capitalize

To capitalize a word is to make its first letter a capital letter—an uppercase letter. For example, to capitalize the word polish (which is here spelled with a lowercase p), you would write it as Polish. 

A word whose first letter is a capital can be described as capitalized. The state of being capitalized (or the process of capitalizing) is called capitalization, as in Please check your paper for proper punctuation and capitalization.  

In English, words are capitalized for a few different reasons. It is considered a standard rule of English to capitalize proper nouns (which are nouns that refer to specific people, places, or things—meaning one’s that have specific names), such as Jess, Mexico, and Nintendo. Capitalizing a word can change the way the reader interprets its meaning, as in the case of polish (a verb meaning to make something shinier) and Polish (an adjective describing someone from Poland) or apple (the fruit) and Apple (the company).

We also capitalize the first word in a sentence. Sometimes, we capitalize the first letter of each word in a title, as in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. 

Example: A lot of people don’t bother to capitalize words when sending text messages. 

Capitalize also has several other meanings. To capitalize on something means to take advantage of it. You can capitalize on an opportunity or a situation by doing something to benefit from it in some way.

Example: The company is capitalizing on the publicity by releasing new merchandise. 

In the context of finance, capitalize is used in more specific and technical ways. The most straightforward sense of the word in this context means to supply with capital (money).

Example: Most startups are capitalized by friends and family members before they’re able to secure significant funding.

The first records of the word capitalize come from around 1760. The suffix -ize is used to form verbs and means “to make” or “to convert into.” The base word capital comes from the Latin capitālis, meaning “concerning the head,” or “chief,” from caput, “head.” The word capital in the sense of money comes from the Medieval Latin capitāle, meaning “wealth.”

It can be confusing to know whether or not to capitalize certain words in certain situations, but a capitalization guide can help.

What are some other forms related to capitalize?

• capitalized (past tense verb, adjective)
• uncapitalized (adjective)
• noncapitalized (adjective)
• capitalizable (adjective)
• capitalization (noun)

What are some synonyms for capitalize?

• uppercase (when uppercase is used as a verb)
• take advantage
• exploit
• benefit
• profit

What are some words that share a root or word element with capitalize? 

• capital
• capitalism

What are some words that often get used in discussing capitalize?

• spelling
• first
• letter
• word
• sentence
• title
• lowercase
• opportunity
• seek
• fail
• attempt

Capitalize can be used in many different contexts. Capitalizing words is an important part of spelling and grammar.

Your regular reminder to capitalize ‘Black’ and ‘Indigenous’ when talking about people 👍🏼

— BeadsAgainstFascism (@beadagainstfash) June 10, 2020

Seriously though, I always forget to capitalize I, because my phone does for me.

— cat dawg (@justkittten) August 28, 2012

U.S. milk sales have been in freefall for decades, but they've risen sharply in recent months with people stuck at home. A dairy industry group is seeking to capitalize on the trend by reviving the Got milk? ad campaign. https://t.co/8K7CgRv6tB

— AP Business News (@APBusiness) August 3, 2020

Which of the following kinds of words is often capitalized?

A. a proper noun
B. the first word in a sentence
C. the first word in a title
D. all of the above