Capitalization Rules

On this page you will learn when to capitalize letters when writing in English


When writing in English, there are rules on what gets a capital letter and what does not. While this is basic writers knowledge for many native English speakers and speakers of other Latin based languages, it can be tricky for other non-native speakers such as those whose first language is Arabic or Chinese.

Review the list below to refresh yourself on the rules for capitalization!

  1. The first word in a sentence is always capitalized.

  2. Proper nouns are capitalized.

  • The name of a person or place is also a proper noun, therefore it is capitalized.

  • You should also capitalize words like mom and grandpa when they are used as a form of address.

    • Just wait until Mom sees this!

      • This instance of the word mom is the name being used to address a person, so it is capitalized. It is taking the place of the name.

    • My mom is not going to like this.

      • In this instance, mom is being mentioned in the possessive form related to the speaker, not the form of address.

  1. Capitalize the first word of a quote when the quote is a complete sentence.

  • Mario asked, “What is everyone doing this weekend?”

  • Mr. Thompson described the rules as, “extremely difficult to understand if you don’t have a law degree.”

    • In this example, the quoted text is not a complete sentence, therefore the first letter is not capitalized.

  1. Capitalize days, months, and holidays, but not seasons

  2. When mentioning the title of a text, capitalize the first letter of the title, and all other words with the exceptions of conjunctions.

  • The examples below have the capital letters in red to highlight which words are capitalized.

  • "The Heart of Darkness"

  • "Journey to the Center of the Earth"