Capitonym

A capitonym is a word that changes its meaning (and sometimes pronunciation) when it is capitalized, and usually applies to capitalization due to proper nouns or eponyms. It is a compound word of the word capital with the suffix -onym. Capitonyms are a form of homonym.

Obviously, capitonyms can cause confusion when capitalized for other reasons—when starting a new sentence, for example.

Capitonyms

Internet is a commonly misspelled capitonym.

Other common examples:

• August / august
  • August: the eighth month of the year
  • august: inspiring awe or admiration
• Polish / polish
  • Polish: people from Poland or the Polish language
  • polish: to make smooth
• Reading / reading
  • Reading: a town or city name
  • reading: to examine and understand the meaning of written words

Poem

The following poem, of unknown origin, is an excellent example of the use of capitonyms:

Job's Job
In August, an august patriarch
Was reading an ad in Reading, Mass.
Long-suffering Job secured a job
To polish piles of Polish brass.

Herb's Herbs
A herb store owner, name of Herb,
Moved to a rainier Mount Rainier.
It would have been so nice in Nice,
And even tangier in Tangier.

See also

• -onym