Some languages, such as German, capitalize all of their nouns so you can easily find them in a sentence. But in English, it gets a little more complicated — you only capitalize proper nouns, not common nouns. So when do you capitalize nouns in English, and how can you tell if a noun is proper in the first place?
When To Capitalize Proper Nouns
Proper nouns are specific nouns (people, places, things, and ideas). For example, instead of the common noun dog, you may say Scout to describe a specific dog. Instead of the common noun country, you’d use the proper noun Ireland.
Proper noun capitalization rules seem complicated, but it really comes down to this: If a person, place, thing, or idea has a specific name, it gets capitalized.
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Type of Proper Noun |
Examples |
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People |
Names of people (first and last) |
James, Wendy, George Washington |
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Titles of people |
Mr. Wong, Dr. Taylor, Miss Stevens |
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Places |
Names of places |
Austin, Argentina, Europe |
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Specific geographic landmarks |
Mount Vesuvius, the Mississippi River, Muscogee Creek |
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Things and Ideas |
Languages and nationalities |
French, English, Japanese |
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Months of the year |
January, May, December |
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Days of the week |
Sunday, Wednesday, Friday |
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Holidays |
Halloween, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve |
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Works of art |
Mona Lisa, Girl With a Pearl Earring, The Scream |
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Architectural monuments |
the Statue of Liberty, the Holland Tunnel, the Lincoln Memorial |
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Companies and brand names |
McDonald's, Toyota, Mattel |
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Religions |
Islam, Judaism, Christianity |
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Names of courses |
Algebra II, British Literature, Biology IA |
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Acronyms and initialisms (all letters) |
ADHD, FBI, NATO |
Examples of Proper Noun Capitalization in a Sentence
The basic rule for proper nouns says that the first letter of a proper noun should be capitalized — no matter where it appears in a sentence.
- My iguana, Spike, loves to eat crickets.
- Sean Menegon works at the movie theater.
- Are you taking American History 101?
- Dr. Harmon has been my dentist since I was a child.
- We have been studying Buddhism all semester.
- Let’s take a trip to Miami this year.
- Ollie bought a Tesla last month.
- Spanish is a beautiful language to learn.
- Can we meet next Thursday?
- Australia is both a continent and an island.
Proper Noun Capitalization Mistakes To Avoid
There are a few tricky situations to consider related to proper noun capitalization. Make sure you’re aware of these common capitalization errors so you can avoid them in your own writing.
Don’t Capitalize Seasons
While days and months are capitalized, seasons are not. Avoid capitalizing spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Don’t Capitalize General Subjects and Courses
While you would capitalize Chemistry 101, you would not capitalize the word chemistry in general usage, such as “I am studying chemistry.”
Don’t Capitalize “Sun” and “Moon”
The words sun and moon are generally not capitalized in sentences unless they are a part of a list of other astronomical names.
Don’t Capitalize General Titles
When titles are part of the name they are capitalized, but they are not capitalized when discussed generally. For example, "The president of China will be in Washington D.C. next week to visit with President Obama."
Proper Noun Capitalization Quiz
Want to test your capitalization knowledge? See if you can identify all the proper nouns that should be capitalized in each sentence and any common nouns that shouldn’t be capitalized.
- Mr. Li speaks three languages: chinese, english, and Japanese.
- In june, we spent a lot of time at the metropolitan museum and at central park.
- Next year in economic history of europe, we’re going to study international business.
- We had a very hot Summer. I cannot wait until September.
- They took their daughter to see dr. Lucas last friday.
Answer Key for Proper Noun Capitalization Quiz
Did you find all the mistakes?
- Mr. Li speaks three languages: Chinese, English, and Japanese.
- In June, we spent a lot of time at the Metropolitan Museum and at Central Park.
- Next year in Economic History of Europe, we’re going to study international business.
- We had a very hot summer. I cannot wait until September.
- They took their daughter to see Dr. Lucas last Friday.