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PlainSpell

capitalize

/ˈkæpətəˌlaɪz/verb

capitalize is spelled C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-Z-E. The wrong spelling people search most is capitolize: about 60 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 24 of all searches for the word. Capitalize is a verb meaning “In writing or editing, to write (something: either an entire word or text, or just the initial letter(s)…”.

How many letters and syllables are in capitalize?

Letters10: C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-Z-E
Syllables4 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing2.2 times per million words; the 18,537th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searched1; the most searched, capitolize, about 60 Bing searches a month (all of them)
Pairs people search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).

How do you spell capitalize?

Capitalize is spelled C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-Z-E. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 24 of the searches for capitalize in either form.

capitalizethe right spelling1,390 searches a month
capitolizeo in place of a60 searches a month

Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.

How common is capitalize?

Capitalize appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce capitalize?

  • /ˈkæpətəˌlaɪz/

Capitalize has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-GB-capitalize.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-NaomiAmethyst-capitalise.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with capitalize

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

capitalise vs capitalize40 G

Also written: capitalise.

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

Forms of capitalize

  • capitalizes present, singular, he/she/it
  • capitalizing participle, present
  • capitalized participle, past
  • capitalise

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does capitalize mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    In writing or editing, to write (something: either an entire word or text, or just the initial letter(s) thereof) in capital letters, in upper case.

    In German, all nouns are capitalized.

  2. 2

    To contribute or acquire capital (money or other resources) for.

    Some states require proof that a new venture is properly capitalized before the state will issue a certificate of incorporation.

  3. 3

    To convert into capital, i.e., to get cash or similar immediately fungible resources for some less fungible property or source of future income.

    If we obtain a loan using the business as collateral, the effect will be to capitalize our next ten years of income, giving us cash today that we can use to buy out our competitor.

  4. 4

    To treat as capital, not as an expense.

  5. 5

    To profit or to obtain an advantage.

    The home team took several shots on goal but was unable to capitalize until late in the game.

  6. 6

    To seize, as an opportunity; to obtain a benefit from; to invest on something profitable.

    The home team appeared to have the advantage throughout the game, and finally capitalized on their opponents' weakness with just two minutes remaining, scoring several points in quick succession.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Capitalize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchcapitaliser (In writing or editing, to make use of capital…)
Germangroßschreiben (In writing or editing, to make use of capital…), kapitalisieren (to convert into capital), Profit schlagen (to seize, as an opportunity; to obtain a benefit)
Portuguesemaiusculizar, maiuscular (In writing or editing, to make use of capital…)
Spanishescribir en mayúsculas, escribir con mayúscula inicial, mayusculizar (In writing or editing, to make use of capital…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does capitalize come from?

From capital + -ize, the first element ultimately from Latin capitālis (“of the head”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after capitalize