Capitalization after a Colon (with Examples)

by Craig Shrives

Do You Use a Capital Letter after a Colon?

The text on the right of the colon explains or illustrates the text on the left.

Read more about the rules for using colons.

The big question with a sentence that includes a colon is whether the text on the right should start with a capital letter or a lowercase letter. This is the rule:
Start the text on the right of a colon with a lowercase letter except when the text on the right consists of two or more sentences.

Capitalize after a Colon When Two or More Sentences Follow the Colon

When a colon is followed by two or more sentences that explain or illustrates the text on the left, you should capitalize the first letter of the first sentence. This is to ensure it looks equal to the second sentence (and any others). For example:
  • Her blood was found in two rooms: the kitchen and the hall.
    • (This is a standard single sentence with a colon. The text on the right explains the text on the left.)
  • Her blood was found in two rooms: small drops were detected in the kitchen and the hall.
    • (This is a pair of sentences with a colon. The sentence on the right explains the sentence on the left. As there is only one sentence on the right, a capital letter is not needed.)
  • Her blood was found in two rooms: A small pool was found in the kitchen. There was also a single drop detected in the hall.
    • (This example has a pair of sentences on the right. Both explain the sentence on the left. The first sentence is capitalized to ensure it has the same weighting as the second. Both of the sentences of the righ explain the sentence text on the left of the colon.)
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See Also

Using apostrophes Using brackets parentheses Using colons Using commas Using dashes Using hyphens Using quotation marks Using semicolons