titles applied to names

The following rules apply to:

• Academic titles
• Honorific titles
• Honorary titles
• Formal titles
• Academic titles
• Royal titles
• Military titles
• Work titles
• Government/elected titles

Titles before a name are only capitalized when:

1. the title is a formal title, a royal/nobility title, an academic title, a military rank, or a legislative title
2. AND used before a person’s name

Always capitalize at least the first word of any title if it’s the first word in the sentence or at the beginning of a line.

Example:

• Professor Thurston Green, president of the Royal Society of Canine Breeders at Oxford University, met with King Charles III Thursday for tea.
• Sincerely,
  Dr. Lindsey Lewis
  Secretary
  Society of Podiatry
• Today, we remember Sen. Dianne Feinstein and movie star John Wayne.
• Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black woman to sit on the bench of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Otherwise, titles — including work titles, courtesy titles, and other titles — are not capitalized. Do not use honorifics in news such as Mr., Mrs., Mx. or Ms.

Example:

• Although president of the board Robin Rex was new, they were determined to see change.
• Sandra Day O’Connor, a justice for 25 years, was the first female on the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Kamala Harris, the U.S. vice president, is the first woman to hold the office.

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