Practice
Capitalization rules in English: names, titles, and sentence starts
English uses capital letters for a small set of clear jobs. Start a sentence with one, then look for a name, a title, or the word I.
Use capital letters at the start of sentences and for common English names, titles, days, months, languages, and the pronoun I.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
capital letter /ˌkæp.ɪ.təl ˈlet.ə/
The short answer
Use a capital letter to start a sentence, for the pronoun I, and for proper names such as Maria, London, Monday, English, and the Pacific Ocean. Use lowercase for ordinary general nouns unless they begin a sentence or are part of an official name.
Nora starts her English class on Monday.
Why it works: Nora, English, and Monday are names, so each starts with a capital letter.
5 more examples
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The meeting begins at nine o'clock.
The first word of a complete sentence begins with a capital letter.
Not this:Our
meetingbegins at nine o'clock. What changes: Meeting is a general noun inside the sentence, so it is lowercase. -
I sent Maya a message after lunch.
The pronoun I is always capitalized, and Maya is a person's name.
Not this:My
cousinsent a friend a message after lunch. What changes: These are general nouns, so they stay lowercase. -
Our train arrives in Manchester on Friday.
A city name and a day of the week are capitalized.
Not this:Our train arrives in the
cityon that day. What changes: City and day are general nouns, not names. -
Leila speaks Arabic and English at work.
Names of languages begin with capital letters in English.
Not this:Leila reads a useful
language guideat work. What changes: Language and guide are general nouns in this phrase. -
We visited the Science Museum during our trip.
This is the official name of one museum, so its main words are capitalized.
Not this:We visited a
science museumduring our trip. What changes: This describes any museum of that kind, so it is lowercase.
Read the full guide
First ask whether the word starts a sentence. If it does, use a capital. If it is inside a sentence, ask whether it names one specific person, place, language, day, month, organization, or titled work. That question solves many capitalization choices.
Begin every sentence with a capital
The first word of a complete sentence begins with a capital letter. This rule applies even when the first word is a small word such as and, but, or the. After a full stop, begin the next sentence with a capital too.
The café closes at six. It opens again tomorrow.
It begins the second sentence, so it needs a capital letter.
Which word should begin with a capital after a full stop: we, we, or WE?
Use We. Only the first letter needs to be capital in ordinary sentence writing.
Capitalize the pronoun I
The English pronoun I is always written with a capital letter. It stays capitalized in the middle of a sentence, after a comma, and when it appears with another person.
My brother and I cook dinner on Sundays.
I names the speaker, so it is capitalized. My brother is a general description here, not a name.
Can I borrow your pen for a minute?
Do not write a lowercase i for the pronoun in formal writing. A lowercase i can be a typing shortcut in messages, but it is not the standard spelling.
Use capitals for names of people and places
Names of particular people, countries, cities, streets, rivers, mountains, and oceans are proper nouns. Start them with capitals. A general word before or after the name may also be capitalized when it belongs to the full official name.
Omar moved from Bristol to Canada last year.
Omar, Bristol, and Canada identify particular people or places. The words year and last are general words.
The Pacific Ocean looks calm from this beach.
Which spelling names a particular country: france or France?
Use France. Country names are proper nouns.
Capitalize days, months, languages, and nationalities
Days of the week and months are names, so English capitalizes them: Tuesday, Saturday, March, and November. Names of languages and nationalities also begin with capitals: Spanish, Korean, Brazilian, and Nigerian. Seasons are usually lowercase unless they start a sentence or belong to a title.
The course starts in September, and our first class is on Tuesday.
September and Tuesday are names on the calendar. The word class is a general noun.
His parents speak Turkish at home.
Write spring, summer, autumn, and winter in lowercase in ordinary sentences. A capital is needed if the season begins the sentence, as in Winter can be cold here.
Check whether a title is part of a name
A job title can take a capital when it comes directly before a person's name as part of that name. It is usually lowercase when it describes a role in general. This is why context matters.
Professor Ahmed answered the question after class.
Professor is capitalized because it appears directly before Ahmed as a title.
The professor answered the question after class.
Professor is lowercase here because it describes a person without using a name.
Choose the capitalized title before a name: doctor Lin or Doctor Lin.
Use Doctor Lin when Doctor is the title directly before Lin's name.
Separate official names from general descriptions
Organizations, buildings, courses, and events can have official names. Capitalize the main words when you are writing the full name. Use lowercase when you are describing a type of place, activity, or subject without its official name.
She applied to the Greenfield Community College library.
Greenfield Community College is an official name. Library is a general noun in this sentence.
She spent the afternoon in a community college library.
Community college library describes a kind of library, so the words are lowercase.
Do not add capitals only because a word feels important. Use them when the word has a capitalization job: a sentence start, the pronoun I, or a particular name.
Before you go
Remember this
Capitalize the first word of every sentence and the pronoun I. Capitalize specific names, including people, places, days, months, languages, nationalities, and official names. Keep general nouns lowercase when they are not part of a name.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Capitalization rules in English: names, titles, and sentence starts"
What words need capital letters in English?
Use capital letters at the start of a sentence, for the pronoun I, and for proper names. Proper names include people, places, days, months, languages, nationalities, and official organizations. General nouns such as city, teacher, or meeting usually stay lowercase.
The meeting begins at nine o'clock.
Do days and months have capital letters in English?
Yes. English capitalizes names of days and months, such as Friday, Tuesday, March, and September. The lesson example uses September and Tuesday because both are calendar names. Seasons usually remain lowercase in ordinary sentences.
Our meeting begins at nine o'clock.
Why is the pronoun I always capitalized?
In standard English, the first-person singular pronoun is written as I wherever it appears in a sentence. This rule differs from ordinary pronouns such as we, you, and they, which only need a capital when they begin a sentence.
I sent Maya a message after lunch.
When should a job title have a capital letter?
A job title commonly takes a capital when it comes directly before a person's name, as in Professor Ahmed. Use lowercase when the title is a general description, as in the professor answered the question. A required house style may give more detailed rules.
My cousin sent a friend a message after lunch.
Should I capitalize every word in an organization name?
Capitalize the main words in a full official name, such as Greenfield Community College. Do not add capitals to a general description such as a community college library. When an organization publishes its preferred spelling, follow that version.
Our train arrives in Manchester on Friday.
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