Title Case vs Sentence Case – When to Use What | Rune

Capitalization rules can be confusing. Should your heading be "How to Write Better Headlines" (Title Case) or "How to write better headlines" (Sentence case)? Understanding when to use each format is essential for professional writing.

What is Title Case?

Title Case capitalizes the first letter of each major word. Minor words (a, an, the, and, but, or, for, nor, in, to) are typically lowercase unless they start the sentence.

Example: "The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog"

When to Use Title Case

• Book titles and chapter headings
• Newspaper headlines (many publications)
• Movie and song titles
• Formal document headings
• Marketing materials and slogans

What is Sentence Case?

Sentence case capitalizes only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns, just like a regular sentence.

Example: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"

When to Use Sentence Case

• Blog post titles (many modern blogs)
• Email subject lines
• Web page headings (UX preference)
• Social media captions
• Informal or conversational content

Side-by-Side Comparison

Aspect	Title Case	Sentence Case
Formality	Higher	Lower
Readability	Slightly harder	Easier
Style	Traditional	Modern
Use in academia	Common	Less common
Use in tech	Declining	Growing

Style Guide Recommendations

APA (7th Edition)

• Titles in text: Title Case
• Reference list titles: Sentence case

AP Style

• Headlines: Title Case (traditional newspapers)

Web Content (Google, Microsoft)

• Headings: Sentence case preferred for user-friendly UX

Converting Between Cases

Use Rune's Case Converter to instantly convert text:

1. Paste your text.
2. Find "Title Case" or "Sentence case" in the results.
3. Click "Copy" to use the converted text.

Quick Decision Guide

You're Writing...	Use...
A book title	Title Case
A blog post title	Sentence case
A legal document heading	Title Case
An app interface label	Sentence case
An academic paper title	Title Case
A marketing email subject	Sentence case

Conclusion

Both Title Case and Sentence case have their place. Title Case feels formal and traditional; Sentence case feels modern and approachable. When in doubt, check your style guide—or convert both ways with Rune's Case Converter and see what fits.