Capital vs. Capitol – How to Use Each Correctly

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Capital vs. Capitol – What’s the Gist?

Because they are pronounced exactly alike, capital and capitol are homophones. Each word means something completely different from the other, so knowing the definitions is key.

  • Capital is both an adjective and a noun.
  • Capitol is a noun.

Both words reflect the idea of importance; however, the focus for each one is distinctive.

capital versus capitol

 

How to Use Capital in a Sentence

Capital definition: When used as an adjective, capital means a capitalized letter (A, B, C); or to be chief in importance; or something that is punishable by death; or something relating to assets.

For example:

  • When referring to proper nouns, make sure to use capital letters. (Adjective)
  • The crime was a capital offense. (Adjective)
  • After selling their house, the couple was impacted by capital gains. (Adjective)

In addition, the word capital functions as a noun, which means a stock of accumulated goods; or one’s net worth; or a city serving as a seat of government.

For example:

  • He was looking for venture capital for his new start-up company. (Noun)
  • Between her stock holdings and personal property, the businesswoman had a lot of capital. (Noun)
  • Columbus is the state capital of Ohio. (Noun)

As you can see, whether acting as an adjective or a noun, capital means something important on some level.

How to Use Capitol in a Sentence

Capitol definition: Capitol is a noun; it has no other sentence function. It means a building in which a state legislative body meets. If it is capitalized, it means the U.S. Congress building in Washington, D.C. Proper names of individual states capitol buildings are also capitalized.

For example:

  • The West Virginia’s State Capitol has a dome that is painted gold. (Noun)
  • After their break, many state legislators arrived at the capitol to begin a new legislative session. (Noun)
  • The Capitol Building is located on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Nouns)

The history of this word sheds light on the name given to the U.S. Capitol. Capitol comes from the Latin word Capitolium, which was Jupiter’s temple that was located on the Capitoline hill in Rome.

Outside Examples of Capital vs. Capitol

  • “While we are actively working to create balance sheet capacity to lend, we are limited in our ongoing ability to use our strong capital and liquidity position to extend additional credit,” Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said in a statement. –USA Today
  • More than one-quarter of local currency debt in emerging markets is owned by foreigners, so it’s especially vulnerable to capital flight. –The Washington Post
  • “Frankly, there has been a laxness on social distancing, especially over this past weekend,” Cuomo told reporters during his daily press briefing at the state Capitol. “That is just wholly unacceptable.” –New York Post
  • State Sen. Clarence Nishihara has been confined to a bedroom in his Waipahu home on the island of Oahu, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and the Hawaii State Capitol was ordered shut down Thursday until at least April 5. –Las Vegas Review-Journal

Phrases That Use Capital and Capitol

There are several phrases that either use the word capital or capitol, including:

With a capital (some letter): A statement used for strong emphasis or extreme degree.

  • The man said that his neighbor was stupid with a capital S.

Working capital: The money needed for day-to-day operations of a business.

  • By having the right balance of working capital, the small business was keeping afloat.

Capitol Building: The legislative building in Washington, D.C.

  • An emergency meeting was called at the Capitol Building for both houses.

How to Remember These Words

Here is a mnemonic device to assist you in keeping these two words straight. In ventures involving capital, you might have to go all in. In fact, think of it as capitall. Adding that letter l to form all in capital may help you remember (Just don’t leave it that way on your paper!).

Or another way to think of it is like this: The letter o in capitol represents the architecture of many state capitals or the U. S. Capitol. The ceiling in the dome is round just like the letter o.

Article Summary

Is capital or capitol correct? Confusion is possible with these two homophones since they are pronounced exactly alike. Not to mention, that confusion may be further exacerbated because the state capital city often houses the state capitol building.

In other words, the state capital is where the legislative branch is located, and the state capitol building is where this body physical meets.

However, because the word capitol has such a specialized definition and the word capital has broader meanings, it is more likely that word you want is capital.

  • Capital is an adjective describing a seat of government.
  • Capitol is a noun describing the building in which that government meets.