Word
capitalization
Phoneticscap·i·tal·iza·tion
/ˌkæpɪtəɫɪˈzeɪʃən/
Countable & uncountable Linguistics
Definition
n. the act of writing or printing a word with its first letter as a capital letter. It also refers to the total value of a company's shares on the stock market.
n. the practice of using upper-case letters for the initial character of a word; also, the total market value of a company's outstanding shares. Both senses are typically uncountable in their abstract form but can be countable when referring to specific instances.
Examples
“Proper names always require capitalization in English.”
“The editor reminded the writer that consistent capitalization of job titles is necessary throughout the formal report.”
“While the startup's initial capitalization was modest, its rapid growth in user engagement led to a multi-billion dollar valuation within three years of its public offering.”
Examples
simple
“Proper names always require capitalization in English.”
contextual
“The editor reminded the writer that consistent capitalization of job titles is necessary throughout the formal report.”
complex
“While the startup's initial capitalization was modest, its rapid growth in user engagement led to a multi-billion dollar valuation within three years of its public offering.”
Usage
In the linguistic sense, it refers to the use of upper-case letters. In the financial sense, it often appears in the phrase 'market capitalization'.
Pitfall
The capitalization of the citys name
The capitalization of the city's name
Learners often focus on the capital letter but forget the necessary possessive apostrophe in the surrounding noun phrase.
Etymology
From capitalize + -ation.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/capitalization