Capital letter

Capital Letter is a type of letter case used in the alphabet. It is also known as an uppercase letter or majuscule. This contrasts with lowercase letters, also known as minuscules.

History

The use of capital letters can be traced back to the Roman alphabet, where all letters were originally written in capital form. The development of lowercase letters did not occur until many centuries later, during the Middle Ages.

Usage

In modern English, capital letters are used in a variety of contexts. They are used at the beginning of sentences, for proper nouns, and for the pronoun "I". They are also used in title case, where the first letter of each major word in a title is capitalized.

Rules and conventions

There are many rules and conventions associated with the use of capital letters. These can vary between different languages and style guides. For example, in English, the first word of a sentence and all proper nouns are capitalized. In German, all nouns are capitalized, not just proper ones.

Typography

In typography, capital letters are often used for emphasis or to draw attention to a particular piece of text. They are also used in acronyms and initialisms.

See also

• Letter case
• Lowercase
• Title case
• Typography