We capitalize Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday because they are proper nouns. We lowercase spring, summer, fall, and winter because they are common nouns.
You might wonder why "Monday" and "January" are capitalized while "spring" is not. In linguistics, proper nouns refer to unique, specific entities. While there is only one "Monday" in a week and one "January" in a year, seasons are often viewed as more fluid, general descriptions of the weather or periods of time. Historically, the names of days and months were derived from the names of gods, planets, or historical figures (like Mars for March or Saturn for Saturday), which cemented their status as proper nouns. Quick Reference Guide General use: lowercase (spring, summer, fall, winter). Start of a sentence: Capitalize (Spring is coming). Part of a formal name: Capitalize (The Summer Solstice). should you capitalize seasons
Specific Title: Welcome to Biology 101: Spring Semester 2025. We capitalize Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday because they
If your style guide requires capitalizing major words in titles, capitalize seasons in titles. In linguistics, proper nouns refer to unique, specific
Seasons——should generally not be capitalized. Unlike days of the week or months of the year, seasons are considered common nouns rather than proper nouns. Quick Capitalization Guide Lower Case (Standard): "I love the crisp air of fall ."
| Style Guide | Rule on seasons | |-------------|----------------| | AP Stylebook | Lowercase unless proper noun or part of formal name | | Chicago Manual of Style | Lowercase | | APA | Lowercase | | MLA | Lowercase |