Is the word after a colon capitalized

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• Capitalization

Table of contents

1. What is a colon?
2. Within a sentence
3. Sentence after a colon
4. Multiple sentences after a colon
5. Questions
6. Quotations
7. Lists
8. Titles and subtitles
9. Definitions and descriptions

What is a colon?

A colon is a punctuation mark used to explain, illustrate, and elaborate. It directs the reader’s attention to the information that follows.

Examples

• Anita is a great friend: she is always there for you.
• There are two ways to bake a cake: bake from scratch or use a cake mix.
• Look at that: a talking cat!
• Which tea would you like: black, green, or white?
• Maya loves airports: she enjoys having nothing to do but read a book and watch people come and go.

In this article, we discuss whether a word after a colon should be capitalized. Note that capitalization is a matter of style rather than grammar. Discussed here are accepted guidelines for capitalization after a colon in academic, business, and creative writing.

Within a sentence

Don’t capitalize a word after a colon within a sentence. In a sentence, a colon is used to introduce explanatory information that helps illustrate or amplify an idea.

Examples

• We had forgotten something important: the cake.
• Where do you want to go on holiday: the mountains or the sea?
• Farley needs just one thing to win: luck.
• I believe people can change: that a person can choose a future different from their past.
• It was a whirlpool: a swirling mass of water thirsty for more.
• Don’t forget to bring three things: binoculars, mittens, and a book.

Here are examples from published writing that show how a colon can be used to amplify a statement. Note how the word after a colon within a sentence is not capitalized but lowercased.

Examples

• She was learning, quite late, what many people around her appeared to have known since childhood: that life can be perfectly satisfying without major achievements.

  — Alice Munro, “Too Much Happiness,” Harper’s Magazine (August 2009)

• Know that diamonds and roses are as uncomfortable when they tumble from one’s lips as toads and frogs: colder, too, and sharper, and they cut.

Sentence after a colon

When a colon is used to join two sentences, the word after the colon is generally not capitalized. A colon may be used between two independent clauses to indicate that the second clause amplifies or explains the first. (An independent clause is one that can stand by itself as a sentence.)

Examples

• No one got hurt: that’s all that matters.

  The second sentence, attached to the first by a colon, need not be capitalized.

• It came to her: life is growth.
• When Maya feels anxious, she reminds herself: all things are possible.
• It was over: there was nothing more to do.
• It’s easy: just mix it all together and bake.
• I may have overwatered the plants: they have all turned brown.

Note however that it is not wrong to capitalize a sentence or clause after a colon. Some style manuals, such as the AP Stylebook and APA Publication Manual, recommend capitalizing an independent clause after a colon. Others, like the Chicago Manual of Style, suggest lowercasing it. Whichever style you choose, follow it consistently across your document.

Example

• Correct: AP, APA: The principal’s stance is clear: No one is allowed to bend the rules.
  Correct: Chicago: The principal’s stance is clear: no one is allowed to bend the rules.

Here are some examples from literature that illustrate how a sentence or clause after a colon is generally not capitalized.

Examples

• Happily, the architect had foresight to build it strong: the narrow windows are deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large jutting stones.
• The magician and the politician have much in common: they both have to draw our attention away from what they are really doing.

  — Ben Okri, A Way of Being Free (1997)

• That’s why we can go so fast: our souls don’t weigh us down.

Caution

A colon is easily misused. Don’t use a colon between two clauses unless the second clause explains or amplifies the first one.

Example

• This is what Maya finally realized: it was a sudden sense of enlightenment.

  The colon is used incorrectly: the second clause doesn’t explain the first.

  This is what Maya finally realized: she was as much the universe as the stars in the sky.

  The second clause tells us what Maya realized. A colon is now appropriate.

A colon may be used after a word or a phrase to describe or explain it. This helps emphasize the explanation and focus the reader’s attention on it. In such a description, don’t capitalize the first word of the clause that follows the colon.

Examples

• Luck: that is all we need.
• Books, sun, and the sea: we had all we needed for a perfect holiday.

Multiple sentences after a colon

When a series of two or more sentences is introduced by a colon, capitalize all the sentences, including the first one.

