Should You Capitalize '21st Century'? Grammar Rules Explained
Learn why '21st century' is not capitalized and explore capitalization rules for centuries in English grammar.
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Do you capitalize 21st century? No, you do not capitalize '21st century.' Only proper nouns, such as names of specific places or people, are capitalized. The phrase should be written as '21st century,' with the 'c' in 'century' in lowercase.
FAQs & Answers
- Do you capitalize the word 'century' in English? No, you do not capitalize 'century' when used with an ordinal number like '21st century' because it is not a proper noun.
- When should centuries be capitalized in writing? Centuries are only capitalized when part of a proper noun or title; otherwise, they are written in lowercase.
- Is '21st Century' a proper noun? '21st century' is not a proper noun; thus, it should not be capitalized except when starting a sentence.
- What are general rules for capitalizing time periods? Proper nouns and specific names (like 'Middle Ages') are capitalized; generic terms for time periods, such as 'century', are usually lowercase.