Is “With” Capitalized In A Title? When and When Not To

Did you know that even the most experienced grammar enthusiasts will ask: is “with” capitalized in a title? Titles introduce your essay, research paper, book, or other writings, and you have to write it correctly, especially if it has the word “with” for your readers to see. If you have a poorly written “with” in the title, people might not want to read your content further.

According to the English title writing rules, “with” should always be lowercase. That is because it’s a short preposition. Title writing rules are different for the short and long prepositions. If a proposition has four words or less, don’t capitalize it. But again, there are some exceptions.

Most people have a hard time determining if the word “with” should be capitalized when writing in a title, and it is for a good reason. The conventional way of writing titles in a document prioritizes the capitalization of most words; nouns, adjectives, pronouns, verbs, and adverbs. Capitalizing the word is a mistake in most cases, but let us learn more about “with” and how to use it when writing a title.

Rules of Capitalizing “With” In a Title

Rules of capitalizing “with” change depending on your writing style. The general rule is that you should not capitalize “with” when you are writing a title, but that might change depending on the style you are using.

MLA and Chicago

If your writing style is either in MLA or Chicago, you will need to adhere to the style’s rules on capitalization. For example, according to the writing rule-based on MLA and Chicago, you should not capitalize the word “with” when it is in a title. Instead, ensure the word “with” is lowercase and visible enough.

Example in sentences:

• Exercise with Tom Today
• What to Do with Your Life after a Divorce
• Count with Me for Days

AP and APA Styles

The other writing styles are the AP and the APA styles. The rule of not capitalizing the word “with” in your title changes when using these writing styles. That means if your writing style is either AP or the APA, then when writing a title with the word “with,” you should capitalize it. The reason is that both AP and APA will require you to capitalize title words that are four characters or longer.

Example in sentences:

• Exercise With Tom Today
• What to Do With Your Life after a Divorce
• Count With Me for Days

It is vital to understand the writing style required because that will significantly impact how you write your titles. Note that a minor alteration like capitalizing or not capitalizing the word “with” can confuse your readers, and that’s not what you want. In fact, if an academic paper or presentation relies on a specific style, such an error could disqualify you.

Exceptions for Capitalizing “with” In a Title

As stated above, when writing general English, the word “with” should not be capitalized. An exception is when the word starts or finishes the title sentence. According to the title writing rules, you must capitalize the first and the last word in a title.

Note that capitalization of the first and the last word is a must regardless of whether your writing style is MLA, Chicago, AP, or APA. With that in mind, in case the title starts or ends with the word “with,” don’t contemplate writing it in uppercase.

Example in sentences:

• 10 Things You Should Not Put Up With
• Ways to Find a Life Partner to Dance With
• With and Without Fear Explained

Another case where it is appropriate to capitalize the word “with” is a title that includes a preposition and certain words before and after the preposition. For example, it would be appropriate to capitalize the word “with” in a title like “With or Without You.”

With is also uppercased if it is part of the official title; otherwise, it should be all lowercase. For instance, a song with the title “With Your Good Friends Forever” will require you to capitalize “with.” Not just because it appears as the first word in the sentence, but it’s also part of the title. Note that if the title is a sentence and you want to add “with” in parentheses, it should be lowercase.

You may capitalize the word if it helps readability. Still, as with all such decisions, it is important to be consistent throughout the document and not to capitalize unless it will help clarity.

More Alternative Rules When Capitalizing With In Titles

The word “with” can be paired with a verb to form a phrasal verb when writing your title. Note that when a phrase becomes a phrasal verb, you must capitalize it if it is in your title.

The best way to understand the previous statement is to learn about phrasal verbs and their formation. For a phrasal verb to be formed, you will need to combine a verb and another element. The element can be either a proposition or an adverb. When you combine a verb with the preposition “with,” it becomes a phrasal verb, which means if it is part of your title, then you should capitalize it.

Capitalization of the phrasal verb is a must regardless of the English writing style that you are using. The rule of capitalizing the phrasal verb does not change. Here are three examples to look at keenly:

• How to Get Away With Murder
• Come-Up With a Business Plan: Six Steps to Follow
• How to Come to Terms With Death

The word “with” is capitalized in the above examples because it is a part of a phrase; it cannot be singled out in a phrase and ignored. One point to note about phrases is that all the words used are essential. Without one, then the whole phrase would lose meaning. That is why the word phrase needs to be capitalized like one.

10 Examples of Correct Capitalization Of “with” In Titles

Even with the explanation above, the correct way to capitalize “with” in a title might still seem unclear to some people. At first, it might even seem like you are learning grammar afresh. But here’s the thing: the best way to master the rule on when to capitalize or not capitalize “with” in a title is by reading sentence examples for a clearer understanding of the various rules. Here are ten examples of the correct use of “with” in titles.

1. The book titled “With All Your Might” is very inspiring.
2. I have read the script for “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” twice, and I still do not understand the plot twist.
3. After reading “Playing with Fire,” I got an insight into what I needed to do.
4. Is the book titled “Happy Days with the Naked Chef” hilarious?
5. We danced to the song “Somebody to Dance With.”
6. Our assignment was to watch and review the movie “Gone with the Wind.”
7. I found the 1990 film “Dances with Wolves” interesting.
8. The title of the Slogan was “Fighting Fire With Fire.”
9. I have never read the book “West With the Swords.”
10. We all danced to the song “I Can’t Live with You Anymore.”

Conclusion

Even for those who understand English and capitalization rules, learning to capitalize “with” in a title is a huge milestone. Due to the various rules and changes in style, it might take some time before you understand some concepts, but the secret to learning is reading and practicing. When you practice regularly, you will be surprised how you will be an expert.

The best way to practice writing “with” in your titles is by writing different sentences and titles. The more you practice, the more familiar you become with the various writing rules. The best time to start learning is now. Write down all your title ideas with the word “with” and counter-check to ensure you are doing it right.