Result
No. "To" stays lowercase in the middle of a title in every major style guide, whether it is a preposition ("Back to the Future") or part of an infinitive ("How to Write a Better Title"). It is capitalized only as the first word, the first word of a subtitle, and, in some guides, the last word.
"To" by Style Guide
| Style guide | "To" mid-title | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AP | Lowercase | Prepositions of three or fewer letters stay lowercase |
| APA | Lowercase | APA lists "to" by name among the short prepositions it lowercases |
| Chicago | Lowercase | Chicago lowercases "to" in any function, including infinitives |
| MLA | Lowercase | MLA lowercases prepositions and the "to" in infinitives |
| AMA | Lowercase | AMA lowercases short prepositions and "to" in infinitives |
| Bluebook | Lowercase | Prepositions of four or fewer letters stay lowercase |
The infinitive is where people second-guess themselves, because "to write" feels like part of the verb. The guides that address it directly (Chicago, MLA, and AMA) all say to keep it lowercase, and the length rules in AP and APA lead to the same result. So "How to," "Need to," and "Want to" titles always use a lowercase "to."
Examples in Chicago Style
- How to Write a Better Title
- Everything You Need to Know about Title Case
- Back to Basics
- A Beginner's Guide to SEO
When "To" Is Capitalized
- As the first word: "To Kill a Mockingbird."
- After a colon, as the first word of a subtitle: "SEO: To Index or Not."
- As the last word in AP, Chicago, and MLA: "What It All Comes Down To." APA has no last-word rule and keeps it lowercase.
- As an adverb, which is rare in titles: "Pull the Door To" (meaning closed). Chicago is the exception here and lowercases "to" in any function.
The Same Headline in Four Styles
| Style | "what it all comes down to" |
|---|---|
| AP | What It All Comes Down To |
| APA | What It All Comes Down to |
| Chicago | What It All Comes Down To |
| MLA | What It All Comes Down To |
"To," "Too," and "Two"
Only "to" is on the lowercase list. "Too" is an adverb and "two" is a number, so both are capitalized: "Too Good to Be True" capitalizes "Too" and keeps "to" lowercase in the same title.
Related Words
The other short prepositions follow the same rule, including "of", "for", "in", and "on". For longer prepositions like "into", the guides split. See title case prepositions for every cutoff.
Real Titles With "To"
- To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee): first word, capitalized
- Back to the Future (1985 film): preposition, lowercase
- Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen): infinitive, lowercase
"To" 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 "to" is lowercase unless it starts the title: "How to write a better title." Pick one of the two styles for a whole set of headings rather than mixing them.
Quick Answers
Should "to" be capitalized in a title?
No, not in the middle. Every major guide keeps "to" lowercase unless it is the first word, starts a subtitle, or (in AP, Chicago, and MLA) ends the title.
Is "to" capitalized in "How to"?
No. In "How to Write a Blog Post," "to" is part of an infinitive, and every guide keeps it lowercase.
Is "to" capitalized in APA style?
No. APA lists "to" among the short prepositions it lowercases, and APA has no last-word exception.
Is "to" capitalized in AP style?
No. AP lowercases prepositions of three letters or fewer in composition titles. AP news headlines use sentence case, so "to" is lowercase there too.