Mastering the art of italicizing is more than just a grammatical rule—it’s a skill that enhances clarity and professionalism in writing, whether you’re a student writing academic papers or a professional drafting formal documents.
English has a lot of grammatical rules to keep in mind. From the usage of commas to capitalization, knowing how to write properly is an important skill to hone for those in school and beyond. Whether you are writing research papers or formal letters, you’ll come across instances of italicization. Knowing when to italicize is an important skill to master.
Let’s take a look at how italics came to exist and when to italicize. With this guide, you’ll soon be an italics pro!
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
Italics is when a typeface is slanted to the right, like this!
It serves to distinguish words from the surrounding text and draw attention. Similar to underlining, italics add emphasis, but both should not be used together . Underlining was once the primary method of creating emphasis in typewritten texts. However, with the advancement of word processors and printing technologies, italics have become a more popular and visually appealing alternative.
As writing shifted to digital formats, italics became a visual cue to emphasize important concepts and ensure fluid readability, a function it continues to perform today.
While italics can add emphasis, their usage is not merely a matter of personal choice. There are rules and guidelines to follow to know when to italicize. Let’s take a look at some of the rules:
Want a word or phrase to stand out in a block of text? Try writing in italics.
For example: I went to grab pizza with friends today. It was so delicious that I ate an entire pie .
Notice how the italicized “so” draws your attention and adds more weight to the meaning.
Titles of major works, such as books, films, and artwork, are italicized. This helps distinguish them from the surrounding text.
Unlike titles of major works, articles are considered shorter works and should be placed in quotation marks, not italicized.
For example, you could write something like: In his article “A Mystery Explained” for The New York Times , the author exposed the details of the crime.
If you’re writing in one language but you want to introduce a word in another language, you may consider italicizing it.
For example, “The word for ‘war’ in Spanish is guerra .”
The names of transportation vehicles, like ships, trains, and spacecraft (excluding cars and other smaller vehicles like trucks and bikes), should be italicized.
For example, Challenger , the famous space shuttle, is italicized to set it apart from the surrounding text.
Italics can be used to emphasize onomatopoeia or words that reproduce sounds.
For example: “The bees buzzed bzzz in my ear.”
However, don’t italicize regular verbs that imply sound, like “thud” in “There was a loud thud.”
When using a word to refer to itself rather than its meaning, italicizing it helps clarify its use.
For example: “He defined the word close in the context of the situation as being within 6 feet of each other.”
Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash
There are various writing formats that have slightly different rules. When you’re writing a scholarly paper, you may be advised to write in MLA format or APA format.
The MLA format may allow for interchangeability between italics and underlines. In the APA format, these are some examples of when to use and when not to use italics — and they aren’t always in line with the examples above. In APA format, for example, you should not use italics just for emphasis.
So before writing any scholarly paper, it’s useful to double check the rules for italics according to the specific guidelines.
Use Italics
Do Not Use Italics
This list of rules and exceptions can feel overwhelming. And there’s still more to learn and remember on top of the points above! Keep in mind:
Although there is a lot to remember when it comes to what to italicize, the good news is that you can always research whether or not something should be italicized online or refer back to this list!
As a student, it’s important to fine tune your grammar skills now so that when you graduate and enter the workforce, you can produce exemplary work every time!
As mentioned, when writing research papers or any other academic paper, your professor will share what standards they want you to abide by. Whether it’s MLA or APA formats, you can look up the rules for when to italicize before and during the writing process.
Then, when you edit, be sure to check all your usages of underlines, italics, and quotation marks to ensure they are implemented correctly!
Italics should be used in academic writing to emphasize specific words or phrases, denote titles of longer works (books, journals, movies), introduce new or unfamiliar terms, and highlight foreign words not commonly used in English. Always check the specific guidelines of the citation style you’re following, such as MLA, APA , or Chicago.
While italics can be used for emphasis in casual writing, it’s not always recommended for academic or formal writing, especially in APA format. In those cases, it’s best to rely on strong, clear sentence structure to convey emphasis without italics.
Article titles, along with shorter works like chapters and poems, should be placed in quotation marks rather than italicized. Italics are reserved for longer works such as books, newspapers, and movies.
Yes, foreign words should generally be italicized when they are not commonly used in English. However, if the word has been assimilated into the English language, such as déjà vu or per se , italics are not necessary unless your style guide suggests otherwise.
No, italics and underlining should not be used together for the same word or phrase. They serve similar purposes, so combining them is visually disruptive and unnecessary. Stick to using one or the other, and in modern digital writing, italics are preferred over underlining.
