Italics explained for kids

Italics are letters that lean to the right, like they are slightly tilted. Writers use italics to make some words stand out. For example, a book title or a word a character is thinking might be in italics. When you see slanted letters, pay extra attention to those words!

Examples of italics in sentences

Example 1 (younger grades):

Sentence: We read Charlotte's Web in class.

Explanation: The book title "Charlotte's Web" is written in italics to show it is the name of a longer work (a book). The rest of the sentence is in regular print.

Example 2 (upper grades):

Sentence: I was so tired that I almost fell asleep during the movie.

Explanation: The word "almost" is in italics to add emphasis. It tells the reader that the speaker came very close to falling asleep, and the italics show that this word is especially important to the meaning of the sentence.

Going deeper with italics

As students move into upper elementary and middle school, italics appear in more complex ways. They are used for titles of books, movies, newspapers, magazines, and some websites when typing a paper. In handwritten work, where slanted letters are hard to show, students underline titles instead, and the underline means the same thing as italics.

Italics also show words that are being talked about as words, such as: The word their is often confused with there. They can mark unfamiliar foreign words, like bon appétit, to show they are not everyday English. In stories, italics sometimes show a character's thoughts or a voice on the phone or over a speaker.

Understanding italics helps your child follow an author's clues about what is important, what is being emphasized, and what kind of text they are reading, such as a title, a thought, or a special term.

Common mistakes with italics

  • Mistake 1: Using quotation marks for book titles in a typed essay, as in "Charlotte's Web".
    Correction: Longer works like books and movies are written in italics when typing, like Charlotte's Web, or underlined in handwriting; quotation marks are usually saved for shorter works like poems or short stories.
  • Mistake 2: Putting too many words in italics, such as italicizing an entire paragraph to show excitement.
    Correction: Italics should highlight specific words or phrases; if everything is in italics, nothing stands out and the effect is lost.
  • Mistake 3: Never using italics for special terms, so new or unusual words blend in with regular text.
    Correction: Italicizing an unfamiliar foreign word or a brand-new term the first time it appears, like adiós in an English story, signals that the word is special. Words that have become everyday English, like taco or ballet, do not need italics.

How italics show up in everyday life

Italics appear on book covers, in magazines, on movie posters, and on many websites. When a child reads a menu, a game description, or a news article, they may see italics used for titles, important warnings, or new vocabulary. Learning what italics mean helps your child understand these clues and read more thoughtfully.

Related terms to explore

It can help to review other punctuation and mechanics ideas that often appear with italics:

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