Toward and towards are both prepositions. Cambridge describes toward as mainly US and towards as mainly UK. APA capitalizes either spelling internally because each has at least four letters; Chicago 18 capitalizes either because each is a preposition of five letters or more; MLA ordinarily lowercases an internal preposition.
ReviewedEvidence6 sourcesSectionWriting & Style
Quick answer
APA: capitalize Toward/Towards. Chicago 18: capitalize Toward/Towards. MLA: ordinarily lowercase either spelling when used internally as a preposition. Cambridge marks toward as mainly US and towards as mainly UK.
Key details
APA 7Capitalize internally.
Chicago 18Capitalize internally.
MLA 9Ordinarily lowercase internally as a preposition.
Regional notetoward mainly US; towards mainly UK
TermsToward, Towards
Word Classpreposition
Important caveats
Automation boundary
Because both forms are prepositions in the reviewed use, APA and Chicago 18 can resolve them safely in ordinary internal position; the MLA converter remains globally disabled until its current-edition minor-word matrix is complete.
Regional Form
Cambridge says both are valid: “towards” is much more common in British English, while “toward” is mainly US.
Further guidance
Quick rule
Both spellings are prepositions; capitalization depends on the style, not on the regional spelling.
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.
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.
MLA 9 describes title style as capitalizing the first word, last word, and all principal words. MLA’s public Style Center also documents the traditional lowercase treatment of internal prepositions, but its detailed preposition article is edition-labeled for MLA 8, so this engine does not yet treat the full MLA 9 converter profile as complete.
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 capitalizes “Against” internally because it has at least four letters. Chicago 18 also capitalizes it because prepositions of five letters or more are capitalized. MLA ordinarily lowercases internal prepositions, while any principal-word use needs grammatical classification before an automated decision.
APA capitalizes “Among” internally because it has at least four letters. Chicago 18 also capitalizes it because prepositions of five letters or more are capitalized. MLA ordinarily lowercases internal prepositions, while any principal-word use needs grammatical classification before an automated decision.
Usually no in the middle of a title. “at” is a short preposition: APA lowercases short prepositions of three letters or fewer, Chicago 18 lowercases prepositions of four letters or fewer, and MLA title style normally treats internal prepositions as minor words. The answer depends on the style guide and position, so this page separates APA 7, Chicago 18, and MLA guidance instead of applying one generic title-case list.
Usually no in the middle of a title. “by” is a short preposition: APA lowercases short prepositions of three letters or fewer, Chicago 18 lowercases prepositions of four letters or fewer, and MLA title style normally treats internal prepositions as minor words. The answer depends on the style guide and position, so this page separates APA 7, Chicago 18, and MLA guidance instead of applying one generic title-case list.
