Yes, “be” is always capitalized in a title. Every major style guide treats “be” as a verb, and verbs are always capitalized in title case. This applies to all forms of “be” too: is, am, are, was, were, been, and being.
Here’s why the rule is so consistent, and how it works across AP, Chicago, and APA style.
Should You Capitalize “Be” in a Title?
Always. “Be” is a verb (to be), and all title case styles require capitalizing verbs, no matter how short they are.
This rule holds regardless of where “be” appears in the title and regardless of which form you use. Whether it’s “is,” “was,” “being,” or “be” itself, capitalize it.
“Be” in AP Style
AP (Associated Press) style capitalizes all verbs in titles, including short ones. Since “be” is a verb, it is always capitalized in AP title case. The same goes for all its conjugated forms: Is, Am, Are, Was, Were, Been, Being.
AP style only lowercases articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or), and prepositions of three or fewer letters (in, on, of) when they are not the first or last word. “Be” does not fall into any of those categories.
“Be” in Chicago Style
The Chicago Manual of Style follows the same principle. Verbs are always capitalized in titles, with no exception for length. “Be” and all its forms get a capital letter.
Chicago style lowercases articles, prepositions (regardless of length in some editions), and coordinating conjunctions. Verbs never qualify for lowercase treatment, so “be” stays capitalized.
“Be” in APA Style
APA style capitalizes all “major words” in titles, which includes verbs. APA also has a rule that any word of four or more letters is capitalized. “Be” is only two letters, but it still gets capitalized because it is a verb.
In APA, the only words lowercased are short conjunctions, short prepositions, and articles (unless they are the first word). “Be” is none of those. It is always capitalized.
Examples of “Be” Capitalized in Titles
Here are real-world examples showing “be” and its forms capitalized correctly:
- This Is America (song by Childish Gambino)
- I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (book by Erika L. Sanchez)
- Come as You Are (song by Nirvana)
- I Was Told There’d Be Cake: Essays (book by Sloane Crosley)
- And Then There Were None (book by Agatha Christie)
- Never Been Kissed (movie)
- The Importance of Being Earnest (play by Oscar Wilde)
Notice that even two-letter forms like “Is” and “Am” are capitalized. The word length does not matter for verbs. For a similar example, see how “to” is handled in titles.
Common Misconceptions
Two mistakes come up often with “be” in titles:
- “Short words are always lowercase in titles.” Not true. Words like “a,” “an,” “in,” and “of” are lowercase because they are articles or prepositions, not because they are short. “Be” is a verb, so it is capitalized regardless of its length.
- “Be” is a linking verb, so it should be lowercase. No style guide makes this distinction. Linking verbs are still verbs. All forms of “be” are capitalized in every major title case style.
Summary
“Be” is always capitalized in a title. This is true in AP style, Chicago style, APA style, and every other major style guide. The rule applies to all forms: be, is, am, are, was, were, been, and being. No exceptions.
Use our free title capitalization tool to automatically capitalize your titles in any style.
