Do You Capitalize The Word “Earth”? Learn When To Capitalize

Many people ask themselves this question. If you are here, you are probably asking yourself the same question. Keep reading this article to know when to capitalize the word earth.

As mentioned before, this is something that can confuse native speakers. The answer is yes, depending on which context you are using this term. For instance, this word is capitalized when it is used as a proper noun.

Rules For Capitalizing The Word Earth

First rule: When the word is used as a common noun, it should not be capitalized. For instance, “the earth” is used as a synonym of the word ground or soil.

Second rule: In contrast to the last rule, you can capitalize earth when used as a proper noun. When someone uses this term referring to a celestial body or the planet directly, it is a proper noun that has to be capitalized. So if you want to use this word to refer to a celestial body, you should not add the grammatical article “the” before using the word earth.

Third rule: Idioms cannot be capitalized. When someone uses earth in words like “down to earth,” “salt of the earth,” “four corners of the earth,” “move heaven and earth,” or “what on earth,” it should not be capitalized.

Some Exceptions, Edge Cases, And Alternative Rules

Some places have the word earth on them. In this case, it should always be capitalized. Why? Because as the English grammar rules say: places like streets, countries, and states should always be capitalized. For example, there is a place called Earth in Texas.

Origin And Etymology Of The Word Earth

Earth, referring to the planet, has been around for at least a little more than 1,400 years. Nonetheless, in English, people started using it in the fifteenth century (or 1400s). In addition, a fascinating fact is that all planets in our solar system are named after Roman and Greek goddesses and gods, except for Earth.

On the other hand, earth as a synonym of ground, soil, or dirt comes from many different variations like Proto-Germanic, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Old German, and more. It is also from the fifteenth century.

How You Can Use The Word Earth In A Sentence

The word earth can be used in many different ways when it comes to sentences. For instance, it can describe dirt, terrain, ground, or something related to these places. In other cases, people often use it to describe the spherical celestial body that humans inhabit. In the following section, you will find some great examples that can deeply help you understand this word’s usage.

Examples Of The Word In A Sentence

• Planet Earth is in between Venus and Mars. Yet, it is tiny compared to Jupiter and Saturn. Although it is smaller than other planets, it is larger than Mercury and Mars.

• In fifth grade, my science teacher told me that planet Earth is mainly covered by water. The rest is where we live, land.

• When astronauts saw Earth when they went to the moon, they said it was a beautiful spot in the dark and lonely void of space.

• The volume of Earth is composed of many elements of the periodic table. For example, here, you can find oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, methane, and more.

• The moon is a satellite that is constantly drifting away from us. It is 384,400 kilometers away from Earth.

• I do not know anything about astrology. Yet, Keith insisted and tried to show me some things about it. I just discovered that Capricorn is a grounded and stable earth sign.

• Kenneth is the most down-to-earth person I know. He is sensible, realistic, and balanced.

• I need to accumulate some earth because I want to buy new plants when I go to the gardening store on Wednesday.

• This earth is entirely infertile, and we cannot do anything to change it. Trying to change it would be a waste of money and time.

• If you do not water your earth, nothing will grow. I thought that she knew this because it is pretty obvious.

• “I love how vivid everything feels when on Earth! “, cried the cheerful astronaut.

• My mother said she had never met anyone more annoying on planet Earth. She’s clearly never met you.

What Type Of Word Is Earth, And Why?

The word earth can be two things. For instance, it can be a proper noun or a common noun. Proper nouns are specific names for people, places, and more. On the other hand, common nouns are general and non-specific names for objects, places, or persons.

Synonyms Of The Word Earth

• Dirt
• Globe
• Ground
• Orb
• Planet
• Silt
• Soil
• Sphere
• Terrain
• Topsoil
• World

Examples Of How You Can Use These Synonyms In A Sentence:

• She threw all my belongings and possessions into the dirt. I had no idea that she was going to act that way.
• I remember when Meryl Streep got her last Golden Globe. She received it from her hard work in acting.
• My little brother was running a lot through the room. Eventually, he fell to the ground and started crying.
• My favorite planet is Venus because it reminds me of the Roman goddess. She represents victory, love, beauty, and desire.
• The truck left my house covered with some silt particles. But, do not worry, I can clean everything by myself.
• When she was a kid, she ate soil. Yet, she didn’t experience any strange reactions or anything like that.
• Our planet is shaped like a sphere. I cannot believe that some people seriously think that Earth as a planet is flat.
• With these extensive rains, the topsoil was cleaned by itself yesterday.
• People in this world are cold, and sometimes we have to interact with people that do not show emotions and are not empathic.
• “I am tired of you trying to swing that hanging orb around! Go to your room!” Yelled the angry mother.

Antonyms Of The Word Earth

• Galaxy
• Sky
• Space
• Square

Examples of how you can use these antonyms in a sentence:

• Sometimes, I forget how giant our galaxy is. It is somehow unbelievable for me.
• Some people say that the sky is their limit. But, I say that my limit is space.
• The first geometric figure that I learned at school was a square.
• People use the word square to describe situations or people that are unexciting or boring.

Famous Quotes With The Term Earth

• “Earth gives quite a lot to satisfy every person’s necessity, but not every person’s desire or selfishness.” — Mahatma Gandhi.

• “People regularly contemplate that stepping on water or in light air is a miracle. But I believe the true blessing is not to step either on water or in light air but to walk on earth. Every day we are involved in a revelation that we do not even realize: white clouds, green leaves, a blue sky. All is a gift. — Nhat Hanh.

• “Approach the earth rightly: it was not meant to be supplied to you by your progenitors; it was lent to you by your kids. We do not obtain the Earth from our Ancestors. We take it eventually and borrow it from our Kids.” — Crazy Horse.

• “It abruptly hit me that that little pea, lovely and blue, was the Earth. I placed up my finger and closed one eye, and my thumb absorbed out the planet Earth. I thought that I was small.” — Neil Armstrong.

Conclusion

To summarize everything, there are three rules that you should never forget to capitalize the word earth correctly. At this point, you can probably differentiate every rule and can apply them to your daily basis.