Result
It depends on the style guide. "With" is a four-letter preposition, and four letters is exactly where the guides disagree. AP, APA, and AMA capitalize it. Chicago, MLA, and Bluebook keep it lowercase unless it is the first or last word.
"With" by Style Guide
| Style guide | "With" 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 |
Notice that Bluebook draws its line one letter higher than AP and APA. "With" is the most common word that lands in that gap, along with "from," "into," and "over." The title case prepositions guide covers the full cutoff rule.
The Same Headline in Four Styles
| Style | "dinner with friends who cook" |
|---|---|
| AP | Dinner With Friends Who Cook |
| APA | Dinner With Friends Who Cook |
| Chicago | Dinner with Friends Who Cook |
| MLA | Dinner with Friends Who Cook |
| Style | "a weekend with nothing planned" |
|---|---|
| AP | A Weekend With Nothing Planned |
| APA | A Weekend With Nothing Planned |
| Chicago | A Weekend with Nothing Planned |
| MLA | A Weekend with Nothing Planned |
When "With" Is Always Capitalized
- First word: "With Love, From Me to You." Every guide capitalizes the first word.
- Last word: AP, Chicago, and MLA capitalize the last word of a title, so "Something to Live With" ends with a capital. APA does not force the last word, but "With" is already capitalized there by its four-letter rule.
- After a colon: the first word of a subtitle is capitalized, as in "Weeknight Recipes: With Notes for Home Cooks." See title case after a colon.
Related Words
"Without" is seven letters, so AP, APA, AMA, and Bluebook all capitalize it, while Chicago and MLA still lowercase it as a preposition. "Within" follows the same split. Shorter prepositions such as "for" and "by" stay lowercase in all six guides.
Real Titles With "With"
Published titles follow the publisher's house style, so you will see both forms. The novel Gone with the Wind keeps "with" lowercase. AP's four-letter rule would render it "Gone With the Wind." Neither is a typo; they follow different guides.
"With" 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 "with" is lowercase unless it starts the title: "Dinner with friends who cook." Pick one of the two styles for a whole set of headings rather than mixing them.
Quick Answers
Should "with" be capitalized in a title?
In AP, APA, and AMA, yes. In Chicago, MLA, and Bluebook, no, unless it is the first or last word.
Is "with" capitalized in APA?
Yes. APA capitalizes every word of four letters or more, and "with" has four.
Is "with" capitalized in Chicago style?
No. Chicago lowercases prepositions regardless of length, so "with" stays lowercase mid-title.
Is "with" capitalized in a song or movie title?
Entertainment titles usually follow the publisher or label, and many use Chicago-style rules ("Dancing with the Stars"). If you are writing about the work, keep the official title as published.