Title Case vs Sentence Case: When to Use Each
A practical guide to the two most common capitalization styles in writing, blogging, and UI copy — with rules, examples, and edge cases.
Why capitalization matters
Capitalization is one of the smallest style decisions you make — and one of the most visible. A headline in the wrong case can make a professional article look like a rushed blog draft, or a friendly product tour feel like a legal notice.
The two dominant styles
Title Case capitalizes the first letter of each major word. Articles ("a", "an", "the"), short prepositions, and conjunctions stay lowercase unless they start the sentence.
Sentence case capitalizes only the first word and proper nouns, like a normal sentence.
When to use Title Case
- Book, film, and article titles
- Product names and marketing headlines
- Column headers in tables
- Formal navigation labels
When to use sentence case
- UI microcopy, buttons, tooltips
- Modern documentation
- Blog post subheadings
- Anything that should feel conversational
The quick rule
If it sounds like a title, use Title Case. If it sounds like a sentence, use sentence case. When in doubt, sentence case reads faster on screens.
Try both instantly with our Title Case Converter and Sentence Case Converter.