Understanding whether to capitalize "during" in a title is less about rigid grammar rules and more about adhering to established style conventions. The decision hinges on several factors, including the specific style guide you follow and the word's function within the title. Generally, the word "during" is considered a preposition, and prepositions are typically lowercased unless they meet certain criteria for capitalization.
The Standard Rule for Prepositions
Most style guides, including the widely used Associated Press (AP) and Chicago Manual of Style, recommend capitalizing major words in titles. This includes nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Conversely, articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or), and short prepositions (fewer than five letters) are usually left lowercase. Since "during" is a preposition with seven letters, it falls into the category of words that are typically lowercased in titles following these standards.
Exceptions to the Length Rule
While the five-letter rule is a helpful guideline, some style guides adopt a more absolute approach. For instance, the Associated Press Stylebook dictates that prepositions of any length should be lowercase in titles unless they are the first or last word. Therefore, under AP style, "during" would almost always be written as "during" in a headline. Other guides might capitalize longer prepositions to maintain visual consistency, but the prevailing trend is to keep shorter function words in lowercase.
Contextual Considerations
The specific context of your writing plays a crucial role. In academic or professional settings, strict adherence to a designated style guide is mandatory. If you are writing a news article, the AP style is likely your standard, favoring the lowercase "during." In contrast, if you are crafting a book title or a formal report following Chicago style, you might have a bit more flexibility, though consistency remains paramount. The meaning of the title should also remain clear when the word is lowercased.
AP Style: Generally lowercase "during" in titles.
Chicago Manual of Style: Often capitalized in academic titles, but check specific edition updates.
APA Style: Similar to Chicago, typically capitalizing most words longer than three letters.
Practical Application in Headlines
When you see the word "during" in the headline of a major publication, it is almost always lowercase. This visual consistency helps readers quickly parse the title and identify the key nouns and verbs. Seeing it capitalized would be unusual and might even cause a brief pause as the reader questions if it is a proper noun or an acronym. Maintaining this convention ensures your title looks polished and adheres to industry norms.
Final Recommendation
For the vast majority of titles, headlines, and headlines, the safest and most professional approach is to write "during" in lowercase. Unless you are specifically following a style guide that mandates capitalizing prepositions of any length, or the word appears at the beginning or end of the title, keeping it lowercase is the standard practice. This approach ensures clarity, maintains consistency with major publications, and avoids distracting the reader with unexpected capitalization.
