How to Capitalize Compound Words in Titles Using Chicago Style

Hyphenate compound words correctly for clear and great-looking titles.

The capitalization of compound words in titles can be a source of confusion for the writer or editor. Should you capitalize the "first" in "twenty-first"? Should you capitalize "gun" in "anti-gun"? The University of Chicago Press, as a promulgator of Chicago style, recommends using a simple set of rules for capitalization of compound words in titles. Follow these capitalization rules if you or the publication you're writing for uses Chicago style.

Instructions

1. Capitalize the first element of every compound word. For example, "Use Your Elephant-Gun Ammunition Wisely."

2. Capitalize the second element and any following element of a compound word unless that element is an article, a preposition or a coordinating conjunction (for, nor, or, and, but). For example, "The Unforgettable-but-Inimical Comedy of Buster Tight Shoes."

3. Capitalize the second element of a spelled-out number. For example, "Sunday Sees Twenty-Third Anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille."

4. Do not capitalize the second or following element of a compound word if the element is the word "sharp" or the word "flat" following a musical key symbol. For example, "Analysis of Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat."

5. Do not capitalize an element following a prefix if the prefix is not a word and the element is not a proper noun or proper adjective. For example, "Anti-clerical Riots Commonplace in Tangier" but "Anti-Swiss Sentiment Common among Martians."

References

• "The Chicago Manual of Style"; University of Chicago Press; 2010