\define[1]\ChapterTextStretch {\line{\stretched{#1}}} \define[1]\ChapterNumberStretch{\determineheadnumber[chapter]\ChapterTextStr etch{Chapter \currentheadnumber}} \setuphead [chapter] [alternative=middle, textstyle=sansbold, numberstyle=sans, deeptextcommand=\ChapterTextStretch, deepnumbercommand=\ChapterNumberStretch] \starttext \chapter{Test Chapter Title} \input knuth \stoptext Wolfgang Thanks, Wolfgang. You have not only solved my immediate problem but have also provided me with examples of using the \deep commands. I haven't found enough documentation of them yet to get through my thick skull an understanding of what they do and how to use them. Can you explain to me the significance of the [1]s after the defines? I would still like to be able to convert chapter numbers to words without impacting the table of contents. I am confused about how \determineheadnumber and \currentheadnumber work. It appears to me that \determineheadnumber places the chapter number in a register and \currentheadnumber retrieves that value. I tried inserting \numstr before \currentheadnumber. That converts the chapter number to text and doesn't mess up the TOC but the first line is no longer stretched. Clearly, I don't understand this very well at all. Tom