Small caps are a great way to make your text look professional and elegant in Word documents. They are often used in headings, legal documents, academic papers, or invitations to give emphasis while maintaining a clean style. If you’re wondering how to apply small caps in Microsoft Word, this guide will walk you through all the steps easily.

What Are Small Caps?

Small caps are capital letters that are slightly smaller than regular capital letters. Unlike normal uppercase letters, small caps keep a uniform height for better readability while adding a subtle stylistic effect.

For example:

Normal: This is a heading
Small caps: THIS IS A HEADING (with slightly smaller capitals for lowercase letters)

How to Apply Small Caps in Word Documents

There are multiple ways to use small caps depending on your preference.

Method 1: Using the Font Dialog Box

Open your Word document.
Highlight the text you want to convert to small caps.
Go to the Home tab on the ribbon.
Click the small Font dialog box launcher (the tiny arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Font section).
In the Font window, check the box labeled Small caps.
Click OK.

Your selected text will now appear in small caps.

Method 2: Using the Font Group Shortcut

Highlight the text you want to format.
Press Ctrl + Shift + K (Windows) or Command + Shift + K (Mac).
The text will immediately switch to small caps.

Tip: This is the fastest way to apply small caps without opening the Font dialog box.

Method 3: Using Styles for Headings or Sections

If you want consistent small caps across multiple headings:

Highlight your heading or section title.
Open the Styles pane on the Home tab.
Right-click the style you want (e.g., Heading 1) and select Modify.
Click Format → Font → Small caps.
Click OK to apply.

Now every time you use this style, it will automatically be in small caps.

Tips for Using Small Caps Effectively

Small caps work best for headings, acronyms, and short titles.
Avoid using small caps for long paragraphs—it can reduce readability.
Pair small caps with a slightly larger font size for emphasis.
Combine with bold or italics for professional-looking document formatting.
Always check the final print version because some fonts render small caps differently.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does small caps work in all Word versions?

Yes. Small caps are available in Word 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Office 365, and Word for Mac.

2. Can I undo small caps?

Yes. Highlight the text and either uncheck the small caps box in the Font dialog or press Ctrl + Shift + K again.

3. Are small caps different from all caps?

Yes. All caps converts all letters to full-size uppercase, while small caps keeps lowercase letters smaller than uppercase letters for a refined look.

Final Thoughts

Using small caps in Word documents adds a touch of professionalism and style to your headings, titles, and important text. With methods like the Font dialog box, keyboard shortcut, or styles, you can quickly format your text and maintain consistency throughout your document.

Whether you’re creating academic papers, business reports, or creative documents, small caps are a subtle but effective way to make your text stand out.