Result
Yes. "Had" is the past tense of "have," and every style guide capitalizes verbs in a title. Its three letters do not matter: the AP, APA, and AMA length cutoffs apply only to prepositions and conjunctions.
"Had" by Style Guide
| Style guide | "Had" mid-title | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AP | Capitalize | Verbs are major words |
| APA | Capitalize | Verbs are major words |
| Chicago | Capitalize | Verbs are major words |
| MLA | Capitalize | Verbs are major words |
| AMA | Capitalize | Verbs are major words |
| Bluebook | Capitalize | Verbs are major words |
Examples in Chicago Style
- The Year We Had No Plan
- Everything We Had to Learn
- What the Old Site Had Right
- If We Had Known
"Has" and "have" are capitalized for the same reason.
For the short list of words that do stay lowercase, see the full list of words that stay lowercase.
"Had" 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 "had" is lowercase unless it starts the title: "The year we had no plan." Pick one of the two styles for a whole set of headings rather than mixing them.
Quick Answers
Should "had" be capitalized in a title?
Yes. "Had" is a verb, and every style guide capitalizes verbs in title case.
Is "had" capitalized in APA?
Yes. APA capitalizes major words, including verbs, regardless of length.