What is a capitonym? Definition and examples

What is a capitonym?

Capitonyms are words whose meanings change when they are capitalised, such as mandarin (the fruit) and Mandarin (the language). Capitonyms do not need to be pronounced the same, such as Job (the figure from the Bible) and job (a career) but the must be spelt the same, minus capitlisation.

Capitonym examples

• Lima (the city in Peru) and lima (the bean)

• Mercury (the plant) and mercury (the chemical)

• Mark (the name) and mark (the verb)

What's the difference between a capitonym, homograph and homonym?

A capitonym relies on capitalisation to change its meaning while a homograph is spelled the same but has a different meaning.

In other words, a capitonym is a homograph which relies on capitalisation to change its meaning.

How to use capitonym in fiction writing

Like homographs, capitonyms are a great way to create puns, parodies or jokes. For example, you could say that a character named Mark marked the occasion in his calendar or that your character met a cute turkey while travelling in Turkey.

Conclusion

Capitonyms are words that rely on capitalisation to change their meaning. They are often used to draw an image of parody in readers, so they can be a useful tool for fiction writers.