Most of the time, no, “and” is not capitalized in title capitalization.
Professional style guides like AP, Chicago, and APA differ on some points but generally agree on coordinating conjunctions in their capitalization rules for composition titles. In these styles, “and” is usually lowercase because it’s a coordinating conjunction. It connects words or phrases, but it usually doesn’t count as a major word; instead, it’s one of the minor words. The big exceptions are simple: capitalize it when it’s the first word, the last word, or the first word after a colon in a subtitle.
That sounds easy enough, yet small words cause the most trouble. Here’s how to handle “and” without second-guessing every headline.
Why “and” usually stays lowercase in title capitalization
Think of “and” like mortar between bricks. It holds the title together, but it usually isn’t the part that gets attention.
That’s why all three styles treat it as a minor word like other articles in the middle of a title. It is not among the major words such as nouns and pronouns or verbs. So if you’re writing in title case, “and” usually stays lowercase.
If “and” appears in the middle of a title, keep it lowercase in AP, Chicago, and APA.
Examples that follow title capitalization standards:
- War and Peace in Plain English
- Research and Writing for Beginners
- Salt and Sugar in American Cooking
In each example, “and” joins two equal parts. It doesn’t act like a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb, so it stays lowercase.
The rule changes when position changes. If “and” starts a title, capitalize it. If it opens a subtitle after a colon, capitalize it there too.
Examples:
- And Then the Lights Went Out
- Budget Cuts: And What They Mean for Schools
One more wrinkle matters in APA style. APA style uses both title case and sentence case. In paper titles and headings, you use title case. In many reference list entries, you use sentence case instead. These capitalization rules support standards in academic writing. If you want the official wording, see APA’s title case guidance.
AP vs. Chicago vs. MLA rules for “and”
The good news is that “and” behaves the same way across the Associated Press Stylebook, Chicago Manual of Style, and MLA Handbook when you’re using title case.
Here’s a quick comparison of title capitalization rules:
| Style | “and” in the middle of a title | When “And” is capitalized | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| AP | Lowercase | First word, last word, or first word after a colon | Health and Safety at Work |
| Chicago | Lowercase | First word, last word, or first word after a colon | Law and Order in Cities |
| MLA | Lowercase | First word, last word, or first word after a colon | Stress and Sleep in College Students |
So where do these style guides differ? Not with “and” itself or the rule for first and last words. They differ more with prepositions and some other short words, as these style guides handle parts of speech like coordinating conjunctions and prepositions differently.
The Associated Press Stylebook lowercases short coordinating conjunctions like “and,” “but,” “or,” and “nor.” It also lowercases prepositions of three letters or fewer, but capitalizes longer ones. If you want a quick newsroom-style refresher, these AP style title capitalization rules are useful.
The Chicago Manual of Style also lowercases coordinating conjunctions like “and.” However, the Chicago Manual of Style is stricter with prepositions. It usually lowercases them in the middle of titles no matter how long they are. This guide to Chicago title case rules shows those differences clearly.
The MLA Handbook matches these approaches for coordinating conjunctions. It lowercases conjunctions and prepositions in title case, regardless of length. For more examples, see these MLA title case rules.
If you want a broader side-by-side look at AP and Chicago, this short AP vs. Chicago comparison is a helpful extra reference.
Correct and incorrect title examples
These examples show where writers often slip. A title capitalization tool can help avoid manual errors when applying headline style rules.
- Correct: Pride and Prejudice for Modern Readers
Incorrect: Pride And Prejudice for Modern Readers - Correct: Writing and Editing for Busy Teams
Incorrect: Writing And Editing for Busy Teams - Correct: Coffee and Conversation at Dawn
Incorrect: Coffee And Conversation at Dawn - Correct: And Then We Started Over
Incorrect: and Then We Started Over - Correct: The New Policy: And Why It Matters
Incorrect: The New Policy: and Why It Matters
Notice the pattern. In title case, first and last words are always capitalized, regardless of whether they are verbs, nouns and pronouns, or conjunctions. Mid-title conjunctions like “and” stay lowercase, unless they are proper nouns. Major words get capitals, while short connectors do not.
A common mistake comes from mixing rules. Someone remembers that AP and APA capitalize major words and some four-letter words, then starts capitalizing every short connector that “looks important.” That’s not how title capitalization works. The word’s role matters more than the visual rhythm.
Another mistake is jumping between title case and sentence case. For example, APA paper titles use title case, but many APA reference titles use sentence case. So a title like Stress and sleep in college students may be right in a reference list, even though Stress and Sleep in College Students is right as a paper title, with first and last words capitalized along with major words.
FAQ: other small words that trip people up
Small words like articles, conjunctions, and prepositions don’t all follow the same pattern, which is why they cause so much confusion.
- Articles such as “a,” “an,” and “the” stay lowercase mid-title across AP, Chicago, APA style, and the MLA Handbook for academic writing. Capitalize them only at the start.
- Coordinating conjunctions like “but,” “or,” “nor,” and “and” usually follow the same rule. In AP, Chicago, and APA style title case, keep them lowercase in the middle of a title. Capitalize them only when position requires it.
- “As” is trickier. In AP and APA style, it usually stays lowercase when it appears mid-title as a short preposition or subordinating conjunction. In the Chicago Manual of Style, its role matters more. The Chicago Manual of Style often capitalizes it when it works as a subordinating conjunction, as in Life As We Know It, but lowercases it when it works as a short preposition.
- Short prepositions like “in,” “on,” “at,” “by,” “for,” and “to” are lowercase in AP and APA style when they appear mid-title. Chicago and the MLA Handbook also lowercase these short prepositions.
- Longer prepositions split the styles. AP and APA style usually capitalize words like “with,” “from,” and “over.” Chicago and professional style guides usually lowercase them in the middle of a title.
- Hyphenated compounds bring another layer of specific capitalization rules. Professional style guides like the Chicago Manual of Style provide clear guidance, often capitalizing both parts unless the second is a preposition or subordinating conjunction.
If those preposition rules keep tripping you up, this guide to title case prepositions rules lays them out in plain English. For large batches of formatting headlines, especially when tracking text statistics, a title capitalization tool makes handling articles, prepositions, and conjunctions effortless.
The simplest habit is to pick one style guide and stick with it. Mixing styles inside one document makes even correct titles look wrong.
“And” is one of the rare easy cases in title capitalization. In AP, Chicago, and APA style, it’s usually lowercase in the middle of a title because it’s a coordinating conjunction.
The real trouble starts when writers apply that rule to every short word, including articles, prepositions, and conjunctions. Don’t do that. Follow the style you’re using, and treat each small word by its job, not by guesswork.
Next time “and” slows you down, keep it simple: lowercase in the middle, uppercase only by position.
