Are Seasons Capitalized? When Should the Seasons Be Capitalized?

Are Seasons Capitalized? Are the sEaSoNs throughout the year capitalized? See what I did there?

Spring, summer, winter, and fall… the four seasons we all know and love even though they are not capitalized. The short answer would be “no.” Generally, the seasons are not capitalized, but, as you know with grammar there is never truly a short answer. Let’s discuss in more detail in the article below.

Are Seasons Capitalized?

The correct answer would be most of the time seasons are not capitalized because they are a common nouns. Common nouns are lowercase unless starting a sentence, being used as part of a proper noun, being personified, or in a title. Proper nouns are always capitalized. Proper nouns are names, days of the week, etc. Some people get all worked up about the fact that days of the week are capitalized and seasons are not, but its the English language and it is very very complicated with so many rules and so many loopholes to each and every rule.

Capitalization Rules for Seasons

When Not to Capitalize Seasons

When a season, like winter, is in the middle of a sentence it is not capitalized. This is the common usage of each season. Five example sentences of the seasons not being capitalized are as follows:

1. I like winter better than summer because I get to make snowmen in the yard and have snowball fights with my siblings.
2. My favorite season is fall because I get to watch the leaves change from green to yellow to orange and then have fun jumping into them.
3. Is your favorite season spring because you always wear pastel colors and have flowers blooming in your home?
4. In the summer I like to leave Florida because it gets very hot and humid; the summer humidity makes my hair frizz.
5. The winters in Florida are still usually over seventy degrees so we never need sweatshirts or sweatpants.

When to Capitalize Seasons

When a season, like summer, is at the beginning of a sentence, used as a proper noun, personified, or in a title it is capitalized. These are all exceptions to the rule that generally the seasons are not capitalized or proper nouns. Five example sentences including the seasons capitalized are as follows:

1. Summer is so fun because I get to snorkel in the ocean and look at all the fish and coral under the sea.
2. The Winter Olympics are coming soon to Sweden.
3. Just as the sky cries with snow, you are Winter and so cold.
4. Fall has a way of making me fall for it with all it’s beauty and ever-changing colors.
5. Things to do in the Spring:

• Plant a garden
• Go camping
• Take a hike

As you can see, season capitalization is a bit tricky. When in doubt use lowercase. You know the basic rules of using the first letter of every sentence capitalized, so that doesn’t change and title rules are accepted either way. Casually speaking, seasons should be lowercase because they are a common noun just like most other words. English can be tricky, but once it clicks it clicks and the click will stick. Season’s change, just like the rules.

Are the Seasons Capitalized | Infographic

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Are Seasons Capitalized? – ESL Infographic