Navigating the nuances of title capitalization can be tricky, especially with shorter, commonly used words like “that.” So, is that capitalized in a title? You should always capitalize “that” in a title. Keep reading to dive into how different style guides approach the capitalization of “that” in titles.
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The word “that” functions as a relative pronoun, adverb, demonstrative adjective, conjunction, and determiner—it depends on how it’s applied. So, how do different style guides approach this 4-letter word? Here is a closer:
Always capitalize “that” when using the Chicago Style (CMOS). Per CMOS, prepositions—at, to, in, from—are always lowercase unless they’re the first or last word of a title. As “that” is never a preposition, the rule holds that it should always be capitalized. This also means “that” should be capitalized when it comes after a colon or em dash (remember “that” is always capitalized!)
AMA style follows a similar rule to CMOS, capitalizing all major words, including subordinating conjunctions in titles. As such, you’ll find “that” capitalized in a title like “The Science That Could Save the Planet: Breakthroughs and Challenges.”
The AP Stylebook likes to keep it simple. The AP capitalizes all major words—nouns, pronouns, adverbs, verbs, and subordinating conjunctions. Words with three or fewer letters are generally not capitalized unless they are conjunctions, prepositions, or verbs. Since “that” is a conjunction and four letters long, it’s always capitalized. Correct examples of titles written using AP style are “Songs That Defined a Generation” and “The Case That Inspired.”
According to the MLA Handbook, “that” should be capitalized in titles, regardless of its function or position. MLA style recommends capitalizing all words in titles except for articles (a, an, the), prepositions (at, by, for, in, of, on, to, etc.), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet), and the “to” in infinitives—unless they’re the first or last word of the title or subtitle.
If you’re a psychology student writing a paper or dissertation, you might wonder, “Is that capitalized in a title?” APA Style uses title case capitalization, which means all major words are capitalized, including “that.” This includes when “that” comes after a colon or em dash. This rule applies consistently to titles mentioned in the running text of an APA-style paper, ensuring “that” is always capitalized in these contexts.
The New York Times style capitalizes all words in a title except articles, prepositions, and conjunctions of three or fewer letters. Since “that” is often used as a conjunction and has four letters, it is capitalized in a New York Times headline or title, regardless of its position.
Bluebook style follows traditional capitalization rules in legal writing. This style guide stipulates capitalizing major words, including “that.” Correct examples of titles using Bluebook style that include the word “that” are “Issues That Impact Legal Decisions” and “Laws that Govern Modern Society.”
Wikipedia uses title case for article titles, which means all major words, including “that,” are capitalized. Only minor words like “and,” “or,” “to,” and “a” remain lowercase unless they are the first or last word of the title.
You should capitalize “that” in titles when using the Chicago Manual of Style, MLA, APA, Bluebook, New York Times, or Wikipedia style. It’s also always capitalized when it’s the first word of the title or subtitle or when it’s part of a proper noun, regardless of the style guide.
Since all major style guides dictate that you should capitalize “that,” you shouldn’t have the word in lowercase whenever it is part of your title.
So, is “that” capitalized in a title? All major style guides agree that you should capitalize major words like “that” in titles and headlines. While this universal treatment makes this rule easy to follow, you can utilize our free title case converter to ensure you achieve accurate capitalization every time.