When to capitalise: A guide to titles of rank, office, family and other forms of address

30 Jun 2023 | Writing tips

Is it “dad” or “Dad”, “the queen” or “the Queen”? And should your “sweetie” ever be a “Sweetie”? When it comes to using people’s official titles and casual forms of address, it can be hard to know when and when not to capitalise the first letter.

The basic rule

New Hart’s Rules, the style guide used as a point of reference for UK English, tells us that:

“Words for titles and ranks are generally lower case unless they are used before a name, or in forms of address.”

The guide also gives the same rule for words indicating family relationships.

The following quick reference guide will take a look at exactly what that means and how it applies to the different forms of title and terms of address. Of course, as with everything in English, there are exceptions, as we’ll see below.

Titles of office and rank

Examples: prime minister, president, king, queen, duke, cardinal

This includes titles that refer to royalty and the aristocracy, members of government and religious leaders. For example:

General: Harold Wilson, the prime minister

General: He was elected prime minister.

Before name: Prime Minister Harold Wilson

Form of address: “Yes, Prime Minister,” said the aide, “I’ll get that to you right away.”

General: He was awarded the rank of a duke.

Before name: The Duke of Wellington would be paying them a visit.

General: the king of England

Before name: King Charles of England

According to some style guides, as a mark of respect, the titles President, Prime Minister and King/Queen should be capitalised when used to refer to the current holder of that office. For example:

Today’s special news report covered the President’s visit to the UK to meet with the Prime Minister of England.
The King unveiled the memorial statue in Bristol on Saturday.

However, this is not a grammar rule, it is a style choice. Whether you chose to employ it or not, do so consistently.

Military titles

Examples: captain, general, admiral, colonel, lieutenant

The basic rule applies again here. For example:

General: On his way out he stopped and gave a smart salute to the captain.

Before name: Captain Beede gave the command.

General: His wife had never met the colonel before.

Before name: Colonel Adams shook hands with his wife.

Some style guides stipulate that the very highest ranks in the army – such as Commander in Chief and Supreme Allied Commander – should always be capitalised.

Professional titles

Examples: professor, doctor, detective, managing editor, chief executive

Professional titles are often incorrectly capitalised, leading to text that is littered with too many capitals. But the same rule applies yet again here:

General: He asked the professor for an extension.

Before name: He asked Professor Green for an extension.

Form of address: Do you think I could get an extension, Professor?

Special cases

Certain unique compound titles which have no non-specific meaning are always capitalised. Here are a few examples:

Attorney General

Governor-General

Dalai Lama

Home Secretary

Prince of Wales

Holy Roman Emperor

If in doubt, your best bet is to check with the relevant dictionary for the form of English you are using, such as the Oxford English Dictionary or Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Family titles

Examples: mum, dad, uncle, aunt, grandad, grandma, brother, sister

I often see mum and dad incorrectly capitalised when I’m editing fiction. Words indicating family relationships, such as mum, dad, uncle, aunt, should be written in lower case unless they are used as a direct address, before a name or in place of a name. For example:

General: I asked my mum if she wanted a cup of tea.

Form of address: “Do you want a cup of tea, Mum?”

As a name: “Did you ask Mum if she wants a cup of tea?”

General: He went to stay with his aunt.

Before name: He went to stay with Aunt Louise.

Formal terms of address

Examples: sir, madam, miss, señor

These terms of address should be capitalised only when used before a name. For example:

General: Oh, miss, I think you dropped your handkerchief.

Before name: Oh, Miss Smith, I think you dropped your handkerchief.

You will sometimes see them capitalised when used as a form of direct address, but this is really a matter of style. The general preference these days is not to capitalise. For example:

Common: Excuse me, Sir, may I go to the toilet?

Preferred style: Excuse me, sir, may I go to the toilet?

There is one small exception: “sir” and “madam” should be capitalised in salutations; for example, at the beginning of a letter: Dear Sir or Madam.

Casual terms of address or endearment

Examples: Honey, bro, sis, sweetie

These do not need to be capitalised, even when used as a direct form of address. For example:

You’re looking good today, honey.

It’s good to see you, bro.

The only exception is if you are using one as a nickname to refer to one specific character, in which case they should be capitalised, just like any other nickname:

Malcom couldn’t decide whether to invite Sweetie to the party.

Summing up

Now that you know the basic rule for capitalisation of titles and forms of address, you should have no problem getting it right in your fiction writing. Keep this reference close to hand so that you can always check back if you get stuck.

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