capitalisation

/ˌkæpɪtəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/

//ˌkæpɪtəlaɪˈzeɪʃən// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"capitalisation" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“capitalisation” is uncommon English (frequency #54,672 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,672
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act or process of capitalising.

Corpus desk

Index EN-capitalisation · capitalisation · English

capitalisation · rank #54,672 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,672
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-7 7 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cann

Nearest frequency peer: cann (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “capitalisation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “capitalisation” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for capitalisation
PropertyValue
Headwordcapitalisation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkæpɪtəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
Letters14
Frequency rank#54,672
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “capitalisation” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).capitalisationfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “cann” (#54,671), “capper” (#54,673), “camshaft” (#54,670). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “capitalisation” is #54,672. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

capitalisation is uncommon English at frequency #54,672 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌkæpɪtəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for capitalisation, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From capitalise + -ation. The correct English form is capitalisation, spelled C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-S-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act or process of capitalising.
  2. 2
    The act or process of capitalising.
  3. 3
    The act or process of capitalising.
  4. 4
    The state of being capitalised.
  5. 5
    The state of being capitalised.
  6. 6
    The total value of all outstanding shares for a publicly traded company

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how capitalisation appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. English and French have different rules for the capitalisation of the names of the days of the week.
  2. The capitalisation of all nouns is a distinctive feature of German.

Etymology

From capitalise + -ation.

Synonyms

cap

This word in other languages

capitalisation(Français)Großschreibung(Deutsch)capitalização(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "capitalisation"?
"capitalisation" is spelled C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-S-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkæpɪtəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/.
What does "capitalisation" mean?
As a noun, "capitalisation" means: The act or process of capitalising.
How do you pronounce "capitalisation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "capitalisation" is /ˌkæpɪtəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "capitalisation"?
From capitalise + -ation. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "capitalisation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 14 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

adenocarcinoma#54,598sociopolitical#54,497insignificance#54,853thermoelectric#55,146

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list