What does uppercase letter mean

Upper-case letters Definition & Meaning

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Capital letters. (Compare lower-case letters.)

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Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

Words nearby upper-case letters

upper bound, Upper Canada, Upper Canadian, Upper Carboniferous, uppercase, upper-case letters, upper chamber, Upper Chinook, upper class, upperclassman, upper crust

MORE ABOUT UPPER CASE LETTERS

What are

uppercase letters?

Uppercase letters are capital letters—the bigger, taller versions of letters (like W), as opposed to the smaller versions, which are called lowercase letters (like w).

Uppercase means the same thing as capital. Uppercase letters can also be called capitals.

Some uppercase letters are just larger, taller versions of their lowercase counterparts (like uppercase W and lowercase w or uppercase C and lowercase c), but in many cases the two versions of the letter take different forms altogether, such as uppercase A and lowercase a or uppercase B and lowercase b.

To capitalize a word is to make its first letter an uppercase letter. For example, to capitalize the word polish (which is here spelled with a lowercase p), you would write it with an uppercase P, as Polish.

The state of being capitalized or uppercase (or the process of making a letter an uppercase letter) is called capitalization, as in Please check your paper for proper punctuation and capitalization.

In English, uppercase letters are used at the beginning of words for a few different reasons. It is considered a standard rule of English to use an uppercase letter to start proper nouns (which are nouns that refer to specific people, places, or things—meaning one’s that have specific names), such as Jess, Mexico, and Nintendo. Using an uppercase letter at the start of a word can change the way the reader interprets its meaning, as in the case of polish (a verb meaning to make something shinier) and Polish (an adjective describing someone from Poland) or apple (the fruit) and Apple (the company).

We also use an uppercase letter for the first letter of the first word in a sentence. Sometimes, we use an uppercase letter for the first letter of each word in a title, as in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. This is sometimes called title case.

Some acronyms and abbreviations are written using all uppercase letters, such as NASA and U.S. A word written entirely in uppercase letters (like WHAT) is said to be written in caps or all caps.

Example: A lot of people don’t bother using uppercase letters in text messages unless they want to emphasize something.

Where does

uppercase letter come from?

The term uppercase letter has been used since at least the 1730s. The words uppercase and lowercase come from printing. The process of physically printing things with printing presses involved trays, called cases, that were divided into compartments for holding different kinds of type (blocks with letters on them). The upper case held capital letters and the lower case held what came to be known as lowercase letters.

It can be confusing to know whether or not to use an uppercase letter in certain situations, but a capitalization guide can help.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to uppercase letter?

upper-case letter (alternate hyphenated spelling)
upper case letter (alternate two-word spelling)

What are some synonyms for uppercase letter?

capital letter
capital
uppercase (when uppercase is used as a noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with uppercase letter?

uppercase
lowercase
lowercase letter
letter

What are some words that often get used in discussing uppercase letter?

capitalize
capitalization
spelling
first
word
sentence
title

How are

uppercase letters used in real life?

Uppercase letters are used in the beginning of names and other proper nouns, at the beginning of sentences, at the beginning of words in titles, and in some abbreviations. In casual use, a word might be written in uppercase letters for emphasis.

She’s back with the classics and the riddles and the puzzles. The uppercase letters say APRIL NINTH. 👏🏻 @taylorswift13 You deserve this, so much. 💛 https://t.co/x7KsswdBPj

— anne⁰⁰ ఌ😺 (@ANNEtisocial) February 11, 2021

Identifying and matching uppercase and lowercase letters using these colorful underwater themed cards. Games make learning fun! 🐟 🐠 #IslipENL #LearningIsFun @WingElemIslip pic.twitter.com/QjUSLvuZ57

— Jaclyn Brady (@JaclynBrady17) February 5, 2021

i wonder if i’ll ever use uppercase letters for anything besides emphasis again

— h☼ (@hl_cutie) July 8, 2019

Try using

uppercase letters!

Which of the following kinds of words is often spelled with an uppercase letter at the beginning?

