lowercase

[ loh-er-keys ]

adjective

1. (of an alphabetic letter) of a particular form often different from and smaller than its corresponding capital letter, and occurring after the initial letter of a proper noun, of the first word in a sentence, etc.

   The lowercase letters a, b, q, and r have more distinctive shapes than their uppercase counterparts, A, B, Q, and R.

2. Printing. pertaining to or belonging in the lower case, such as i, p, or d. Compare case ²( def 8 ).

verb (used with object)

, low·er·cased, low·er·cas·ing.

1. to print or write with a lowercase letter or letters, such as u, w, or j.

noun

1. a lowercase letter, such as z, y, or k.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lowercase¹

First recorded in 1675–85; lower ¹( def ) + case ²( def ) (in the sense “a tray divided into compartments for holding types for a compositor to use”)

Example Sentences

The x-height is the height of most lowercase letters in the Latin alphabet, and makes up nearly all of the printed marks on a page.

From BBC

In one test, for instance, students are given one minute to name as many uppercase and lowercase letters listed on a page as they can.

From Los Angeles Times

Unified, student Maria Arriaga will be timed to see how many uppercase and lowercase letters she can name in a minute.

From Los Angeles Times

It can be a sort of lowercase "t" online trauma.

From Salon

“Quitting with a lowercase ‘q’” is how she puts it.

From Los Angeles Times

More About Lowercase

What does lowercase mean?

Lowercase is used to describe the shorter, smaller versions of letters (like w), called lowercase letters, as opposed to the bigger, taller versions (like W), which are called uppercase letters or capital letters.

Lowercase can also be used as a noun meaning the same thing as lowercase letter, though this is much less commonly used. The adjective uppercase can also be used as a noun in this way. As an adjective, uppercase means the same thing as capital, and uppercase letters can also be called capitals.

Some lowercase letters are just shorter, smaller versions of their uppercase counterparts (like lowercase w and uppercase W or lowercase c and uppercase C), but in many cases the two versions of the letter take different forms altogether, such as lowercase a and uppercase A or lowercase b and uppercase B.

To capitalize a word is to make its first letter a capital or uppercase letter. The word uppercase can be used as a verb to mean the same thing. The word lowercase can be used as a verb meaning to make a letter lowercase. For example, to lowercase the word Polish (which is here spelled with an uppercase p), you would write it with a lowercase P, as polish.

In English, uppercase letters are used at the beginning of words for a few different reasons. It is considered a standard rule of English to use an uppercase letter to start proper nouns (which are nouns that refer to specific people, places, or things—meaning one’s that have specific names), such as Jess, Mexico, and Nintendo. Using an uppercase or lowercase letter at the start of a word can change the way the reader interprets its meaning, as in the case of polish (a verb meaning to make something shinier) and Polish (an adjective describing someone from Poland) or apple (the fruit) and Apple (the company).

We also use an uppercase letter for the first letter of the first word in a sentence. Sometimes, we use an uppercase letter for the first letter of each word in a title, as in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. This is sometimes called title case.

Some acronyms and abbreviations are written using all uppercase letters, such as NASA and U.S. A word written entirely in uppercase letters (like WHAT) is said to be written in caps or all caps.

Using lowercase letters in any of these cases typically indicates that the communication is casual or informal, such as in text messages or online posts.

Example: A lot of people exclusively use lowercase letters in text messages unless they want to emphasize something.

Where does lowercase come from?

The first records of the word lowercase come from around 1680. The words uppercase and lowercase come from printing. The process of physically printing things with printing presses involved trays, called cases, that were divided into compartments for holding different kinds of type (blocks with letters on them). The upper case held capital letters and the lower case held what came to be known as lowercase letters.

It can be confusing to know whether to use uppercase or lowercase letters in certain situations, but a capitalization guide can help.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to lowercase?

• lower-case (alternate hyphenated spelling)
• lower case (alternate two-word spelling)

What are some synonyms for lowercase?

• lowercase letter (when lowercase is used as a noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with lowercase?

• uppercase

What are some words that often get used in discussing lowercase?

• letter
• capital
• capital letter
• uppercase letter
• capitalization
• spelling
• first
• word
• sentence
• title

How is lowercase used in real life?

In most contexts, the majority of letters in a text are lowercase letters. Uppercase letters are used in the beginning of names and other proper nouns, at the beginning of sentences, at the beginning of words in titles, and in some abbreviations. Informal communication like text messages and online posts are sometimes written entirely in lowercase letters.

A capital letter in my code where there was supposed to be a lowercase letter just drove me insane for four hours because I didn't see it.

— Kyle Roth (@jkroth1987) October 22, 2015

Identifying and matching uppercase and lowercase letters using these colorful underwater themed cards. Games make learning fun! 🐟 🐠 #IslipENL #LearningIsFun @WingElemIslip pic.twitter.com/QjUSLvuZ57

— Jaclyn Brady (@JaclynBrady17) February 5, 2021

i got a new phone and my new keyboard doesn’t know that i only use lowercase letters so now all my texts are being autocorrected into formal work emails

— noor body, noor crime (@abnoormality) January 17, 2019

Try using lowercase!

Which of the following letters is a lowercase letter?

A. e
B. h
C. r
D. all of the above