1.How to use this reference page
This page brings together the main rules of German capitalization. It is designed across levels: from the basic rule nouns are capitalized to nominalization, proper names, forms of address, and common borderline cases.
The five main areas are:
1. sentence beginnings
2. nouns
3. nominalized words
4. proper names
5. forms of address
Compare:
Das LESEN fällt mir leicht.
→ Lesen is nominalized and therefore capitalized.
Ich LESE jeden Abend.
→ lese is a verb and remains lowercase.
Wir sprechen über etwas NEUES.
→ Neues is a nominalized adjective.
Das ist eine NEUE Idee.
→ neue is an ordinary adjective and remains lowercase.
Core rule:
In German, capitalization often depends on a word's grammatical function, not merely on its dictionary category.
This page is reference material. It contains no exercises or tests.
2.1. The core rule
Nouns and words used as nouns are capitalized in German.
Examples:
das HAUS
die ARBEIT
das LESEN
3.2. Beginning of a sentence
The first word of an independent sentence normally begins with a capital letter.
Examples:
Morgen beginnt der Kurs.
4.3. Recognizing nouns
Articles, gender, case, and plural formation are typical noun signals.
Examples:
der Plan
die Entscheidung
das Ergebnis
5.4. Capitalization is grammatical
A word can be capitalized or lowercased depending on its function.
Examples:
das ESSEN ↔ wir ESSEN
6.5. Ordinary verb
Verbs are normally lowercase within a sentence unless nominalized.
Examples:
Wir arbeiten heute.
7.6. Ordinary adjective
Adjectives are normally lowercase when they modify a noun.
Examples:
eine wichtige Entscheidung
8.7. Ordinary adverb
Adverbs are normally lowercase unless another rule applies.
Examples:
heute
morgen
draußen
9.8. Pronouns
Most pronouns are lowercase; formal Sie is an important exception.
Examples:
ich
du
er
sie
wir
Sie
10.9. An article is not the only clue
An article can signal nominalization, but nominalized words can also be capitalized without an article.
Examples:
das Gute
etwas Neues
11.10. Meaning alone is not enough
Not everything referring to a person, thing, or idea is grammatically a noun.
Examples:
deutsche Kultur → deutsche bleibt Adjektiv
12.11. Dictionary form vs usage
Dictionary category helps, but actual sentence function determines nominalization.
Examples:
lesen → das Lesen
13.12. Quick decision
Three questions help: Is it a noun? Is another word functioning as a noun? Is it part of a proper name or form of address?
Nomen? → groß
substantiviert? → groß
Eigenname? → nach Namensstruktur
Höflichkeits-Sie? → groß
sonst → meist klein
14.13. Concrete nouns
Names for people, things, places, and substances are capitalized when used as nouns.
Examples:
der Tisch
die Ärztin
das Wasser
15.14. Abstract nouns
Abstract concepts are also nouns and are capitalized.
Examples:
die Freiheit
die Hoffnung
das Wissen
16.15. Nouns in fixed expressions
If a word remains grammatically a noun, it remains capitalized in a fixed expression.
Examples:
Angst haben
Rad fahren
in Bezug auf
17.16. Nominalized infinitive
An infinitive is capitalized when used as a noun.
Examples:
das Lesen
beim Essen
zum Mitnehmen
18.17. Article + infinitive
An article before an infinitive is a very clear nominalization signal.
Examples:
das Schwimmen
ein Zögern
19.18. Preposition + article + infinitive
Contracted forms such as beim, zum, and vom can introduce a nominalized infinitive.
Examples:
beim Lesen
zum Lernen
vom Reisen
20.19. Nominalized adjective
Adjectives are capitalized when they function as nouns.
Examples:
der Alte
die Neue
das Gute
21.20. Adjective with an article
If the noun is omitted and the adjective itself functions nominally, it is capitalized.
Examples:
der Nächste
die Verantwortliche
22.21. etwas, nichts, viel + adjective
After words such as etwas, nichts, viel, and wenig, adjectives are often nominalized.
Examples:
etwas Neues
nichts Wichtiges
viel Gutes
23.22. Nominalized present participle
Participles can be nominalized like adjectives.
Examples:
der Reisende
die Studierenden
24.23. Nominalized past participle
Past participles can also function as nouns.
