.
Source
Unlike AP, Chicago, APA, or MLA, The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage (compiled by Allan M. Siegel and William G. Connolly) is not published as a freely browsable website — it exists as a standalone printed and paywalled digital reference, not a public rules page. The capitalization pattern described here reflects long-standing, widely documented Times practice rather than a directly linkable official source. For editorial standards more broadly, see:
- The New York Times Company — corporate site, for editorial standards and governance more broadly
Want to compare with another style? See the style guides index.