“For” is normally lowercase in the middle of both APA and Chicago title case when it functions as a short conjunction or short preposition. Position still matters, and a converter should not generalize that answer to unrelated grammatical uses without checking context.
ReviewedEvidence2 sourcesSectionWriting & Style
Quick answer
Usually lowercase “for” in an ordinary internal position under APA 7 and Chicago 18. APA lowercases short conjunctions/prepositions; Chicago lowercases “for” as a named common coordinating conjunction and also lowercases short prepositions. Capitalize it when a boundary rule requires it.
Key details
APA 7normally lowercase internally in covered minor-word uses
Automation Classdeterministic for reviewed conjunction/preposition contexts
Chicago 18lowercase internally as common coordinating conjunction or short preposition
Wordfor
Word Classconjunction or preposition
Style-by-style guidance
APA 7
“For” has three letters, so APA normally treats it as a minor word when it is a conjunction or preposition inside a title.
Chicago 18
Chicago names “for” among common coordinating conjunctions kept lowercase internally, and a three-letter prepositional “for” is also below Chicago 18’s five-letter preposition threshold.
Important caveats
Boundary Rule
At the start of a title or subtitle, capitalization follows the boundary rule rather than the internal minor-word rule.
Further guidance
Why Context Still Matters
Grammatical role still matters even for apparently easy words, so a useful shortcut should not become an absolute grammar claim.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
“As” is a grammar-sensitive title-case word. APA normally lowercases it internally because it is a short conjunction or preposition, while Chicago 18 explicitly keeps “as” lowercase in any grammatical function except where a boundary rule independently requires capitalization.
“Than” exposes a genuine style-engine edge case. APA capitalizes it because it has four letters, while Chicago 18 may lowercase it as a preposition but capitalize it as a conjunction, so Chicago output can depend on the grammatical structure of the title.
Prepositions are one of the clearest places where title styles diverge. APA uses a four-letter major-word threshold, Chicago 18 capitalizes prepositions of five letters or more, and MLA editorial guidance generally lowercases internal prepositions regardless of length.
APA title case capitalizes the first word, the first word of a subtitle, major words, and words of four letters or more while keeping short minor words lowercase in ordinary mid-title positions.
Chicago 18 uses title case for titles of works and changed a long-standing rule: prepositions of five letters or more are now capitalized. Shorter prepositions generally remain lowercase internally, while first and last words are capitalized and “to” remains lowercase as an infinitive marker in ordinary mid-title use.
Coordinating conjunctions are a major source of title-case differences: APA lowercases short conjunctions, while current Chicago names a narrower lowercase set and capitalizes “so” and “yet.”
APA capitalizes “About” internally because it has at least four letters. Chicago 18 also capitalizes it when used as a preposition because current Chicago capitalizes prepositions of five letters or more. MLA treatment still depends on grammatical function, so prepositional and principal-word uses should not be collapsed into one rule.
APA capitalizes “Across” internally because it has at least four letters. Chicago 18 also capitalizes it when used as a preposition because current Chicago capitalizes prepositions of five letters or more. MLA treatment still depends on grammatical function, so prepositional and principal-word uses should not be collapsed into one rule.
