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

Yes — "was" is always capitalized in title case because it is a verb.

verb (past tense of to be)
Capitalized in 7 styles
Lowercase in 3 styles
Title Case
YES
Capitalized — verbs are always capitalized in title case
AP Style
YES
Capitalized — verbs are capitalized regardless of length
NYT Style
YES
Capitalized — verbs are capitalized
Chicago Style
YES
Capitalized — verbs are principal words
MLA Style
YES
Capitalized — verbs are always capitalized
APA Style
no
Sentence case — only first word and proper nouns
AMA Style
YES
Capitalized — verbs are capitalized
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

"Was" is the past tense singular form of "to be" and is always capitalized in title case. Every style guide that uses title case — AP Style, Chicago Style, MLA Style, NYT Style, and AMA Style — capitalizes verbs as principal words.

AP Style, Chicago Style, MLA Style, NYT Style, and AMA Style all capitalize verbs as principal words. "Was," "is," "are," "be," and "were" are all verbs and all capitalized.

APA Style, Wikipedia Style, and Sentence Case use sentence case and would lowercase "was" in the middle of a title. These styles do not differentiate between word types — only position matters.

"Was" as a title-opener is always capitalized in every style guide. Titles like "Was It Love?" or "Was She Right?" capitalize "Was" because it is both the first word and a verb.

"Was" is a three-letter verb and is capitalized in all title case styles. The word is short enough that writers sometimes confuse it with lowercase function words like "the" or "and," but the rule is grammatical category, not length.