Result
It depends on the style guide and on the job "over" is doing. As a preposition ("Love over Money"), it is four letters long: AP, APA, and AMA capitalize it, while Chicago, MLA, and Bluebook keep it lowercase. As an adverb or particle ("Start Over," "Game Over," "Take Over"), it is capitalized in every guide.
"Over" (as a Preposition) by Style Guide
| Style guide | "Over" 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 | Only prepositions of three or fewer letters stay lowercase |
| Bluebook | Lowercase | Prepositions of four or fewer letters stay lowercase |
The Same Headline in Four Styles
| Style | "quality over quantity" |
|---|---|
| AP | Quality Over Quantity |
| APA | Quality Over Quantity |
| Chicago | Quality over Quantity |
| MLA | Quality over Quantity |
| Style | "bridges over the river" |
|---|---|
| AP | Bridges Over the River |
| APA | Bridges Over the River |
| Chicago | Bridges over the River |
| MLA | Bridges over the River |
"Over" as an Adverb
If nothing follows "over," or it completes a verb, it is an adverb and capitalized everywhere: "When the Launch Is Over," "How to Start Over," "Hand It Over." The converter recognizes common pairs like "start over" and "take over."
Related Words
Its opposite, "under", has five letters, so Bluebook capitalizes it too. "From" and "into" are also four letters and split the guides like "over."
Real Titles With "Over"
- Over the Rainbow (song): first word
"Over" 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 "over" is lowercase unless it starts the title: "Quality over quantity." Pick one of the two styles for a whole set of headings rather than mixing them.
Quick Answers
Should "over" be capitalized in a title?
As an adverb ("Start Over"), yes, everywhere. As a preposition, in AP, APA, and AMA only.
Is "over" capitalized in APA?
Yes. "Over" has four letters, and APA capitalizes words of four letters or more.
Is "over" capitalized in Chicago style?
Not as a preposition. As an adverb ("Game Over"), yes.