Examples:
der Angestellte
das Gesagte
25.24. Nominalized superlative
When a superlative functions as a noun, it is capitalized.
Examples:
das Beste
das Wichtigste
26.25. am besten remains lowercase
Adverbial superlatives with am are normally lowercase.
Examples:
Das funktioniert am besten.
27.26. das Beste vs am besten
Capitalization marks the difference between nominal and adverbial function here.
Examples:
Das BESTE kommt noch. ↔ Das klappt am besten.
28.27. Nominalized colors
Color adjectives are capitalized when the color itself is used as a noun.
Examples:
in Rot
das tiefe Blau
29.28. Ordinary color adjectives
Color adjectives remain lowercase before a noun.
Examples:
ein rotes Auto
der blaue Mantel
30.29. im Allgemeinen
In expressions such as im Allgemeinen, the adjective is nominalized and capitalized.
Examples:
im Allgemeinen
31.30. im Folgenden
Folgenden is nominalized in this use.
Examples:
Im Folgenden werden drei Punkte erläutert.
32.31. im Wesentlichen
This is another nominalized use.
Examples:
im Wesentlichen
33.32. auf dem Laufenden
In many fixed expressions, nominalized adjectives are capitalized.
Examples:
jemanden auf dem Laufenden halten
34.33. im Dunkeln
Dunkeln is nominalized in this fixed expression.
Examples:
im Dunkeln tappen
35.34. Fixed expressions with lowercase
Not every apparently nominal fixed expression is capitalized; some established expressions remain lowercase.
Examples:
von klein auf
über kurz oder lang
durch dick und dünn
36.35. angst with sein
With sein, bleiben, or werden, words such as angst and schuld may function adjectivally and remain lowercase.
Examples:
Mir ist angst.
Er ist schuld.
37.36. Angst haben
With haben, Angst is a noun and is capitalized.
Examples:
Ich habe Angst.
38.37. Pronouns usually stay lowercase
Words such as jemand, niemand, man, etwas, and nichts remain lowercase as pronouns.
Examples:
Niemand war da.
39.38. beide, einige, manche
Pronoun-like quantity words normally remain lowercase even when no noun follows.
Examples:
die beiden
einige kamen später
manche wussten es
40.39. andere, viele, wenige
These words also normally remain lowercase in ordinary pronoun-like use.
Examples:
die anderen
viele kamen
nur wenige blieben
41.40. Check function, not appearance
An article-like environment alone does not guarantee capitalization; what matters is genuine nominalization.
Examples:
die beiden ↔ die Verantwortlichen
42.41. After a full stop
After a full stop, a new sentence begins with a capital letter.
Examples:
Der Kurs endet heute. Morgen beginnt die Prüfung.
43.42. After a question mark
If a new sentence follows a question mark, its first word is capitalized.
Examples:
Kommst du morgen? Dann besprechen wir alles.
44.43. After an exclamation mark
A new independent sentence after an exclamation mark begins with a capital letter.
Examples:
Achtung! Die Tür schließt automatisch.
45.44. After a colon: full sentence
If a full independent sentence follows a colon, it begins with a capital letter.
Examples:
Das Ergebnis ist eindeutig: Wir müssen handeln.
46.45. After a colon: phrase
If only a phrase or list follows, ordinary capitalization rules apply.
Examples:
Benötigt werden: Papier, Stifte und Kleber.
47.46. Direct speech
A complete quoted sentence begins with a capital letter inside quotation marks.
Examples:
Sie sagte: „Wir beginnen jetzt.“
48.47. Quotation fragment
An embedded quotation fragment does not automatically create a new sentence beginning.
Examples:
Er bezeichnete das Ergebnis als „nicht überzeugend“.
49.48. Headings
German headings basically follow normal capitalization, not English-style title case.
Examples:
Neue Regeln für digitale Kommunikation
50.49. First word of a heading
The first word of a heading is capitalized as an initial word.
Examples:
Warum gute Planung wichtig ist
51.50. Letter salutation with comma
After a salutation ending in a comma, the text continues grammatically; an ordinary following word therefore often begins lowercase.
Examples:
Sehr geehrte Frau Müller,
vielen Dank für Ihre Nachricht.
52.51. Salutation with an exclamation mark
After an exclamation mark, a new sentence begins with a capital letter.
