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Learn Index · Sounds, Letters and Phonics Grade K

Uppercase and lowercase letters

Every letter has a capital (uppercase) form and a small (lowercase) form.

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Every letter has two forms

The alphabet has 26 letters. Here is a surprise: each letter has two forms. One form is big and one form is small.

The big form is called uppercase. Another name for it is a capital letter. The small form is called lowercase.

Look at these pairs:

  • A a
  • B b
  • C c
  • M m
  • T t

Each pair is the same letter. It makes the same sound. It just wears a different shape, like a person wearing a hat or no hat.

Why do we need two forms?

Two forms help readers. A capital letter is like a little flag. It waves and says, “Look here! Something new starts now.”

We use a capital letter in two big places:

  1. At the start of a sentence. The cat naps. The word The starts with a capital T.
  2. At the start of a name. Mia, Rex, Toronto and Canada all start with a capital letter.

Most other letters are lowercase. If you look at a page in a storybook, you will see far more small letters than big ones.

Some pairs look the same, and some look different

Some letters look almost the same in both forms. They only change size:

  • C c, O o, S s, U u, V v, W w, X x, Z z

Other letters change their shape a lot:

  • A a
  • B b
  • D d
  • E e
  • G g
  • Q q
  • R r

These are the tricky ones. It helps to practise them a little at a time.

How to match a big letter and a small letter

Here is a simple way to find the partner of a letter.

  1. Say the letter’s name. Look at G. Say “G.”
  2. Say the letter’s sound. G says /g/, like in goat.
  3. Look for the small letter with the same name. Find g.
  4. Check the shape. Small g has a round part and a tail that hangs down.
  5. Put them together. G g are partners!

Let’s try some examples

Example 1: Find the partner of capital B.
Say “B.” B says /b/, like in ball. The small letter is b. It has a tall line and a round belly on the right.

Example 2: Which word should start with a capital letter?
Look at sam has a dog. Sam is a name. It is also the first word. So we write Sam has a dog.

Example 3: Fix this sentence.
the sun is hot. The first word needs a capital letter. We write The sun is hot.

Example 4: Is this a name?
dog is not a name. It is a kind of animal. But Rex is a name for one dog, so it gets a capital R.

Watch out for look-alike letters

Some small letters look like each other. They are called look-alike letters. They can trick our eyes.

  • b and d face different ways.
  • p and q face different ways too.
  • n and u are the same shape turned over.

Here is a trick for b and d. Make two fists with your thumbs up. Your left hand makes a b. Your right hand makes a d. Put them together and you get a little “bed”!

Go slow and check each letter. Being careful is a big reader skill.

Writing big and small letters

When you write, think about size.

  • Capital letters are tall. They touch the top line.
  • Many small letters are short, like a, c, e, m, n, o and s.
  • Some small letters are tall, like b, d, h, k and l.
  • Some small letters hang down below the line, like g, j, p, q and y.

Write slowly. Start most letters at the top. Then look back and check. Did you use a capital letter at the start? Did you use small letters for the rest?

Common mistakes

  • Using capitals everywhere. I LIKE MY CAT is hard to read. We write I like my cat.
  • Forgetting the capital at the start. we play. should be We play.
  • Mixing up b and d. Use the “bed” trick.
  • A small letter in a name. mia should be Mia.

Here is a fun fact. The word I is always a capital letter, even in the middle of a sentence: Mom and I read.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the small partner of each capital letter: D, H, R, E, Q.
  2. Write the capital partner of each small letter: f, g, n, t, y.
  3. Fix this sentence: my dog is big.
  4. Circle the names: cat, Leo, ball, Ottawa, Ana.
  5. Find all the capital letters in your favourite storybook page. Count them!

Answers: 1. d, h, r, e, q. 2. F, G, N, T, Y. 3. My dog is big. 4. Leo, Ottawa, Ana. 5. Answers will be different for each book.

Grown-up tip

Play “letter partners.” Write capital letters on one set of cards and small letters on another. Mix them up. Then take turns finding pairs. Start with easy pairs like O o and S s. Then add tricky ones like G g and R r. Point out capital letters on signs, cereal boxes and book covers too.

Quick recap

  • Every letter has two forms: uppercase (big) and lowercase (small).
  • Use a capital letter at the start of a sentence and at the start of a name.
  • The word I is always a capital.
  • Most letters we read and write are lowercase.
  • Go slow with look-alike letters like b and d.