# capitalization

/ˌkæpɪtəɫɪˈzeɪʃən/ (US) · CEFR B2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/capitalization
Updated: 2026-05-08

## Definition

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.

For teachers: 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.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The capitalization of the citys name" but "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.

## Usage notes

- 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'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.