A. proper nouns
B. the first word in a sentence
C. the first word in a title
D. all of the above

How to use upper-case letters in a sentence

Certain features of its history suggest why this may be the case.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
And, in the case of fluoride, at least, that doubt might actually be justified.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Her latest book, Heretic: The Case for a Muslim Reformation, will be published in April by HarperCollins.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Their friendship began when Krauss, who was chairman of the physics department at Case Western in Cleveland, sought out Epstein.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

A grand juror in the Ferguson case is suing to be able to explain exactly what went down in the courtroom.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Perhaps you do not speak my language,” she said in Urdu, the tongue most frequently heard in Upper India.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
The case was an assault and battery that came off between two men named Brown and Henderson.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
In this case, I suspect, there was co-operant a strongly marked childish characteristic, the love of producing an effect.
Children's Ways|James Sully
On the upper part of the stem the whorls are very close together, but they are more widely separated at the lower portion.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Sometimes in the case of large plants, cones have been known to occur on the tips of the branches of the Marsh Horsetail.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin

The World's Fastest Dictionary | Vocabulary.

com

upper-case letter one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis
lower-case letter the characters that were once kept in bottom half of a compositor's type case
hypercoaster a roller coaster that goes up 200 feet or higher and can catapult riders from 0 to 70 mph in 4 seconds by motors originally designed to launch rockets
purchase order a commercial document used to request someone to supply something in return for payment and providing specifications and quantities
percolator a coffeepot in which boiling water ascends through a central tube and filters back down through a basket of ground coffee beans
Broca's center the motor speech center in the left hemisphere of the brain in most people
operculated having an operculum
operculate having an operculum
personal letter a letter dealing with personal affairs
approachability the attribute of being easy to meet or deal with
Upper Paleolithic the time period during which only modern Homo sapiens was known to have existed; ended about 10,000 years BC
approximate not quite exact or correct
approximately imprecise but fairly close to correct
uppercase relating to capital letters which were kept in the top half of a compositor's type case
brake cylinder a cylinder that contains brake fluid that is compressed by a piston
varsity letter an award earned by participation in a school sport
airmail letter a letter sent by air mail
market letter a newsletter written by an analyst of the stock market and sold to subscribers
paper cutter a cutting implement for cutting sheets of paper to the desired size
open letter a letter of protest

CAPITAL LETTERS - what are they (large or small)? Example

Capital letters are uppercase letters that are larger than lowercase letters.

What are capital letters?

In Russian writing, letters differ in their graphic design: some are large, others are small or lowercase. Large letters are often referred to as capital letters. As can be understood from this "speaking" name, they begin headings, that is, they indicate the beginning of

sentences
period
paragraphs
stanzas
someone else's speech, etc.

- By everyone is born for some work, - objected E. Hemingway and added:
- By everyone who walks the earth has his duties in life.

In an old style heals me.
E There is charm in ancient speech.
About is not like your words
and are more modern and sharper.

Bella Akhmadulina

Capital letters are a common name. In Russian, a special linguistic term is used - capital letters. Once upon a time, at the dawn of handwriting, they were really carefully written at the beginning of a line, and decorated in every possible way to distinguish them from other ordinary letters. Emphasizing the initial letter of the first word is the oldest writing technique that was used before the invention of printing. When typography appeared, the tradition of using capital letters at the beginning of a sentence and to highlight proper names survived.

Let us consider in detail the cases in which uppercase or lowercase letters are used in modern Russian.

The use of capital letters

Capital letters are used not only in headings, at the beginning of sentences, but also to highlight certain words found anywhere in written speech. These special words include
- proper names;
- items.
In Russian orthography, proper names must be written with a capital letter:

1. names, patronymics, surnames, pseudonyms, nicknames of people, names of gods, mythical creatures, fairy-tale and literary heroes
- Tanya, Vasilek, Andryushka;
- Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin;
- Gaius Julius Caesar;
- Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko;
- O'Henry (William Sidney Porter)
- Curly, Chernysh, Beetle, Top;
- Zeus, Hera, Apollo;
- Vasilisa the Beautiful, Cinderella, The Nutcracker.
2. animal names
- Tortilla turtle;
- cat Marquis;
- dog Oliver;
3. geographical names, except for generic words (krai, region, district, city, settlement, village, river, lake, mountain, sea, bay, etc. )
- Krasnodar Territory;
- Saratov region;
- City of Mosty;
- Veliky Ustyug;
- Sokol settlement;
- Ponizovye village;
- Volga river;
- Lake Seliger;
- Red Sea;
- Everest.
4. astronomical names
- Cygnus constellation;
- Solar Galaxy;
- Alpha Centauri.
The words "Earth", "Moon" and "Sun" as the names of celestial bodies are written with a capital letter and with a lowercase letter if they are used as common nouns. Compare:

Recently, astronomers have difficulty distinguishing spots on the Sun.

Rosehip stood with large flowers turned towards the sun, covered with many buds (K. G. Paustovsky).

Note that in proper names all words , their components, are capitalized , except for nouns denoting generic concepts and service words, for example:
- city of Rostov-on-Don;
- Ludwig van Beethoven;
- Vicomte de Bragelonne;
- Vasco da Gamma.
In this way, proper names differ from the names of organizations, institutions, industrial associations, architectural monuments, etc.

