Always capitalize
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| First word of a sentence, and I | My friend and I left early. |
| People and their names | Maya Angelou, Dr. Patel |
| Specific places | Chicago, the Grand Canyon, Lake Erie, Mars |
| Organizations and buildings | the Red Cross, Lincoln High School, the Empire State Building |
| Languages and nationalities | Spanish, Korean, Nigerian |
| Days, months, holidays | Monday, April, Thanksgiving |
| Named regions | the Midwest, the South (as a region of the US) |
Tricky cases
| Rule | Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family words as names | I asked my Mom. Did you call mom? | I asked my mom. Did you call Mom? | After my, it is a common noun. Used as a name, it is capitalized. |
| Titles before a name | principal Lopez visited. The Principal spoke. | Principal Lopez visited. The principal spoke. | Capitalize the title only right before the name. |
| School subjects | I take Biology, Math, and spanish. | I take biology, math, and Spanish. | Only languages are capitalized, unless it is a course name like Biology 101. |
| Seasons | We met in the Summer. | We met in the summer. | Seasons are not capitalized. |
| Directions vs regions | We drove North to the midwest. | We drove north to the Midwest. | A direction is lowercase; a named region is capitalized. |
| General vs specific places | She goes to a High School near the River. | She goes to a high school near the river. | Capitalize Lincoln High School or the Ohio River, not general words. |
Worked examples
Example 1: fix a sentence
Problem last Summer, my Aunt and i visited the grand canyon in arizona.
- First word: Last. The word I is always capitalized.
- Specific places: Grand Canyon, Arizona.
- Not capitalized: summer (a season) and aunt after my (not used as a name).
Answer Last summer, my aunt and I visited the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Example 2: title or not?
Problem The (President / president) met with (Senator / senator) Kim, and later the (Senator / senator) spoke to reporters.
- The president has no name after it, so lowercase in most styles.
- Senator Kim: the title comes right before the name, so capitalize.
- The senator later on has no name, so lowercase.
Answer The president met with Senator Kim, and later the senator spoke to reporters.
Common mistakes and fixes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Capitalizing words to show they are important | Capitals are for names, not importance. the environment, not the Environment. |
| Capitalizing seasons | Lowercase: spring, summer, fall, winter. |
| Capitalizing every school subject | Only languages and specific course names: English, Algebra 2. |
| Forgetting to capitalize nationalities and languages | French bread, Japanese class, a Brazilian artist. |
Practice
Five capitalization questions
Which sentence is capitalized correctly?
- We visited the grand canyon in the Summer.
- We visited the Grand Canyon in the summer.
- We visited the Grand Canyon in the Summer.
- we visited the Grand canyon in the summer.
Show answer
Answer: We visited the Grand Canyon in the summer.
Grand Canyon is a specific place, so both words are capitalized. Seasons are lowercase, and the first word of a sentence is capitalized.
Which sentence is capitalized correctly?
- My Mom said that aunt Rosa is visiting.
- My Mom said that Aunt Rosa is visiting.
- My mom said that aunt Rosa is visiting.
- My mom said that Aunt Rosa is visiting.
Show answer
Answer: My mom said that Aunt Rosa is visiting.
After my, mom is a common noun, so lowercase. Aunt comes right before the name Rosa, so it is capitalized as part of the name.
Which sentence is capitalized correctly?
- This year I'm taking spanish, Biology, and Math.
- This year I'm taking Spanish, biology, and math.
- This year I'm taking Spanish, Biology, and Math.
- This year I'm taking spanish, biology, and math.
Show answer
Answer: This year I'm taking Spanish, biology, and math.
Languages are always capitalized because they come from proper nouns. General subjects like biology and math are not, unless you name a specific course such as Biology 101.
Which sentence is capitalized correctly?
- Yesterday, Principal Lopez visited our class.
- Yesterday, principal Lopez visited our class.
- Yesterday, the Principal visited our class.
- Yesterday, Lopez, our Principal, visited our class.
Show answer
Answer: Yesterday, Principal Lopez visited our class.
A title is capitalized when it comes right before a name. When the title stands alone or follows the name, as in the principal or our principal, it is lowercase.
Which sentence is capitalized correctly?
- We drove north to visit relatives in the Midwest.
- We drove North to visit relatives in the midwest.
- We drove North to visit relatives in the Midwest.
- We drove north to visit relatives in the midwest.
Show answer
Answer: We drove north to visit relatives in the Midwest.
North here is a direction, so lowercase. The Midwest is the name of a region, so it is capitalized.
Frequently asked questions
Do I capitalize mom and dad?
Only when you use the word as a name: I asked Mom. When it follows my, your or his, it is a common noun: I asked my mom. Purdue OWL gives the same rule for all family words, like aunt, grandpa and uncle.
Do I capitalize the first word after a colon?
Styles disagree. APA and AP capitalize it when a complete sentence follows. Chicago and MLA usually keep it lowercase unless it is a proper noun. A list or phrase after a colon always starts in lowercase. See colons.
Do I capitalize the names of school subjects?
Only languages, like English, Spanish and Mandarin, and specific course names, like World History 2 or AP Biology. General subjects such as math, history and chemistry stay lowercase in a sentence.
Sources
- Purdue OWL, A Little Help with Capitals, accessed October 1, 2026
- Purdue OWL, MLA General Format, accessed October 1, 2026
