Capital vs Capitol: Which One Do You Need?
Capital covers cities, money and big letters. Capitol is one specific building.
Dhaka is the capital. The Capitol in Washington.
The test that settles it
The o in capitol matches the o in the dome of the building. Everything else takes -al.
“the ___ of France” → a city, so capital.
“marched on the ___” → the legislature building, so Capitol.
Capital: city, money, or an upper-case letter
It does several unrelated jobs, but they all share the -al spelling. As an adjective it also means chief or excellent.
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal.
They raised capital from investors.
Begin the sentence with a capital letter.
Is it anything other than a legislature building? Then capital.
Capitol: the building
The building where a legislature meets, chiefly in the United States. It is usually capitalised, because it names a particular place.
The dome of the Capitol.
Protesters gathered outside the state Capitol.
Capitol Hill.
Could you walk into it? Then Capitol.
Side by side
| Capital | Capitol |
|---|---|
| City, money, big letter | A legislature building |
| Ends -al | Ends -ol |
| Common noun and adjective | Usually a proper noun |
| The capital city | The Capitol building |
The exception
These use the -al spelling and come from a third sense entirely — Latin caput, head. A capital crime was once one you lost your head for.
The same root gives capital letter: the letter at the head of the word.
Where people get it wrong
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Paris is the capitol of France. | Paris is the capital of France. | A city. |
| a capitol letter | a capital letter | Upper case. |
| venture capitol | venture capital | Money. |
| the state capital building | the state Capitol building | The building itself. |
Practice — choose the right word, then check yourself.
- They need more ___ to expand.
- The senate met at the ___.
- Write your name in ___ letters.
- Canberra is the Australian ___.
- A tour of ___ Hill.
Show the answers
1. capital 2. Capitol 3. capital 4. capital 5. Capitol
Frequently asked
Is Capitol used outside the United States?
Rarely. Other countries say parliament building or assembly. If you are not writing about America, capital is almost certainly the word.
Why is the building called that?
After the Capitoline Hill in Rome, site of the temple of Jupiter. The American founders borrowed the name deliberately.
More words people confuse
