Result
No. "Vs." is the abbreviation of "versus", and style guides treat it like a short preposition: lowercase in the middle of a title. "Title Case vs. Sentence Case" is correct in AP, APA, Chicago, and MLA style.
"Vs." by Style Guide
| Style guide | "Vs." mid-title | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AP | Lowercase | Treated as a short preposition |
| APA | Lowercase | Treated as a short preposition |
| Chicago | Lowercase | Prepositions are lowercase |
| MLA | Lowercase | Prepositions are lowercase |
| AMA | Lowercase | Treated as a short preposition |
| Bluebook | Lowercase | Case names use lowercase "v." |
Examples in Chicago Style
- Title Case vs. Sentence Case
- APA vs. MLA
- Rent vs. Buy
- Kramer vs. Kramer
"Vs.," "Vs," or "V."
- "vs." with a period is standard in American usage.
- "vs" without a period is common in British usage.
- "v." is the legal form for case names ("Roe v. Wade").
All three stay lowercase mid-title. Spelled out as "versus," the guides split, because it is a six-letter preposition.
Real Titles With "Vs."
- Kramer vs. Kramer (1979 film)
"Vs" 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 "vs" is lowercase unless it starts the title: "Title case vs. Sentence case." Pick one of the two styles for a whole set of headings rather than mixing them.
Quick Answers
Should "vs" be capitalized in a title?
No. "Vs." is lowercase mid-title in every major style guide.
Is "vs" or "vs." correct in a title?
American style guides use "vs." with a period. Legal case names use "v."