Capitolization of Nicknames

Procrastinista · Aug 16, 2011

1. Suppose a character is talking to his younger brother:

"Hey Runt. Come here."

Should "Runt" have a leading cap? If it is a long-standing nickname, I'd say yes. But even if it is being used for the first time, I'd still say yes. "Runt" is being used as a replacement for the brother's name. (i.e. proper noun)

2. What about:

"Hey dude. Come here."

Should "dude" have a leading cap? I'd be inclined to say no if the character refers to all sorts of guys as dudes. (i.e. a generic label)

3. If I'm correct about (1) and (2), then where do you draw the line?

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 16, 2011

Hey dude is kind of like "hey you" or "hey man" or "hey bro." It's just a general label. But if it is a nickname, like in that awful movie, then Dude, or The Dude, would be capitalized.

Snick · Aug 16, 2011

If a word is used as the name of a character, then it must be capitalized. If a character is called something as an insult or a general term, or something else, the it should not be capitalized. In your examples, "Runt" should have a capital, if that is what the character is called by the other one. "Dude" oribably should not be capitalized, because it is a general term for people.

guttersquid · Aug 20, 2011

Snick is correct.

If "runt" is just a shortened version of "you little runt," don't capitalize it.

"Hey, you little runt. Come here."

Also, don't forget the comma after "hey."

Stacia Kane · Aug 20, 2011

Yeah, it needs the cap, though it bugs me.

It's "capitalization," btw, not "capitolization."

rainsmom · Aug 20, 2011

I would decide based on how the character is thought about and spoken about by his brother. If he uses Runt as a name all the time, if he speaks of Runt to other family members and close friends, if he thinks of his brother as Runt-with-a-capital-R, then cap it.

If, on the other hand, he just calls him runt occasionally to bug him and doesn't really treat is as a proper name, then leave it lowercase. I would also leave it lowercase if he think of him as "the runt," because that implies to me that it's more a label than a name.

bonitakale · Aug 21, 2011

I'd go along with Rainsmom on this. Don't capitalize it unless it's going to be a name.

Sometimes it's just a matter of your own taste. "Wake up, sleepy!" "Wake up, Grouchy!" "Wake up, darling." "Wake up, O Bedheaded One."

Michael E. Walston · Aug 31, 2011

If it's just any old runt, I would think you needn't capitalize--only if it's a specific runt. In this case, you're addressing one particular runt.

Like "doctor" or "captain"...

jimbro · Aug 31, 2011

"Hey, Runt! You know you're a runt, right?"

Michael E. Walston · Aug 31, 2011

jimbro said:
"Hey, Runt! You know you're a runt, right?"

Capitolization of Nicknames

Procrastinista

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

Snick

guttersquid

I agree with Roxxsmom.

Stacia Kane

Girl Detective

rainsmom

Feeling like an old timer

bonitakale

Michael E. Walston

jimbro

Michael E. Walston