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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
Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 9 May 2024
Employment arbitration has become a dirty word on Capitol Hill.
—Lewis L. Maltby, Fortune, 9 May 2024
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, testifying elsewhere on Capitol Hill Wednesday, was asked about compensation for Defense Department personnel who have reported symptoms associated with AHI.
—Jay O'Brien, ABC News, 9 May 2024
By Anna Gordon May 7, 2024 8:59 AM EDT
President Biden will speak at the Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Days of Remembrance event on Tuesday on Capitol Hill, where he is expected to draw on the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and address the rise in antisemitic incidents.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 7 May 2024
Chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee Tom Cole, R-Okla., considered an institutionalist on Capitol Hill and respected on both sides of the aisle, was also brought up as a candidate, but the long-serving lawmaker stayed out of the race.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 5 May 2024
Embracing Pot Legalization: Representative Earl Blumenauer, the long-serving Democrat from Portland who has become the top marijuana advocate on Capitol Hill, believes the issue could boost President Biden’s support with young voters.
—Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 2 May 2024
Click here] After months of inaction and much talk on Capitol Hill, Congress finally passed an international aid package to assist Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific.
—Alex Thomas, arkansasonline.com, 28 Apr. 2024
The Army has fielded prototype lasers to the Middle East, the commander of Central Command acknowledged in testimony on Capitol Hill.
—USA TODAY, 27 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 15 May. 2024.
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