Regarding title capitalization, a common question is, “Is are capitalized in a title?” The answer is generally yes. Most major style guides agree that “are,” being a verb, should be capitalized.
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Are Capitalization Per Style Guide
Understanding the specific title capitalization rules of various style guides can help ensure your titles are correctly formatted. In this section, we’ll break down how each style guide—Chicago, AMA, AP, MLA, the New York Times, APA, Wikipedia, and Bluebook—uniquely approaches the capitalization of “are” in titles, illustrating their rules and exceptions.
Chicago Manual of Style
In the Chicago Manual of Style, you should capitalize all major words, which include verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions. So, in a title like “Why Are We Here?”, “are” would indeed be capitalized.
American Medical Association (AMA)
The AMA Manual of Style follows a similar rule to CMOS, capitalizing all major words, including nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, subordinating conjunctions, and, of course, verbs. Therefore, you’ll find “are” capitalized in a title like “What Are the Reasons Some People Join the Military?”
There are some exceptions to these rules, however. For instance, in subtitles or after a colon, the first word should always be capitalized, even if it is a minor word (e.g., “and” or “but”).
Associated Press Style (AP Style)
If you are following the Associated Press Stylebook’s title case rules, “are” is always capitalized, even if “are” appears in the middle of a title or after a colon.
Keep in mind that the AP Stylebook’s sentence case rules do not capitalize the verb “are” within a title unless it is the first word part or a proper noun. For example, in the sentence “Here are the keys,” “are” is lowercase because it is not the beginning of the sentence.
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Like CMOS, AMA, The New York Times, Wikipedia, and Bluebook, the MLA Handbook says that you should capitalize all major words, including verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Minor words like articles remain lowercase. For example, in the sentence “Who Are the Founding Fathers?” “are” capitalized.
MLA Style also capitalizes the first and last words in a title, regardless of their grammatical role. “Are” is also capitalized after a colon to maintain consistency. For example, in the title “Understanding the Facts: What Are the Cosmos?”, “are” is appropriately capitalized.
The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage
If you’re a journalist or student writing a headline, you might wonder, “Is are capitalized in a title?” All major words are capitalized in titles per NY Style. Hence, in the headline “Where Are the Best Places to Eat in Your Town?” “are” is capitalized.
Tip: Minor words and prepositions with three letters or fewer (e.g., at, by, in) are lowercase unless they’re the first or last word in a title.
American Psychological Association (APA Style)
In the American Psychological Association (APA) Style, “are” also capitalized in titles. Certain words like prepositions, coordinating conjunctions, and articles are in lowercase unless they are the title’s or subtitle’s first word.
For example, in the title “Understanding the Fundamentals of Psychology,” you should not capitalize the words “the” and “of.”
Wikipedia Manual of Style
Wikipedia takes a simple approach to title capitalization. Major words, particularly verbs, are capitalized, so you’ll see “Why Are We Doing This?” with “are” capitalized. Additionally, you should capitalize the first word in a compound preposition and particles of phrasal verbs—typically prepositions—like up, off, and or.
Bluebook
In Bluebook, there are generally no exceptions to capitalizing the word “are” in titles. The Bluebook consistently applies the rule of capitalizing all significant words, including verbs like “are,” regardless of placement. This means that even if “are” appears after a colon, as in “Understanding Legal Principles: What Are the Key Elements?”, “are” would still be capitalized. The Bluebook’s stringent capitalization rules ensure clarity and uniformity in legal writing, minimizing ambiguity.
When Should You Capitalize Are?
Whenever “are” functions as a verb in titles, which it usually does, you should capitalize “are.” It doesn’t matter if you are following AP Style or AMA because major style guides agree “are” should be capitalized.
Tip: Keep in mind that if “are” appears in the middle of a title or it’s the last word of a title, you should also capitalize it.
When Shouldn’t You Capitalize Are?
There are generally no standard style guides that do not capitalize “are” in titles since it is a verb. So, when your title has the word “are,” you should have it capitalized.
Final Thoughts
So, “Is are capitalized in a title?” Most style guides agree that “are” should be capitalized. Struggling with title capitalization? Use this handy title capitalization Tool to simplify your process and ensure every title follows the correct rules.
