Is “With” Capitalized in a Title? AP, APA, Chicago and MLA Rules
Quick answer
It depends on your style guide. In AP and APA title case, “with” is capitalized because both capitalize words of four letters or more. In Chicago and MLA, “with” stays lowercase as a short preposition. In every style, capitalize it when it is the first word of a title, and in Chicago and MLA when it is the last word.
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Short words cause most title case mistakes. So, is with capitalized in a title? This guide answers that for the four big style guides, covers verbs like is and are, and explains the 2024 change to Chicago style. Our case converter follows the AP and APA pattern, so it gives you “With” with a capital.
Is with capitalized in a title? The four main style guides
The answer changes with the guide because each one sets its own rule for prepositions. Here is how each treats “with” in the middle of a title.
| Style guide | Rule for prepositions | “With” mid title | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| AP Stylebook | Capitalize prepositions of four or more letters | With | Coping With Change |
| APA, 7th edition | Capitalize every word of four or more letters | With | Coping With Change |
| Chicago, 18th edition | Lowercase prepositions of four or fewer letters | with | Coping with Change |
| MLA Handbook | Lowercase all prepositions | with | Coping with Change |
APA lists “With”, “Between” and “From” as examples of words that take a capital because they have four letters or more. You can read the full rule on the APA Style title case page.
Chicago changed its rule in 2024
Chicago now capitalizes prepositions of five letters or more, but “with” still stays lowercase. Up to the 17th edition, Chicago kept every preposition lowercase, however long. The 18th edition, published in September 2024, changed that. Words such as about, after and through now get a capital in Chicago title case.
Chicago’s own example is A Room with a View but Much Ado About Nothing. The change is listed in the Chicago Manual of Style announcement. Many older guides online still show the old rule, so check the date before you trust them.
When “with” is always capitalized
A few positions override the preposition rule in every major guide.
- First word of a title. With Great Care: Packing Fragile Items.
- First word of a subtitle. Home Cooking: With Kids in the Kitchen.
- Last word of a title in Chicago and MLA. People Worth Working With.
- First word after a colon in APA headings and titles.
Is “are” capitalized in a title?
Yes. “Are” is a verb, and all the major style guides capitalize verbs in title case, no matter how short they are. The same goes for is, am, be, was and were.
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- Where Were You Last Night?
People often lowercase these words because they look like small filler words. Length only matters for prepositions, conjunctions and articles. Verbs always count as main words.
Quick lookup: common small words by style guide
Use this table when you are not sure about a word in the middle of a title.
| Word | AP | APA | Chicago | MLA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| with | With | With | with | with |
| from | From | From | from | from |
| into | Into | Into | into | into |
| about | About | About | About | about |
| through | Through | Through | Through | through |
| between | Between | Between | Between | between |
| is, are, be | Is, Are, Be | Is, Are, Be | Is, Are, Be | Is, Are, Be |
| a, an, the | a, an, the | a, an, the | a, an, the | a, an, the |
Articles such as a, an and the stay lowercase in the middle of a title in all four guides. Short words such as and, but, or, at, by, in, of, on and to also stay lowercase in all four.
Sentence case vs title case
Title case capitalizes the first letter of each main word. Sentence case capitalizes only the first word and proper nouns, the way you write a normal sentence. In sentence case, “with” is lowercase unless it starts the title.
| Style | Example |
|---|---|
| Title case (AP or APA) | How to Work With a Remote Team |
| Title case (Chicago or MLA) | How to Work with a Remote Team |
| Sentence case | How to work with a remote team |
Which one to use depends on where the title goes:
- APA papers: title case for the paper title and headings, sentence case for article and book titles in the reference list.
- News headlines in AP style: sentence case. AP title case is for the names of books, films and other works.
- Websites, emails and slides: no fixed rule. Pick one style and use it everywhere.
Should “with” be capitalized in an email subject line?
Only if you write your subject lines in title case. There is no style guide rule for email. If you use title case and follow AP, write “Lunch With the Sales Team”. If you use sentence case, write “Lunch with the sales team”. Both are fine as long as you stay consistent.
How to check a title in under a minute
- Pick your style guide. School papers usually follow APA or MLA, news follows AP, and books follow Chicago.
- Paste the title into the case converter and press Title Case. It keeps words of three letters or fewer lowercase, which matches AP and APA.
- For Chicago or MLA, change short prepositions such as with, from and into back to lowercase.
- Check the first and last words. They always take a capital in title case.
Frequently asked questions
Is “with” capitalized in a title in MLA?
No. MLA keeps all prepositions lowercase, including “with”, unless the word is the first or last word of the title or subtitle.
Is “with” capitalized in APA?
Yes. APA capitalizes every word of four letters or more, so “with” becomes “With” in APA title case.
Is “is” capitalized in a title?
Yes. “Is” is a verb, and all major style guides capitalize verbs in title case, however short they are.
What words are not capitalized in a title?
Articles (a, an, the), short conjunctions such as and, but and or, and short prepositions such as at, by, in, of, on and to. Which prepositions count as short depends on the style guide.
Did Chicago style change its title case rules?
Yes. The 18th edition, published in September 2024, capitalizes prepositions of five or more letters, such as About and Through. Shorter ones such as with and from stay lowercase.
