Title capitalization guide
Is "The" Capitalized in a Title?

No — "the" is lowercase in the middle of a title in almost every style guide, and capitalized only as the first or last word.

definite article
Capitalized in 1 style
Lowercase in 9 styles
Title Case
no
Lowercase as a definite article unless first or last word
AP Style
no
Always lowercase as an article
NYT Style
no
Always lowercase as an article
Chicago Style
no
Always lowercase as an article
MLA Style
no
Always lowercase as an article
APA Style
no
Sentence case — only first word and proper nouns capitalized
AMA Style
no
Always lowercase as an article
BB Style
YES
Every word capitalized — no exceptions
Wikipedia Style
no
Sentence case — only first word and proper nouns
Sentence Case
no
Only the first word of a title is capitalized

The full answer

"The" is lowercase in the middle of a title in AP Style, Chicago Style, MLA Style, and most other editorial style guides. It is only ever capitalized when it appears as the first or last word of a title.

The only universal exception is position. When "the" is the first word of a title, it is always capitalized regardless of style guide. When it is the last word — which is rare but possible — it is also capitalized.

Billboard Style is the one context where "the" is always capitalized. Album covers, song titles, and entertainment copy capitalize every single word, including "the," for maximum visual impact.

APA Style and Wikipedia Style both use sentence case, which means "the" is lowercase anywhere in a title except the very first position. This is the most minimalist approach to title capitalization.

Every major style guide — AP Style, Chicago Style, MLA Style, AMA Style, and NYT Style — treats "the" as a function word that stays lowercase in the middle of a title. The reasoning is that articles like "the," "a," and "an" do not carry independent meaning the way nouns and verbs do.