Examples:
Guten Tag!
Vielen Dank für Ihre Nachricht.
53.52. Lists and enumerations
In lists, capitalization depends on whether items are full sentences or only phrases.
Examples:
Ziele: Kosten senken; Qualität erhöhen; Prozesse vereinfachen.
54.53. Personal names
First and family names are capitalized.
Examples:
Anna Müller
Thomas Mann
55.54. Place names
Proper names of cities, countries, regions, and geographical features are capitalized.
Examples:
Berlin
Deutschland
die Alpen
56.55. Multi-word proper names
In multi-word proper names, components that belong to the name are capitalized according to proper-name rules.
Examples:
Europäische Union
Vereinigte Staaten
57.56. Adjective inside a proper name
An adjective can be capitalized when it is a fixed part of a proper name.
Examples:
Schwarzes Meer
Rotes Kreuz
58.57. Ordinary adjective remains lowercase
If an adjective merely describes a noun and is not part of a proper name, it remains lowercase.
Examples:
deutsche Literatur
europäische Städte
59.58. Institutions and organizations
Official names of institutions and organizations follow their proper-name capitalization.
Examples:
Deutsche Bahn
Europäische Zentralbank
60.59. Historical events as proper names
Established names of historical events can contain proper-name capitalization.
Examples:
Erster Weltkrieg
Französische Revolution
61.60. Titles of works
Titles of books, films, and works generally follow ordinary German capitalization rules.
Examples:
Der Name der Rose
62.61. Street names
Street names are proper names and follow established naming patterns.
Examples:
Berliner Straße
Alte Mainzer Gasse
63.62. Place-name derivatives in -er
Indeclinable derivatives in -er from geographical names are capitalized.
Examples:
Berliner Luft
Schweizer Käse
64.63. Ordinary origin adjectives
Ordinary inflected adjectives of origin are lowercase.
Examples:
deutscher Käse
französische Musik
65.64. Brand and product names
Protected or stylized names may use an official spelling that differs from general orthographic patterns.
Examples:
Eigenschreibweise prüfen
66.65. Do not overgeneralize proper-name capitalization
Not every meaningful adjective in a fixed phrase is automatically part of a proper name.
Examples:
offizieller Name? → Namensform prüfen
67.66. Learn proper names as complete units
With multi-word names, it is often better to learn the official or established spelling as a complete unit.
Examples:
Europäische Union als feste Namensform
68.67. Formal pronoun Sie
Formal Sie is capitalized.
Examples:
Kommen Sie bitte herein.
69.68. Ihnen
Inflected forms of formal address are also capitalized.
Examples:
Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?
70.69. Possessive Ihr
The possessive form belonging to formal address is also capitalized.
Examples:
Ist das Ihr Termin?
Ihre Unterlagen
71.70. Sie vs sie
Formal Sie and third-person sie must be distinguished by meaning.
Examples:
Ich sehe Sie. ↔ Ich sehe sie.
72.71. Ihr vs ihr
Capitalization can indicate that possession belongs to the person being formally addressed.
Examples:
Ihre Kunden ↔ ihre Kunden
73.72. sich remains lowercase
The reflexive pronoun sich remains lowercase even with formal Sie.
Examples:
Bitte setzen Sie sich.
74.73. Informal du
du is lowercase in ordinary text.
Examples:
Was denkst du?
75.74. Informal ihr
Informal plural ihr is also normally lowercase.
Examples:
Kommt ihr morgen?
76.75. dein and euer
The possessives belonging to du/ihr are generally lowercase.
Examples:
dein Plan
eure Idee
77.76. Personal letters and messages
In texts personally addressed to the reader, Du, Ihr, Dein, Euer, and related forms may also be capitalized.
Examples:
Wie geht es Dir/dir?
Danke für Deine/deine Nachricht.
78.77. Consistency with Du/du
If one variant is chosen in personal correspondence, it should be used consistently.
Examples:
Du/Dein ↔ du/dein
79.78. Direct speech and informal address
In ordinary quoted dialogue, du, ihr, dein, and euer are normally lowercase.
Examples:
„Was willst du?“, fragte sie.
80.79. Times of day as nouns
Times of day are nouns and are capitalized.
Examples:
der Morgen
am Abend
81.80. heute Morgen
After heute, gestern, and morgen, noun expressions for times of day are capitalized.
