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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
Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 22 May 2024
This editor will also work with ABC News's newsgathering operation — including teams at the White House, Capitol Hill, the Justice Department, the Pentagon and the Supreme Court — as well as our legal and standards teams.
—538 and Abc News, ABC News, 21 May 2024
Prior to the hearing, descendants of the Tulsa Race Massacre took to Capitol Hill to push for the monument status.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 21 May 2024
Recommended Trust In this Spanish town, capitalism actually works for the workers
Now the new big ask among Ukrainian officials – including some who visited Capitol Hill recently – is permission from Washington and other Western allies to rescind these promises.
—Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 May 2024
Once viewed as radical and relegated to the fringes of the GOP, Trump’s immigration agenda is now an animating force for most, if not all, Republicans on Capitol Hill.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 19 May 2024
In April, Keys, director of The Quiet Epidemic, met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to call for a public-awareness campaign and more research funding related to Lyme, winning support from representatives in states including Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.
—TIME, 16 May 2024
The State Department did not respond to a request for comment, but officials involved in the negotiations and on Capitol Hill confirmed to The New York Times that objections have been raised from inside the department.
—Eric Lipton, New York Times, 16 May 2024
Barack Obama Surprises Jennifer Wexton's Campaign Office with Donuts 'Especially Approved' by Michelle
Though Wexton set out for Capitol Hill less than six years ago, her ties to Washington run deep.
—Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 9 May 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 28 May. 2024.
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