Capital letters
Capitalize names, places, days, months, holidays, titles and the first word of a sentence.
Updated October 29, 2026
The rule
Names of particular people, places, schools, languages and nationalities take capitals: Lake Erie, Lincoln Middle School, Spanish.
Seasons (summer), general places (the lake, my school) and school subjects other than languages (math, history) stay lowercase. A title takes a capital only before a name: Doctor Patel, but the doctor.
Examples
We visited lake Michigan in july.We visited Lake Michigan in July.My favorite Subject is Science.My favorite subject is science.
Quick test: Ask whether it names one particular thing. "The lake" is any lake; "Lake Michigan" is one.
Try it: find the mistake
The mistake in each sentence is highlighted. Say the fix out loud, then open the answer.
My birthday is in june.
My birthday is in June.
Months are capitalized.
We flew over the rocky mountains.
We flew over the Rocky Mountains.
The Rocky Mountains is the name of one particular place, so each word takes a capital.
My favorite season is Summer.
My favorite season is summer.
Seasons are not capitalized.
I have Spanish and History before lunch.
I have Spanish and history before lunch.
Languages are capitalized; other school subjects are not.
Where this rule is tested
Questions people ask
What is the rule for capital letters?
Capitalize names, places, days, months, holidays, titles and the first word of a sentence. Names of particular people, places, schools, languages and nationalities take capitals: Lake Erie, Lincoln Middle School, Spanish.
How can I check my capital letters quickly?
Ask whether it names one particular thing. "The lake" is any lake; "Lake Michigan" is one.
Where can I practice this for free?
In Owl Test Prep's Daily Grammar Fix: one sentence a day for everyone, plus practice sets of five on this rule. It is free, with no account.