Examples:
heute Morgen
gestern Abend
morgen Nachmittag
82.81. Adverbial time expressions
Adverbs such as morgens, abends, and montags are lowercase.
Examples:
morgens
abends
montags
83.82. morgen früh
früh is adverbial in this expression and remains lowercase.
Examples:
morgen früh
84.83. Language names as nouns
Language names are capitalized when used as nouns.
Examples:
Deutsch lernen
auf Deutsch
im Deutschen
85.84. Language adjectives
Adjectives describing language or origin are normally lowercase.
Examples:
die deutsche Sprache
ein englischer Text
86.85. Nationality nouns
Words referring to people as nationality nouns are capitalized.
Examples:
ein Deutscher
eine Französin
87.86. Ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers remain lowercase when used adjectivally.
Examples:
der erste Tag
die zweite Frage
88.87. Nominalized numerals
Numerals are capitalized when clearly used as nouns.
Examples:
eine Eins schreiben
die Zwei auf dem Schild
89.88. Days of the week
Days of the week are nouns and are capitalized.
Examples:
Montag
am Freitag
90.89. Day-of-week adverbs
Adverbial forms ending in -s are lowercase.
Examples:
montags
freitags
91.90. Letters and symbols used as nouns
When names of letters are used nominally, they behave like nouns.
Examples:
das A und O
92.91. Error: importing English title case
German headings are not correctly capitalized by capitalizing every important word.
Examples:
Falsch: Neue Regeln Für Digitale Kommunikation
Richtig: Neue Regeln für digitale Kommunikation
93.92. Error: capitalizing every adjective after an article
An article alone does not automatically turn an adjective into a noun.
Examples:
die neue Regel ↔ die Neue
94.93. Error: confusing Sie and sie
Capitalization depends on whether the form is formal address or refers to a third person.
Examples:
Kennen Sie sie?
95.94. Error: missing nominalization
Typical signals include articles, contracted prepositions, and words such as etwas and nichts.
Examples:
beim Lesen
etwas Neues
96.95. Checking algorithm
When uncertain, capitalization can be checked step by step.
1. Steht das Wort am Satz- oder Überschriftenanfang?
2. Ist es ein Nomen?
3. Wird Verb, Adjektiv oder Partizip substantiviert?
4. Ist es Bestandteil eines Eigennamens?
5. Ist es die Höflichkeitsanrede Sie/Ihr/Ihnen?
6. Handelt es sich nur um ein gewöhnliches Adjektiv, Verb, Adverb oder Pronomen?
7. Bei festen Wendungen oder Namen: etablierte Schreibweise nachschlagen.
97.96. What to remember
German capitalization is mainly governed by sentence beginnings, nominal status, proper names, and forms of address.
Nomen → groß
substantivierter Infinitiv → das Lesen
substantiviertes Adjektiv → etwas Neues
normales Adjektiv → neue Idee
Eigenname → Namensform beachten
Sie / Ihnen / Ihr → Höflichkeitsanrede groß
du / ihr / dein / euer → normalerweise klein; persönliche Anrede kann groß sein
heute Morgen ↔ morgens
Deutsch lernen ↔ deutsche Sprache
das Beste ↔ am besten
98.Quick reference
Always especially important
noun → capitalized
sentence beginning → capitalized
proper name → follow name structure
formal Sie → capitalized
Nominalization
das Lesen
beim Essen
zum Mitnehmen
der Reisende
die Verantwortliche
etwas Neues
nichts Wichtiges
das Beste
im Allgemeinen
im Folgenden
Lowercase for comparison
wir lesen
eine neue Idee
am besten
morgens
montags
die deutsche Sprache
die beiden
die anderen
Forms of address
Kommen Sie?
Wie geht es Ihnen?
Sind das Ihre Unterlagen?
Was denkst du?
Kommt ihr?
dein Plan
Personal correspondence:
du/Du
dein/Dein
ihr/Ihr
euer/Euer
Time and language
heute Morgen
gestern Abend
morgen Nachmittag
but:
morgen früh
morgens
abends
Deutsch lernen
auf Deutsch
im Deutschen
but:
die deutsche Sprache
When uncertain, check grammatical function first: is the word genuinely a noun or nominalized, or does it merely look noun-like?