versal
/beɾsal/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'uppercase' can be translated into Spanish as versal or de caja alta.
Meaning: written in upper case (adj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| versal | /beɾsal/ (from spelling rules) |
| de caja alta | /de kaxa alta/ (from spelling rules) |
Proper nouns such as names of people and cities are capitalized in Spanish, as shown in the example Ana vive en Madrid. Acronyms in Spanish are typically written in uppercase, as shown in the example ONU (Organización de las Naciones Unidas). In online communication, all uppercase letters are commonly used to express emotions or imitate shouting, as shown in the example ¡HOLA! ¿CÓMO ESTÁS?
Which one should you use?
To say that a text is written in uppercase, it is common to use the phrase en mayúsculas.
How do you pronounce it?
/beɾsal/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, unlike English, you do not capitalize the days of the week, months, or languages, meaning they are almost always written in minúsculas.
- While versal is used for uppercase letters, it specifically originates from the 'versals' used in illuminated manuscripts to begin a new section of text.
- The Spanish word caja shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'cash' and the Spanish word quijada, which refers to a 'jaw'.
Examples in context
- Por favor, escriba su nombre en mayúscula.Please write your name in uppercase.
- Utilice exclusivamente letra capital en las cabeceras.Use only uppercase letters in the headers.
- ¡Ponlo todo en mayúscula para destacarlo!Put everything in uppercase to emphasize it!
- Asegúrate de escribir todo en versales para evitar confusiones.Make sure to write everything in uppercase to avoid confusion.
Example conversation
Lucía is helping Javier format a document.
- LucíaJavier, ¿el título es en versal?Javier, is the title in uppercase?
- JavierSí, así resalta más el nombre.Yes, that way the name stands out more.
- LucíaEntonces dejaré el resto en minúscula.Then I will leave the rest in lowercase.
- JavierMe parece perfecto, Lucía.That sounds perfect to me, Lucía.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “uppercase” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries caja, de, CC BY-SA 4.0.
