Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Adjusting Small Caps Text.

Adjusting Small Caps Text

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 30, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


1

Small caps are a typographic convention in which no lowercase letters are used. Traditionally, the first letter of the word appears a bit larger than the rest of the letters in a word, even though all letters are uppercase. When you use the Small Caps character attribute, Word coverts the letters to their proper appearance.

To convert words properly to small caps, you need to go through several steps, as follows:

  1. Select the current word (or group of words).
  2. Make sure the first letter of each word is uppercase.
  3. Set the Small Caps character attribute. (Choose Font from the Format menu. In the resulting dialog box, select Small Caps.)

If you are using small caps text sparingly in a document, then these steps are rather quick and painless. However, if you are using it quite a bit, then repeatedly performing the steps can get tiresome. The following is a macro you can use to perform these steps automatically:

Sub MakeSmallCaps()
     If Selection.Type = wdSelectionIP Then
          Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdWord, Count:=1
          Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdWord, Count:=1, Extend:=wdExtend
     End If
     Selection.Range.Case = wdTitleWord
     Selection.Font.SmallCaps = True
End Sub

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (271) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Adjusting Small Caps Text.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Converting Text Into a Table

You can easily convert regular text into a table using a couple of different methods. This tip explains how to make the ...

Discover More

Increasing Envelope Address Lines

Envelopes in Word are created through the use of styles that define specific elements of the envelope, such as return ...

Discover More

Copying Headers and Footers

Need to copy headers and footers from one worksheet to another? How about from one workbook to another? Here are some ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Missing Fonts in a Letterhead

When you create a document (such as a letterhead) that you want multiple people to use, you need to be concerned with ...

Discover More

Creating Thin Spaces

Thin spaces are a typographic device that allows you add a bit of space between elements of a document. There are no thin ...

Discover More

Adjusting the Width of Characters

Need to adjust how your characters look horizontally? Word provides an easy way you can scale the horizontal appearance ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is nine minus 5?

2020-05-30 12:00:33

Steve Wells

If you just want easy access to toggle Small Caps without necessarily setting all the intended words to initial caps, you can place a Small Caps button on a toolbar. To do so (and this is way simpler than it looks from all the text below):

1. Right-click any toolbar (or click the Tools menu) and select Customize.
2. The Customize dialog box opens. Click the Commands tab.
3. Under the Categories pane, select Format.
4. Under the Commands pane, approximately a third of the way down, find Small Caps.
5. Drag the Small Caps button to a desired toolbar, such as the Formatting toolbar.
6. In case you didn't place it exactly where you want it, you can drag it to a different position while the Customize box is open.
7. Click the Close button.


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.