In titles, capitalize only the first word , for example:
- Socio-Political Research Foundation;
- Research Institute of Road Engineering;
- Main Department of Internal Affairs;
- House of scientists;
- Bronze Horseman.
The name may contain more capital letters if it contains a proper name, for example:
- Kristall Association;
- Information Telegraph Agency of Russia;
- Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory;
- Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.
The capital letter is also used in pronouns you, you, your in documents, business letters when addressing one person politely.

LETTER - What is LETTER?

The word consists of 5 letters: first b, second y, third k, fourth in, last a,

The word letter in English letters (transliteration) - bkva
- The letter b occurs 1 time. Words with 1 letter b
- The letter in occurs 1 time. Words with 1 letter y
- The letter to occurs 1 time. Words with 1 letter to
- The letter occurs 1 time in . Words with 1 letter in
- The letter and occurs 1 time. Words with 1 letter a
Meanings of the word letter. What is a letter?

Letter

Letter A graphic character in the alphabet of a given language that serves to designate sounds (phonemes) and their varieties (phoneme variants) in writing. Vowel. Consonant letter. Cursive letter. The same letter can represent different sounds. cf.
Rosenthal D.E. Dictionary-reference book of linguistic terms. - 1976

LETTER - letters. or oven. a sign in the alphabet that serves to designate a certain sound complex. In the Russian system graphics B. more often denotes a separate sound a [a], b [b] or [b '], less often - combinations of sounds: e [je].
Dictionary of the humanities. — 2002

A letter, 1) a graphic sign, or a letter; 2) a grapheme, or a unit of the alphabet. In ordinary text, B. does not denote a sound, but a phoneme. More precisely, the letter division of a written word can ideally coincide with the phonemic division of the corresponding ...
TSB. — 1969—1978

I (letter)

I, the tenth letter of the Russian alphabet. A modified Old Slavonic Cyrillic letter H ("lower"), ascending to the letter h of the Greek uncial. The digital value of the Cyrillic N is 8, the Glagolitic one is 20.
TSB. — 1969—1978

I - the tenth letter of the Russian alphabet; goes back to the Cyrillic letter "illuminator" (whose transverse line changed direction), which, in addition to sound, also had a digital value of 8; in the pre-revolutionary Russian alphabet is called "and octal".
Big encyclopedic dictionary

Scarlet letter

The Scarlet Letter is a magnum opus by American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. Published in Boston in 1850 and has since been considered one of the cornerstones of American literature.
en.wikipedia.org

The Scarlet Letter USA, 1995, 135 min. Historical film, adventure film. Screen adaptation of the historical novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne about the forbidden love of a priest and a married woman in the year 1666 from the Nativity of Christ on the territory of New ...
Film Encyclopedia. - 2010

The Scarlet Letter - American feature film 1995 years old, historical drama, adaptation of the novel of the same name by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The film was a failure, earning only 10 million at the box office with a budget of 50 million.
en.wikipedia.org

Small letter

A lowercase letter is a letter that is smaller than uppercase letters. Lowercase letters are used in European alphabets (Greek, Latin, Cyrillic and Armenian). For example, the letter "a" is lowercase, and "A" is capital (uppercase).
en.wikipedia.org

SMALL LETTER - a letter that is smaller in size than an uppercase (capital) letter and sometimes differs from it in drawing (grapheme). S. b. type, as a rule, words inside the sentence, if they are not proper names ...
Publishing dictionary. — 2003

SMALL LETTERS - letters of regular sizes and styles (a, b, c, etc. ) as opposed to uppercase (capital) letters.
Big encyclopedic dictionary

Capital letter

An uppercase or lowercase letter is a letter that is larger than lowercase letters. Often such a letter has a different grapheme. Many languages use capital letters at the beginning of the first word of a sentence...
en.wikipedia.org

Capital letter, - initial, initial letter - before the appearance of printing houses, in handwritten books, this was the name of the first letter of the word that opened the book, section or independent part of the text.
Printing Encyclopedia

Capital letter

A CAPITAL LETTER, or a capital letter, is a letter that is larger than a lowercase letter, and in some cases has a different grapheme. P. b. used at the beginning of the first word of a sentence after a period ...
Publishing dictionary. — 2003

Capital letters (gram.) - The use of large, or P., letters in writing is a later phenomenon. Ancient alphabets - Phoenician and Greek, from which modern European alphabets originate ...
F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - 1890-1907

Uppercase letters (capital letters), letters that differ from lowercase (see Lowercase letters) in height and sometimes in style (for example, Russian "A", "B", "G"; Latin G, Q, R).
TSB. — 1969—1978

Russian

letters.
Morphemic spelling dictionary. — 2002
Letter, -s.
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