# Capitalization rules

Canonical: https://duckyhelper.com/learn/grammar/capitalization/
Updated: 2026-10-01

Capitalize the first word of a sentence, the word I, and proper nouns: names of specific people, places, organizations, languages, nationalities, days, months and holidays. Capitalize a title like Principal or Aunt only before a name or when it is used as a name. Do not capitalize seasons, school subjects other than languages, directions like north, or general words like river or school unless they are part of a name.

## 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. |

> **Note: Titles of books and articles**
>
> Rules for titles depend on the style guide. MLA and Chicago capitalize the major words (*Of Mice and Men*). APA reference lists capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns. Follow the style your class uses.

## Worked examples

**Example 1: fix a sentence**

Problem: *last Summer, my Aunt and i visited the grand canyon in arizona.*

1. First word: *Last*. The word *I* is always capitalized.
2. Specific places: *Grand Canyon*, *Arizona*.
3. 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.*

1. *The president* has no name after it, so lowercase in most styles.
2. *Senator Kim*: the title comes right before the name, so capitalize.
3. *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**

1. Which sentence is capitalized correctly?
   A. We visited the grand canyon in the Summer.
   B. We visited the Grand Canyon in the summer.
   C. We visited the Grand Canyon in the Summer.
   D. we visited the Grand canyon in the summer.

   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.

2. Which sentence is capitalized correctly?
   A. My Mom said that aunt Rosa is visiting.
   B. My Mom said that Aunt Rosa is visiting.
   C. My mom said that aunt Rosa is visiting.
   D. My mom said that Aunt Rosa is visiting.

   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.

3. Which sentence is capitalized correctly?
   A. This year I'm taking spanish, Biology, and Math.
   B. This year I'm taking Spanish, biology, and math.
   C. This year I'm taking Spanish, Biology, and Math.
   D. This year I'm taking spanish, biology, and math.

   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*.

4. Which sentence is capitalized correctly?
   A. Yesterday, Principal Lopez visited our class.
   B. Yesterday, principal Lopez visited our class.
   C. Yesterday, the Principal visited our class.
   D. Yesterday, Lopez, our Principal, visited our class.

   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.

5. Which sentence is capitalized correctly?
   A. We drove north to visit relatives in the Midwest.
   B. We drove North to visit relatives in the midwest.
   C. We drove North to visit relatives in the Midwest.
   D. We drove north to visit relatives in the midwest.

   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](https://duckyhelper.com/learn/grammar/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](https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/help_with_capitals.html), accessed 2026-10-01
- [Purdue OWL, MLA General Format](https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_general_format.html), accessed 2026-10-01

## Related

- [Apostrophe rules](https://duckyhelper.com/learn/grammar/apostrophes/)
- [How to use a colon](https://duckyhelper.com/learn/grammar/colons/)
- [Citing sources: MLA vs APA basics](https://duckyhelper.com/learn/essay-writing/citing-sources-mla-vs-apa/)
- [Grammar study guides](https://duckyhelper.com/learn/grammar/)

## Try asking Ducky

- "Check the capital letters in my essay and ask me about each one I got wrong."
- "Should this title be capitalized? Here is my sentence."
- "Quiz me on capitalization with sentences about my town."

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