The Captain’s Log

Toplevel | Pontifications of The Great and Terrible Captain Cucamunga.

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:43:36 EST

Earth: Capitalize or Do Not Capitalize?

When you name planet Earth with a proper noun, capitalize it: You live here on Earth. Earth is warming. We do not use the definite article before a proper noun.

When you introduce earth with the definite article, do not capitalize earth in the noun phrase: The earth spins on its axis. He is the scum of the earth.

When you talk about dirt, do not capitalize the noun: He scooped up some earth from the field.