Does Capitalization Matter in an Email Address?

Are you wondering whether email addresses are case sensitive? Is Office@ladedu.com the same address as office@ladedu.com? Find out here whether capitalization (letter case) does matter in an email address.

First, Faced Decaf in the Top Pot (after Pool Loop)

An emordnilap (or semordnilap, or semi-palindrome, it does not really matter what you call it) is a word that, read backwards, is a different word. Prominent examples of emordnilaps include the short “on” and the slightly longer “desserts” as well as “palindromes”, of course.

Put a word and its emordnilap back-to-back, however, and they form a palindrome—where it no longer matters whether you read the group forwards or backwards. Let’s say, you faced decaf in the top pot after your afternoon pool loop.

With that out of the way, does it matter whether you read an email address in capital or lower-case letters?

Does Capitalization Matter in an Email Address?

Yes, case does matter in email addresses.

For this reason (and a bit despite of it) do not use capital letters or mixed case in email addresses.

Email addresses consist of three parts (username @ domain), each of which has its own rules whether capital letters matter:

Username	case can matter (and usually does not)
@	never case sensitive
Domain	never case sensitive

While capitals never matter for an email address’s domain part, the username (what precedes @) is, in theory and according to the email standards, case sensitive.

This means

• eXamPle@ladedu.com technically is a different address from eXampLe@ladedu.com while
• eXample@Ladedu.com is the same address as eXample@ladedu.com.

At the same time, the following is true:

• Just about all email services treat the two addresses above (and all other mixed-case variations) as denoting the same email account.
• Practically every email user will expect capitals not to matter in an email address.

Therefore, you should not use mixed case yourself but use only lower case in the username part of your email address.

Does Capitalization Matter in an Email Address: FAQ

Can I use small caps or other alternative capital letters?

No.

In email addresses, it is usually best to only use (lower-case) ASCII letters a–z (ASCII 97–122).

Do not use Unicode characters that mimic upper case or small caps (such as ᴇⅹᴀмᴘʟᴇ@ladedu.com).

(Does capitalization matter in an email address updated January 2024)