Does Their Get Capitalized In A Title

Does their get capitalized in a title? This question often pops up for writers, editors, and students who are polishing headlines, essay titles, or blog headings. The short answer is that the pronoun their is treated like any other word in title case: it is capitalized only when it appears as the first or last word of the title, or when a specific style guide calls for capitalizing all major words regardless of length. In most standard title‑case conventions, however, their remains lowercase because it is considered a minor word (a pronoun that is not deemed “important” enough to warrant capitalization). Below we explore the rules, exceptions, and practical guidance to help you decide when to capitalize their in a title.

H2: Understanding Title Case Basics

Title case is a capitalization style used for headings, titles of works, and subheadings. Unlike sentence case (where only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized), title case aims to highlight the main words while keeping minor words lowercase. The exact definition of “major” versus “minor” words varies among style guides, but the core idea is consistent:

• First and last words are always capitalized.
• Major words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions) are capitalized.
• Minor words (articles, coordinating conjunctions, prepositions of three letters or fewer, and sometimes short pronouns) are usually left lowercase unless they fall in the first or last position.

Because their is a pronoun, many guides classify it as a major word. However, the length‑based exceptions that some guides apply (e.g., lowercasing words of three letters or fewer) do not affect their (five letters). Consequently, most authorities treat their as a word that should be capitalized in title case—unless the guide explicitly lists pronouns among the minor words to be lowercased.

H2: How Major Style Guides Treat “their”

H3: The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS)

CMOS recommends capitalizing all major words, including pronouns, regardless of length. Therefore, in Chicago style, their is capitalized whenever it appears in a title, except when it is the first or last word (which are always capitalized anyway). Example:

• The Impact of Their Decisions on Community Outcomes

H3: Associated Press (AP) Style

AP style also capitalizes major words, which include pronouns. Thus, their is capitalized in AP headlines:

• Officials Warn Residents About Their Safety Measures

H3: Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook

MLA follows a similar approach to Chicago: capitalize nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions. Hence, their is capitalized:

• Exploring Their Influence on Modern Poetry

H3: American Psychological Association (APA) Style APA’s title‑case rules (used for article titles in references) capitalize major words of four letters or more. Since their has five letters, it is capitalized:

• Effects of Their Intervention on Student Motivation

H3: New York Times (NYT) Style

The NYT manual capitalizes major words but makes an exception for short prepositions, articles, and conjunctions. Pronouns are considered major, so their is capitalized:

• How Their Policies Shape Urban Development

H3: Wikipedia’s Manual of Style

Wikipedia advises capitalizing the first and last words and all major words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions). Again, their is capitalized:

• Their Role in the Evolution of Language

Takeaway: Across the most widely used style guides, their is generally capitalized in title case because it is classified as a pronoun (a major word). The only situation where it would stay lowercase is if you are following a style guide that explicitly lists pronouns among the minor words to be lowercased—a practice that is rare but does exist in some house styles or specialized formatting rules.

H2: When “their” Might Remain Lowercase Even though the majority of guides capitalize their, there are a few scenarios where you might see it lowercase:

1. Sentence‑case titles – If you are using sentence case (only the first word and proper nouns capitalized), their will be lowercase unless it starts the title.

   • their impact on climate policy

2. Specific house styles – Some publishers or academic journals adopt a modified title case where all words longer than three letters are capitalized except pronouns, treating them as minor for stylistic uniformity. In such a case, their stays lowercase.

   • Analysis of their Effect on Market Trends

3. First or last word exceptions – If their appears as the first or last word, it is capitalized regardless of the rule, because those positions are always capitalized.

   • Their Journey to Success (first word)
   • Reflections on Their (last word)

4. All‑caps or small‑caps formatting – When a title is set in all caps or small caps, the distinction between uppercase and lowercase disappears visually, but the underlying rule still applies.

If you are uncertain which convention your target outlet follows, consult its author guidelines or style sheet. When writing for a general audience, defaulting to the capitalization recommended by Chicago, APA, MLA, or AP is a safe bet.

H2: Practical Examples

Below are side‑by‑side examples showing how their appears under different styling choices.

H2: Practical Examples (Continued)

Additional Scenarios

• Hyphenated compounds – When their appears as part of a hyphenated modifier, the capitalization rule applies to the whole unit.

  • Their‑Owned Assets in the Portfolio (capitalized)

• Acronyms that include “their” – If the acronym is formed from the word their, it is treated as an all‑caps element and therefore appears uppercase regardless of style.

  • THEIR‑BASED MODEL OF DATA SHARING

• Foreign‑language titles – When a title is translated and the English word their is retained, the same capitalization rules of the target language’s style guide apply.

  • Their Influence on French Policy (capitalized in English‑language publishing)

H2: Choosing the Right Approach for Your Audience

1. Identify the target style guide – Review the publication’s style sheet or the citation manual you are required to follow. 2. Determine the title’s function – If the title will appear in a header, on a cover page, or as a metadata field, the chosen convention may affect SEO or discoverability.
2. Maintain consistency – Apply the same capitalization rule to all titles within a single document or series to avoid visual dissonance.
3. Consider the reader’s expectations – General‑audience readers are accustomed to seeing their capitalized in titles; deviating without a clear reason can distract them.

Conclusion

The word their occupies a nuanced spot at the intersection of grammar and typography. In the dominant style guides used for books, academic papers, news articles, and most online content, their is treated as a major word and therefore capitalized in title case. Exceptions exist—chiefly in sentence‑case titles, specialized house styles that demote pronouns, or formatting constraints such as all‑caps presentations—but these are relatively rare and usually defined by the publishing house or outlet.

When crafting titles, the safest default is to capitalize their unless you have a specific style requirement that dictates otherwise. By aligning your capitalization choices with the expectations of your intended audience and the governing style guide, you ensure that your titles appear polished, professional, and consistent across all platforms.