Examples

• Farley had a choice: He could invest the money in safe securities. He could put it in the bank. Or he could spend it all on a holiday.
• What we sell is not a holiday: It is a dream. It is a journey into the unknown. It is an experience you will never forget (if you survive it).
• My cat has superpowers: She can vanish into thin air. She can appear out of nowhere. And she can turn into a hot-water bottle.

Questions

Capitalize a question introduced by a colon.

Examples

• Before we continue, I have to know: Are you sure?
• Please tell me: Did you find the CDs?
• Everybody was asking the same question: Where was Farley?
• The thought occurred to her: What if she was wrong?

Quotations

Capitalize a direct quote after a colon. A colon is sometimes used in place of a comma to introduce direct speech or a quotation. The colon helps place emphasis on the quoted text.

Examples

• Beauvoir said what each of us knows: “I have only myself.”
• She negates this idea: “Life does not require meaning or purpose; it requires only that you live.”

Quotation marks are sometimes omitted—for example, to introduce a thought. Still capitalize the word after the colon.

Examples

• She wondered: Was it all for nothing?
• He thought: If either of the marbles is blue, I can still win.
• Farley yelled: Run!

Lists

Don’t capitalize the elements of a horizontal list if they are words or phrases rather than complete sentences.

Examples

• Here is what you need: eggs, butter, and flour.
• We need emergency supplies: (1) blankets, (2) food packets, (3) water bottles, (4) medicines.

If the individual elements that follow a colon in a horizontal list are complete sentences in themselves, capitalize them all.

Examples

• We have three choices: We can look for a way out. We can call for help. Or we can just stay here and eat all the sandwiches.
• Follow these steps: (1) Stand on one foot. (2) Count to ten. (3) Press the red button.

Tip

Use a colon only after a complete sentence to introduce a list. No colon is required otherwise.

Example

• Incorrect: Mars’s moons are: Deimos and Phobos.
  Correct: Mars’s moons are Deimos and Phobos.
  Correct: Mars has two moons: Deimos and Phobos.

Capitalize each element in a vertical list introduced by a colon.

Examples

• To perform this magic trick, you need the following items:
  • A top hat
  • A magic wand
  • A red cape
  • A friendly rabbit
• To be a writer, you need just three things:
  1. A magic pen
  2. An imagination
  3. Luck

Tip

In a vertical list, if the sequence or number of items is important, use numbers; otherwise, use bullets.

If a vertical list is laid out as one complete sentence, the points in the list are not capitalized. Such a list is not introduced by a colon either.

Examples

• In the chest we found
  • an empty bottle,
  • a broken compass, and
  • a bag of gold coins.
• For your tarp tent you need
  1. two trees, ten feet apart;
  2. a guyline;
  3. four pegs, either plastic or metallic, depending on terrain;
  4. patience.

Capitalize all the points in a list introduced by a colon if they are complete sentences.

Example

• Follow these steps:
  • Clean your countertop with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water.
  • Break two eggs in a bowl.
  • Add salt, pepper, and any other condiments you find lying about.
  • Beat vigorously.
  • Pour into a pan, and cook for five minutes.
  • Flip expertly, like chefs do on TV.
  • Pick up bits of egg from the countertop, and put back into pan.
  • Cook for another five minutes, and serve.

Titles and subtitles

Capitalize a word that follows a colon in a title. The first word of a subtitle or subheading separated from the main title or heading by a colon is always capitalized.

Examples

• With Love: A Collection of Letters
• Saki: The Complete Works
• Dear Life: Stories
• Glint: Tales of Darkness and Light
• Handbook of Bioenergy Crops: A Complete Reference to Species, Development and Applications

Definitions and descriptions

In a glossary of terms, a definition after a colon is usually capitalized.

Examples

• Nasi lemak: Fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf.
• Ramen: Quick-cooking noodles.
• Banana cue: Deep-fried bananas coated in caramelized sugar.

The definitions in a glossary can also be lowercased and set off without the use of a colon by using indentation or other formatting and typesetting options.

In a list of abbreviations, capitalize the full form only if it would be capitalized in text (for example, if it is a proper noun). Don’t use periods.

Examples

• NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
• PFA: please find attached
• SGS: small green space