When to Capitalize

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Capitalization can be tricky. Read on to find out the general rules for when to capitalize, along with exceptions and specific examples.

The General Rule for Titles

A person’s official title is capitalized when it comes immediately before their name, and normally written in lowercase when used in place of a name. For most circumstances, this simple rule will be correct.

Examples:
President Trump is speaking.
versus
The president is speaking.

Bishop Clarmont took the pulpit.
versus
The bishop took the pulpit.

Queen Elizabeth spoke.
versus
The queen spoke.

Professor Olsen taught the class.
versus
The professor taught the class.

But do not confuse an official title with a general descriptive term, such as painter, salesperson, teacher, or historian.

Example: That was done by the painter Jackson Pollock.

Exceptions

Direct Address

When a title is used to directly address someone, the title is capitalized. This is the most common exception to the rule.

Examples:
Captain, we’re sinking!
What do you think about this, Mom?

Nicknames

Nicknames are always capitalized, just like the name of any person.

Examples:
the Bard of Avon (Shakespeare)
William the Conqueror

Promotional or Ceremonial

If you’re listing titles in a promotional or ceremonial context, like a list of employees in a report, then you would capitalize the titles regardless of where they appear.

Honorifics

Honorific titles are always capitalized, regardless of context.

Examples:
Mr. President
Your Honor
the Queen Mother

Titles of Nobility

Specific titles of nobility are always capitalized because they are considered to be part of the person’s identity.

Examples:
The prince came.
Prince Charles came.
The Prince of Wales came.

The queen spoke.
Queen Elizabeth spoke.
The Queen of England spoke.

The General Rule for Names

For these other instances of capitalization, the general rule on when to capitalize is to capitalize official names. We’ll go into specific instances to illustrate this.

Titles of Publications

We all know this one. Titles (or names) of publications, such as books, articles, series, journals, poems, movies, and music, are capitalized.

Ethnic and National Groups

The names of ethnic and national groups should be capitalized.

Examples:
African Americans
Caucasians
Hispanics
an Aborigine

Countries and Regions

Always capitalize countries and regions.

Examples:
Australia
the Swiss Alps
the Arctic (but use lowercase when speaking metaphorically, such as in “We had arctic weather today”)
the West (but use lowercase when referring to a direction, not a region: “That’s just west of here”)

Mountains, Rivers, and Streets

Capitalize the names of mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans, streets, parks, monuments, and so on.

Examples:
the Rocky Mountain
the Mississippi River
Lake Erie
the Atlantic Ocean
University Avenue
the Peace Memorial Park

Keep in mind that the words in these titles are not capitalized when they are used in a generic way.

Example: The river ran through the park.

Political Divisions and Bodies

Official names of political divisions or bodies are capitalized.

Examples:
the United States
the Ottoman Empire
the Republican Party
the Left

Calendar Titles

Days of the weeks, months, and holidays are all capitalized. However, seasons are not capitalized.

Examples:
July
Thursday
spring semester
Memorial Day

The Chicago Manual of Style lists many more instances when a word needs to be capitalized, but we feel that the examples we’ve included will be the ones you’ll use the most. For the others, follow the general rule of capitalizing when the word is part of an official name or title. If you have doubts, you can look up the word in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and see if it is capitalized there.

Do Not Capitalize

Here is a short list of things we often see capitalize that, according to Chicago, shouldn’t be.

Student status: freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior

Degree Names: master’s degree, bachelor of science

Military groups when not part of an official title: a marine; United States Marine Corps

Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions on when to capitalize.