Why You Should Never Type In All Caps

All caps, or capital letters, are tempting to use when it’s time to get your message across. They make things appear bigger and bolder, and can really emphasize a point.

While most of us know that all caps shouldn’t be used in formal writing, there are still plenty of people who use them regularly – especially online.

But why is typing in all caps considered so bad? Let’s take a look at some of the reasons.

7 reasons why you shouldn’t type in all caps

1. All caps usually means you’re shouting

We’ve all been on the receiving end of an all-caps message and it’s not a pleasant experience. It’s like being screamed at by a friend or family member. And we all know how that feels. So, unless you want to be responsible for ruining someone’s day, avoid typing in all caps.

2. All caps are hard to read

Have you ever tried reading an entire paragraph of text that’s written in all caps? It’s not fun, is it? In fact, it’s downright exhausting.

That’s because our brains are wired to process information more quickly when it’s presented in lowercase letters. So, if you want people to actually read what you’re typing, stick to lowercase letters.

3. All caps can make you look like a newbie

There’s nothing wrong with being a newbie, but if you want people to take you seriously, you need to act like a seasoned pro. And one surefire way to look like a newbie is to type everything in all caps.

It’s usually what older, less tech-savvy people do when they’re trying to figure out how to use a computer or the internet. It will make it look like you’ve accidentally pressed the caps lock button and don’t know how to turn it off. Ouch.

4. All caps can come across as aggressive

In the world of online communication, it’s easy for things to get lost in translation. And when you’re typing in all caps, your words can come across as much more aggressive than you intended.

This is especially true if you’re communicating with someone you don’t know very well. They have no way of knowing that you’re just a friendly person who happens to like typing in all caps. All they see is a scary-looking message full of angry-looking letters.

5. All caps can make you look unprofessional

If you’re running a business or trying to build a professional brand, you need to be careful about how you present yourself online. And typing in all caps is definitely not professional.

It makes you look uneducated and inexperienced. Not exactly the impression you want to make on potential clients or customers, right?

6. It weakens your message if you constantly use it

All caps are used to emphasize a point. But if you type in all caps all the time, that emphasis is going to get weaker and weaker.

Think about it this way – if you scream all the time, eventually people are just going to tune you out, as nothing you say (and in this case, write) will seem important anymore.

7. People will think you’re a jerk

This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you type in all caps, people are going to think you’re a douchebag. And they’ll be right. It’s an inconsiderate, rude way to communicate.

Wrapping up

The caps lock button is there for a reason – to be used sparingly and only when necessary. So, the next time you’re tempted to type in all caps, think about some of the reasons why you shouldn’t. Your recipients will definitely appreciate it.