Quick Answer
Why "Between" Is Always Capitalized
"Between" is a preposition – a word that shows the relationship between elements in a sentence ("the space between the trees," "a choice between two options," "between you and me"). Prepositions are one of the primary categories that title case rules examine, but they're handled differently depending on the style guide.
"Between" is a seven-letter word, which puts it well above every threshold in the major style guides. AP, APA, and MLA all capitalize words of four or more letters, so "between" qualifies easily. Chicago's approach to prepositions is more complex. Historically, the Chicago Manual of Style lowercased all prepositions regardless of length. However, the 18th edition (2024) revised this rule to capitalize prepositions of five or more letters while keeping shorter prepositions lowercase. Since "between" has seven letters, it gets capitalized under the new Chicago rule as well.
The result is unique and straightforward: there is no major style guide in which "between" should be lowercase. This makes it one of the simplest words to handle in title case.
By Style Guide
| Style Guide | “between” in middle of title? | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| AP | Capitalize | Capitalize words of four or more letters |
| APA | Capitalize | Capitalize words of four or more letters |
| Chicago | Capitalize | Capitalize prepositions of five or more letters (18th ed.) |
| MLA | Capitalize | Capitalize words of four or more letters |
"Between" is a word that highlights the difference between Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition (pre-2024) and 18th edition (2024). In the 17th edition, Chicago lowercased all prepositions in titles regardless of length – so "between" would have been lowercase: "The Choice between Good and Evil." However, the 18th edition updated this rule. Since "between" has seven letters, it now gets capitalized: "The Choice Between Good and Evil." Other long prepositions affected by this change include "without," "through," "before," "after," and "during." In contrast, short prepositions like "to," "for," "in," "on," and "from" remain lowercase in both editions.
Examples
✓ Do
- The Choice Between Two Paths
- A Bridge Between Nations
- Communication Between Teams
- Living Between Two Worlds
✗ Do not
The Choice between Two Paths
Correct under Chicago 17th (outdated) — incorrect under all current guides
A Bridge BETWEEN Nations
All-caps preposition — never correct in any style guide
Edge Cases
A few situations where the standard rules shift:
- "Between" as the first word of a title. All style guides capitalize the first word of a title regardless of part of speech or length. "Between the Lines: A Reading Guide" — ✓ (all styles).
- "Between" as the last word of a title. Most style guides require capitalizing the last word of a title, regardless of length or part of speech. "The Secrets We Keep Between" — ✓ (all styles).
- "Between" in date or range expressions. Titles sometimes express ranges using "between...and" construction. In this context, "between" is a preposition showing range boundaries – capitalize it in all current styles. "Historical Data Between 1950 and 2000" — ✓.
- "Between" after a colon or dash. When a colon introduces a subtitle, the first word after the colon is treated as a new title segment. Capitalize "between" after a colon in all styles. "Relationships: Between Conflict and Connection" — ✓.
Frequently Asked Questions
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About Oleh Kovalenko
Oleh Kovalenko develops practical capitalization guidance for editorial and SEO workflows, with a focus on consistent rule application.
