Result
No. "For" stays lowercase in the middle of a title in every major style guide. It is either a short preposition ("Tips for Writers") or a coordinating conjunction ("Stay, for the Night Is Long"), and both are on every guide's lowercase list.
"For" by Style Guide
| Style guide | "For" mid-title | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AP | Lowercase | Prepositions and conjunctions of three or fewer letters stay lowercase |
| APA | Lowercase | Short prepositions and conjunctions stay lowercase |
| Chicago | Lowercase | Prepositions are lowercase, and "for" is one of the five lowercase conjunctions |
| MLA | Lowercase | Prepositions and coordinating conjunctions stay lowercase |
| AMA | Lowercase | Short prepositions and conjunctions stay lowercase |
| Bluebook | Lowercase | Prepositions and conjunctions of four or fewer letters stay lowercase |
Chicago keeps only five coordinating conjunctions lowercase: and, but, for, or, and nor. "For" is on that list, which is why Chicago lowercases it even when it joins two clauses.
Examples in Chicago Style
- Tips for New Writers
- A Guide for Beginners
- Recipes for Busy Weeknights
- The Case for Sentence Case
When "For" Is Capitalized
- First word: "For Whom the Bell Tolls."
- Last word: AP, Chicago, and MLA capitalize the final word, so "What It's Good For" ends with a capital.
- First word of a subtitle: "Saving: For the Long Haul."
Related Words
The other short prepositions behave the same way, including "of", "to", "in", and "by". For the other coordinating conjunctions, see "and", "but", "or", and "so", the last of which Chicago capitalizes.
Real Titles With "For"
- For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemingway): first word, capitalized
- Looking for Alaska (John Green): lowercase mid-title
- Waiting for Godot (Samuel Beckett): lowercase mid-title
"For" 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 "for" is lowercase unless it starts the title: "Tips for new writers." Pick one of the two styles for a whole set of headings rather than mixing them.
Quick Answers
Should "for" be capitalized in a title?
No, not in the middle. Every major guide keeps "for" lowercase unless it is the first or last word or starts a subtitle.
Is "for" capitalized in APA?
No. APA lowercases short prepositions and conjunctions, and "for" has three letters.
Is "for" capitalized when it means "because"?
No. As a coordinating conjunction, "for" is still lowercase in AP, APA, Chicago, MLA, AMA, and Bluebook.
Is "for" capitalized at the end of a title?
In AP, Chicago, and MLA, yes: "What Are You Waiting For." APA has no last-word rule.