Text & writing
When Should You Use All Caps?
All caps has a few jobs it does well and many it does badly. Used for a short label or an acronym it is clear and compact; used for a paragraph it is tiring to read and can come across as shouting. This guide walks through where capitals are the right choice, where a legal or technical convention calls for them, and what to use instead when you just want something to stand out.
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Where all caps works well
- Acronyms and initialisms: NASA, HTML, UK, and similar abbreviations are conventionally written in capitals.
- Codes and identifiers: product codes, SKUs, postcodes, flight numbers, and reference IDs are often defined in capitals and must match exactly.
- Very short labels: a one- or two-word tab, badge, or tag can be set in capitals as a design choice without hurting readability.
- Safety signs and warnings: signal words such as DANGER and WARNING are commonly capitalized to be noticed at a glance.
All caps in contracts and legal notices
Some legal terms have to be “conspicuous” — noticeable to the person they affect. In the United States, the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC § 1-201(b)(10)) defines conspicuous as written so that a reasonable person “ought to have noticed it”, and gives examples including a heading in capitals at least as large as the surrounding text, or body text in larger or contrasting type.
That is why warranty disclaimers and limitations of liability are often set in capitals. Capitals are only one of the listed examples, though, and whether a term is conspicuous is decided by a court. For legal documents, follow the advice of a lawyer rather than a general style rule.
Where to avoid all caps
- Paragraphs and long passages: readability guidance, including the British Dyslexia Association’s style guide and the UK government’s GOV.UK style guide, advises against capitals for continuous text.
- Emphasis in messages: capitals in email or chat are widely read as shouting.
- Headings typed in capitals in a web page’s source: if the design needs capitals, apply them with styling so the underlying text keeps its normal case.
- Names and data you will need to reuse: converting to capitals throws away the original capitalization.
Better ways to add emphasis
The British Dyslexia Association recommends bold rather than capitals, italics, or underlining for emphasis. Other options are a larger heading size, a box or border around a warning, or simply a shorter sentence placed first.
When to Use All Caps FAQ
- Is it wrong to write a heading in all caps?
- Not wrong, but use it for short headings only, and on websites prefer normal case in the text with capitals applied through styling. Long capitalized headings are harder to read.
- Why are legal disclaimers written in capital letters?
- US law requires some terms to be conspicuous, and the Uniform Commercial Code lists capitals as one example of conspicuous text. Larger or contrasting type can also qualify.
- Does typing in all caps mean shouting?
- In email, chat, and social media it is widely read that way. Use bold or rephrasing for emphasis instead.
- Should acronyms always be in capitals?
- Most are. Some publications write acronyms that are pronounced as words with only an initial capital, so follow the style guide you are using.
- What is the best alternative to capitals for emphasis?
- Bold is the most common recommendation, including in the British Dyslexia Association’s style guide.
Related guides
- All Caps and AccessibilityWhat dyslexia and plain-language guidance says about capitals, how CSS text-transform differs from typed capitals, and how screen readers can announce capital letters.
- Small Caps vs. All CapsWhat small caps are, how they differ from full capitals and from shrunken capitals, where typographers use them, and how to apply them in Google Docs and CSS.
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