Result
It depends on the style guide. "Among" is a five-letter preposition. AP, APA, AMA, and Bluebook capitalize it because their cutoffs stop at three or four letters. Chicago and MLA lowercase every preposition, so "among" stays lowercase there unless it starts or ends the title.
"Among" by Style Guide
| Style guide | "Among" mid-title | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AP | Capitalize | Prepositions of four or more letters are capitalized |
| APA | Capitalize | Words of four or more letters are capitalized |
| Chicago | Lowercase | Prepositions are lowercase at any length |
| MLA | Lowercase | Prepositions are lowercase at any length |
| AMA | Capitalize | Prepositions longer than three letters are capitalized |
| Bluebook | Capitalize | Prepositions longer than four letters are capitalized ("among" has five) |
The Same Headline in Four Styles
| Style | "a stranger among friends" |
|---|---|
| AP | A Stranger Among Friends |
| APA | A Stranger Among Friends |
| Chicago | A Stranger among Friends |
| MLA | A Stranger among Friends |
| Style | "trust among remote teams" |
|---|---|
| AP | Trust Among Remote Teams |
| APA | Trust Among Remote Teams |
| Chicago | Trust among Remote Teams |
| MLA | Trust among Remote Teams |
"Among" and "Amongst"
"Amongst" is a longer variant of the same preposition, more common in British English. The rules are identical: capitalized in AP, APA, AMA, and Bluebook, lowercase in Chicago and MLA. "Among" is far more common in American English.
"Among" Versus "Between"
"Between" is a seven-letter preposition, so it splits the guides exactly the way "among" does. The choice between the two words is about meaning, not capitalization.
When "Among" Is Capitalized Everywhere
- First word: "Among Others" (Jo Walton).
- First word of a subtitle: "Field Notes: Among the Wolves."
- Last word: rare, but AP, Chicago, and MLA would capitalize it.
"Among" in Sentence Case
APA reference lists, many news sites, and most UI text use sentence case instead of title case. There, only the first word and proper nouns get capitals, so "among" is lowercase unless it starts the title: "A stranger among friends." Pick one of the two styles for a whole set of headings rather than mixing them.
Quick Answers
Should "among" be capitalized in a title?
In AP, APA, AMA, and Bluebook, yes. In Chicago and MLA, no, unless it is the first or last word.
Is "among" capitalized in APA?
Yes. APA capitalizes every word of four letters or more, and "among" has five.
Is "amongst" capitalized in a title?
The same way as "among": capitalized in AP, APA, AMA, and Bluebook, lowercase in Chicago and MLA.