Quick Answer
Yes. In Chicago, MLA, APA, and AP styles, capitalize "How" in a title. As an adverb, "How" is treated as a principal word and gets capitalized in title case regardless of where it sits in the title.
You can also paste any title into the free title case converter at the top of the page to apply these rules automatically.
Capitalize 'how' in a title when it's part of a proper noun or at the beginning of a title. Otherwise, keep it lowercase. This rule applies across Chicago, MLA, APA, and AP styles.
Rules Across Different Styles
In the Chicago and MLA styles, capitalize 'how' if it's the first or last word in a title. In APA style, always capitalize words with four or more letters. Since 'how' has only three, keep it lowercase unless it's the first word. AP style is more about simplicity and conserves capital letters for principal words only.
Examples in Context
If your title is 'How to Make Lemonade,' capitalize 'How' since it starts the title. In a title like 'Learning How to Fish,' keep 'how' lowercase, as it follows a verb and is not a principal word. On the other hand, always capitalize 'how' if it's a significant part of a proper noun, like in the book title 'How Stella Got Her Groove Back.'
always remember that capitalization rules can vary based on the style guide you're following. In titles, the word 'how' generally follows the standard rule: if it's a major part of speech such as a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb, it should be capitalized. Since 'how' is an adverb, you'll typically capitalize it in title case according to the Chicago and APA guidelines. However, for styles like AP, which suggest capitalizing words with four or more letters, 'how' would not be capitalized due to its length. Always check the specific rules of the MLA, APA, Chicago, or AP style guides to make sure you're on the right track. Thank you for reading and good luck with your future titles!
For a deeper breakdown of how each guide handles capitalization, see the title case styles guide.
