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Capital and Capitol: Which One to Use Where
What a pair these are: they sound identical and look nearly identical and both have meanings that relate to government. Mastering their use, however, is simple.
The key is this: capitol, the one with an "o," is very limited in use. It appears in the term Capitol Hill, and is used to refer to one very particular and famous building, to some other similar buildings, and, occasionally, to a group of buildings that includes those similar buildings. For all other meanings, the word you want is capital.
This means that in a state's capital city is a building or group of buildings properly referred to with the word capitol, with an "o." In this use capitol is synonymous with statehouse: both refer to the building or group of buildings where a state legislature meets. The phrase capital city utilizes capital because it refers to a city, not to a building or group of buildings.
Capitol with a capital "C" refers to the particular building in Washington, D.C. where the U.S. Congress meets. It often appears before other nouns in phrases like the Capitol building and Capitol police, and is very frequently used in the term Capitol Hill, which refers both to the legislative branch of the United States government as well as to the location of the Capitol building. The Capitol, like many state capitol buildings, has a rounded dome that is somewhat reminiscent of the top of an "o," which may help some remember the "o" spelling. Note that the word capital as used to describe an uppercase letter, like in the phrase capital "C", utilizes capital.
The word capital has three distinct homographs, two for noun uses and one for adjective uses. Readers should consult those entries for the various meanings of capital, but can be assured that they all end in al, rather than ol.
Examples of Capitol Hill in a Sentence
Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Facing stiff reelection odds in November, President Joe Biden is being urged by an influential lawmaker on Capitol Hill to shut the door to America’s market for good on electric vehicle manufacturers from China.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Read more Capitol Hill ‘POLITICALLY MOTIVATED’: Top conservative activist fires back at Senate Dems after being hit with subpoena ...
—Fox News Staff, Fox News, 12 Apr. 2024
The House Dems Who Keep Using TikTok While Voting Against It: More than a dozen House Democrats who voted to ban TikTok last month are still using the app, despite its toxic reputation on Capitol Hill.
—Makena Kelly, WIRED, 11 Apr. 2024
And there’s growing bipartisan frustration on Capitol Hill.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Decisive days on Capitol Hill, too, where House Speaker Mike Johnson this week has been deciding how – and whether – to finesse opposition from hard-line Republican colleagues and enable a floor vote to unblock $60 billion in U.S. military aid for Kyiv.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2024
On Capitol Hill, a powerful congressman weighed in, outraged.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Recognizing someone with a post office is a fairly common occurrence on Capitol Hill.
—Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Capitol Hill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near Capitol Hill
Cite this Entry
“Capitol Hill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Capitol%20Hill. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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