Capitonym

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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. A capitonym is a form of homograph and – when the two forms are pronounced differently – also of heteronym.

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

List of capitonyms

Common examples of capitonyms include:

Ares: god of war; ares: more than one are, a metric unit of area.
August: the eighth month of the year; august: inspiring awe or admiration.
Degas: French painter and sculptor; degas: to remove gas.
Job: author of a book of the Bible; job: a form of employment.
Lima: capital of Peru; lima: a kind of bean.
Malé: capital of the Maldives; male: of masculine gender.
Natal: region of South Africa; natal: relating to birth.
Nice: city of France; nice: pleasant, agreeable.
Polish: language or the people from Poland; polish, to make shiny.
Reading: a town name such as the one in England; reading: to examine and understand the meaning of written words.
Scone: Scottish village famous for the Stone of Scone; scone: sweet pastry or savoury baked biscuit.
SEAT: manufacturer of cars; seat: a chair.
Slough: town in England, famous as the setting of The Office; slough: hollow filled with mud.

Poem

The following poems, of unknown origin, are excellent examples 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.

Capitonym

List of capitonyms

Poem

See also