Is Bitcoin Capitalized? Uppercase "B" vs Lowercase

The word “bitcoin” is often written in many different ways.

Sometimes ‘Bitcoin’, sometimes ‘bitcoin’, and sometimes ‘BTC’.

What does each mean?

It’s not hard, but let’s break it down.

Key Takeaways

  • Use 'Bitcoin' when you are talking about the protocol or the payment network.
  • Use 'bitcoin' when you are talking about units of the currency.
  • You can use 'BTC' to refer to both 'Bitcoin' and 'bitcoin'.

Capital B

Bitcoin with a capital “B” is used to describe Bitcoin the protocol, Bitcoin as a whole, or Bitcoin as a payment network.

For example:

I’ve been using Bitcoin to send money to my brother in Canada.

I learned about Bitcoin in 2020 when I was in college.

Lowercase B

When bitcoin is spelled with a lowercase “b”, it is used to reference bitcoin as a currency or the currency unit.

For example:

I finally bought my first bitcoins.

I had received 30 bitcoins as a birthday gift.

What is BTC?

Sometimes BTC is used to reference Bitcoin.

BTC is also used like bitcoin with a lowercase B, meaning it is used to reference bitcoin the currency.

For example:

Did you see? One BTC is finally worth over $1,000!

You owe me 50 BTC.

Article Sources

BuyBitcoinWorldWide writers are subject-matter experts and base their articles on firsthand information, like interviews with experts, white papers or original studies and experience. We also use trusted research and studies from other well-known sources. You can learn more about our editorial guidelines.

  1. Bitcoin Stack Exchange - Correct use of the word Bitcoin, https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/20901/correct-use-of-the-word-bitcoin

About the Author

jordan tuwiner

Jordan Tuwiner is the founder of BuyBitcoinWorldwide.com. He studied computer science at Towson University. Jordan has been writing about Bitcoin since 2015. His work has been featured in The Guardian, International Business Times, Forbes, VentureBeat, CoinDesk and many other top Bitcoin media outlets.



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