italicize

Sometimes a word looks slightly slanted on the page, and that small change can carry meaning. To italicize something means to put it in italics, a type style that leans to one side. Writers do this to give gentle emphasis, to mark titles such as books or movies, to show thoughts in a story, or to set apart some foreign words and phrases. It is a simple formatting choice, but it often helps readers notice how a word should be understood.

To italicize means to print or write a word or passage in italics, a style of letters that usually slopes to the right. It is a common formatting choice in writing, editing, and publishing, and it helps signal that a piece of text should be read in a special way.

People italicize text for several common reasons. One is emphasis. If a writer wants to stress one word without changing the whole sentence, italics can do that: I said now, not later. Another reason is style convention. Many guides use italics for the titles of major works, such as books, films, newspapers, plays, albums, and TV series. Italics may also show a character's thoughts in fiction, or mark a word from another language that still feels separate from everyday English.

You will often see italics used in cases like these: Titles of major works: Books (like Pride and Prejudice), movies (The Shawshank Redemption*), albums, plays, newspapers, magazines, TV shows, and long poems. (Note that shorter works, like individual songs or articles, usually use quotation marks instead). Foreign words or phrases: When using a word from another language that hasn't been fully integrated into English, like bonjour or zeitgeist*, it's often italicized. Thoughts in narrative writing: In fiction, italics are frequently used to represent a character's internal thoughts: "I wonder what she meant by that."* Single words or short phrases for emphasis:* A writer may use italics to draw attention to one important part of a sentence.

Italicizing is not exactly the same as underlining or using bold text. All three can make words stand out, but italics usually give a lighter, quieter kind of emphasis. The exact rules depend on the style guide and the kind of writing, but the general idea stays the same: italics help show that a word, title, or phrase deserves special attention.