List of Capitonyms in English
| Capitalised word | Lowercase word | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alpine: of or relating to the Alps | alpine: (adj.) relating to high mountains; living or growing in high mountains; (n.) an alpine plant | |
| Arabic: of or relating to the Arabic language or Arabic literature | arabic: (gum) arabic, also called gum acacia, a food ingredient, arabic numbers (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) <-- Do not capitalize! --> | The so-called "arabic" numbers are really from India, but it was the Arabs who brought them to Europe. |
| Ares: god of war | ares: plural of are, a metric unit of area | different pronunciations |
| August: the eighth month of the year | august: majestic or venerable | different pronunciations |
| Boxing (Day): 26 December | boxing: a sport | |
| Calorie: a kilogram-calorie (Cal) | calorie: a gram-calorie (cal) | A practice advocated by some, and not widely followed. The use of the terms 'small calorie' and 'large calorie' or 'gram calorie' and 'kilogram calorie' eliminates any potential confusion. Food product labeling, which often uses Calorie in an ambiguous capitalization, generally refers to kilogram-calories. However, this ambiguity has become obsolete anyway, because the calorie is not a valid SI unit any more, and the joule should be used instead (1 calorie is about 4.2 joules). |
| Cancer: 1. a constellation and astrological sign. 2. a genus of crab. | cancer: a class of diseases. | |
| Catholic: relating to the Catholic Church (usually the Roman Catholic Church) (adj.); a member of that church (noun) | catholic: free of provincial prejudices or attachments; universal | |
| Celt: (/kɛlt/ or /sɛlt/) a person from an ethnic group using a Celtic language | celt: (/sɛlt/) a prehistoric axe | |
| Cuban: from Cuba | cuban: relating to cubes, as in cuban prime (rare technical use) | |
| Divine: relating to God | divine: to discover by intuition or insight; to locate water, minerals, etc. | The capitalized form usually means transcendent, holy, or relating to God, but when lowercased, the word can take either meaning. "The Divine" usually means "God" in particular. |
| Earth: a planet | earth: the dry land of this planet | |
| Gallic: relating to France or to the ancient territory of Gaul | gallic: relating to galls (abnormal plant growths) | |
| German: from Germany | german: close (relative) | |
| God: "the supreme or ultimate reality" (Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary), the specific deity of most monotheistic religions | god: "a being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and powers and to require human worship" (ibidem), a deity in general | The word for God is capitalized when referring to the monotheistic Supreme Being, but lowercased when referring to the gods of ancient mythology. |
| He: pronoun for God | he: pronoun for a male | It is common practice to capitalize the pronouns referring to God (He, Him, His etc.) Many versions of the Bible, such as the NKJV, therefore capitalize pronouns referring to God.
In this tradition, possessive pronouns are also capitalized if one is quoting God; "My" and "Mine" are capitalized, which should not be done when a human speaks. The pronouns You, Your, and Yours are also sometimes capitalized in reference to God. |
| Ionic: relating to Ionia or to a style of classical architecture | ionic: relating to (chemical) ions | |
| Italic: of, or relating to Italy | italic: pertaining to a sloping typeface or font | |
| Job: subject of a book of the Bible | job: a form of employment | different pronunciations |
| Lent: the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter | lent: past tense and participle of to lend | |
| Lesbian: The demonym for Lesbos. | lesbian: a female homosexual (noun) or (adjective) pertaining to lesbians or their relationships. | |
| March: the third month of the year | march: to walk briskly and rhythmically | |
| Marine: member of the United States Marine Corps | marine: something produced by the sea | |
| Mass: a liturgical function | mass: a physical property of matter | |
| May: the fifth month of the year | may: modal verb | |
| Mercury: a planet; the messenger god of the Romans | mercury: chemical element number 80 (symbol Hg) | |
| Mosaic: pertaining to Moses | mosaic: a kind of decoration | |
| Nice: a location in France | nice: pleasant | different pronunciations |
| Pole: a Polish person | pole: a long thin cylindrical object; various other meanings | |
| Polish: /ˈpoʊlɪʃ/ from Poland | polish: /ˈpɒlɪʃ/ to create a shiny surface by rubbing (verb); a compound used in that process (noun) | different pronunciations |
| Reading: the county town of Berkshire, England, or any one of 17 populated areas in the United States named after it | reading: gerund or present participle of the verb to read, meaning to decode text or other signals. | different pronunciations |
| Scot: a native of Scotland | scot: a payment, charge, assessment, or tax | |
| Scotch: from or relating to Scotland, or a form of whiskey | scotch: to put an end to (especially rumours) | |
| Swede: a person from Sweden | swede: a vegetable (Brassica napobrassica), also known as rutabaga | |
| Tangier: City in Morocco | tangier: comparative of adjective "tangy". | Tangier is pronounced tan-JEER with, tangier pronounced TANG-ee-ər with . |
| Tradition (also Sacred Tradition): in some Christian churches, part of the "deposit of faith" | tradition: custom passed down within a family or other cultural group | |
| Truth: sometimes capitalized in philosophical and religious contexts when referring to the transcendent, Platonic notion of truth | truth: the collection of real things, events, and facts | See "Philosophical, religious, and political terminology" section above. |
| Turkey: a country in the Middle East | turkey: a bird, often raised for food | |
| Welsh: from or relating to Wales | welsh: to renege (on an agreement) | The verb welsh (also spelled welch) is of unknown etymology but is often described as deriving from the adjective Welsh and consequently perceived as insulting to people from Wales, although there is no direct evidence of the connection, nor any popular perception that people from Wales do not comply with agreements. |
| Western: relating to European culture | western: of the west or relating to western films or television programs |
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