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Look at headings across the web and you’ll see two styles: “How To Write A Great Resume” and “How to write a great resume”. Neither is wrong — but mixing them looks careless. Here’s how each style works and when to use it.
The two styles
Title Case capitalises the first letter of the main words:
How to Write a Great Resume in 2026
Sentence case capitalises only the first word and proper nouns, like a normal sentence:
How to write a great resume in 2026
Title Case rules
Style guides differ slightly, but most agree on these basics:
- Capitalise nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs: Write, Great, Resume, Quickly, Your.
- Lowercase short articles, conjunctions and prepositions: a, an, the, and, but, or, for, in, on, at, to, of.
- Always capitalise the first and last words.
- Capitalise both parts of hyphenated words in many styles: Step-by-Step Guide.
Title Case: The Best Places to Visit in Kerala During the Monsoon
Sentence case: The best places to visit in Kerala during the monsoon
Note that Kerala stays capitalised in both — it's a proper noun.
Sentence case rules
Simple: write it like a sentence.
- Capitalise the first word.
- Capitalise proper nouns: names, places, brands, months, languages (Diwali, Mumbai, Google, Hindi, March).
- Capitalise acronyms as usual (GST, PDF, EMI).
- Everything else in lowercase.
Which should you use?
| Where | Common choice |
|---|---|
| Book, film and song titles | Title Case |
| Newspaper headlines (traditional) | Title Case |
| Formal reports and academic papers | Depends on the style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago) |
| Website headings and blog titles | Either — sentence case is increasingly popular |
| App buttons, menus and labels | Sentence case in most modern design systems |
| Email subject lines | Either, but be consistent |
Why sentence case is gaining ground
It’s easier to read, especially in longer headings, and it removes debates about which small words to capitalise. Many large technology companies’ style guides recommend sentence case for interface text.
When Title Case still wins
Title Case signals formality and importance, which suits book titles, legal headings, printed brochures and event names.
Consistency matters most
Readers rarely notice which style you use — but they do notice when headings switch between styles on the same page. Pick one, write it down in a simple style guide for your website or team, and stick to it.
Other cases worth knowing
- UPPERCASE — fine for short labels and acronyms; hard to read in sentences.
- lowercase — informal, sometimes used for brand names and social posts.
- camelCase, snake_case, kebab-case — naming styles in programming and URLs: pageTitle, page_title, page-title.
Convert text instantly
Our Case Converter changes any text to UPPERCASE, lowercase, Title Case, Sentence case, camelCase, snake_case or kebab-case with one click — handy for fixing headings, product names, or text typed with Caps Lock on. Always give the result a quick read, as automatic title case can’t know every exception (like brand names written in lowercase).
Free toolTry the Case ConverterChange the letter case of any text with one click.Frequently asked questions
Which words stay lowercase in Title Case?
Usually short articles (a, an, the), short conjunctions (and, but, or) and short prepositions (in, on, at, of, to) — unless they are the first or last word.
Should button labels use title case?
Many modern design systems use sentence case for buttons and menus, e.g. 'Save changes' rather than 'Save Changes'. Follow your brand's style guide.
Is ALL CAPS ever OK?
For short labels and acronyms, yes. For sentences or paragraphs, all caps is harder to read and can feel like shouting.
Written by the Toolsopedia team. Spotted an error? Tell us and we’ll fix it.