How to Spell WordPress Correctly: Capital P, One Word (2026)
How many times have you written about the popular blogging platform as “Wordpress” or “Word Press”? I did it on this blog for a long time before I learned the correct way. If you want to know how to spell WordPress, it’s one word with two capital letters: a capital W and a capital P. Here’s why it matters, how WordPress fixes the mistake for you, and the related names people get wrong.
Quick answer: The correct spelling is WordPress: one word, capital W, capital P, no space. “Wordpress”, “Word Press” and “word press” are all wrong. WordPress is a registered trademark of the WordPress Foundation, and since version 3.0 WordPress automatically changes “Wordpress” to “WordPress” in your post titles, content and comments.
Table of Contents
How I learned to spell WordPress
I had been blogging about WordPress for years when, in July 2007, a post by WordPress expert Lorelle VanFossen on writing good WordPress tips pointed out that WordPress is a trademark and should be spelled properly. Her point stuck with me: when she saw “Wordpress” instead of “WordPress”, or “Wordpress plug-in” instead of “WordPress plugin”, the article lost some of its luster. If a writer skipped such a basic detail, what else might they have overlooked?
That’s the real reason to get it right. Spelling a product’s name correctly is a small signal of care and credibility, especially if you write tutorials, reviews or client proposals.
The correct way to write WordPress
- Correct: WordPress
- Wrong: Wordpress, Word Press, Word press, wordpress, WORDPRESS (except in all-caps headings)
- Plugin, not plug-in: the WordPress community writes “plugin” as one word.
- Lowercase in URLs only: domains and folder names like wordpress.org are fine in lowercase.
WordPress fixes the spelling for you: capital_P_dangit
In 2007 you needed a plugin to correct the spelling automatically. Since WordPress 3.0 (2010), WordPress has a built-in function with the cheeky name capital_P_dangit() (external site). It runs on post titles, post content and comments and changes “Wordpress” to “WordPress” when the page is displayed.
A few things to know:
- It only changes how text is displayed; your saved post still contains the original spelling.
- It doesn’t fix “Word Press” with a space.
- It can occasionally break things, such as a URL or file path containing “Wordpress”. Developers can turn it off with
remove_filter( 'the_content', 'capital_P_dangit', 11 );(and the same forthe_titleandcomment_text).
Other names people get wrong
- WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: WordPress.com is Automattic’s hosted service; WordPress.org is the free open-source software you install on your own host. See how to move a blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.
- WooCommerce: capital W and capital C.
- bbPress and BuddyPress: bbPress starts with lowercase “bb”; BuddyPress has a capital B and P. Read why we like bbPress forums.
- Gutenberg: the project name for the block editor.
Trademark tips for bloggers
The WordPress trademark policy (external site) also says you can’t use “WordPress” as part of a domain name, which is why many sites use “WP” instead (for example, wpbeginner.com). The policy asks that “WP” isn’t used in a way that confuses people.
Next time you write “Word Press” or “Wordpress”, watch out for eagle-eyed WordPress bloggers ready to correct you!
FAQ
Is it WordPress or Wordpress?
WordPress, with a capital P. “Wordpress” is a common misspelling.
Is WordPress one word or two?
One word. “Word Press” with a space is wrong.
Why does WordPress change my spelling of Wordpress?
Since version 3.0, a built-in function called capital_P_dangit corrects “Wordpress” to “WordPress” in titles, content and comments when they’re displayed.
Can I use WordPress in my domain name?
No. The WordPress Foundation’s trademark policy doesn’t allow “WordPress” in domain names. Many sites use “WP” instead.
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I’m trying to use WordPress as far as possible in my posts. I think I’ve gotten rid of that habit :D of writing WordPress incorrectly.
Never realized this. Thanks for pointing this out. I have fixed it now.
Excellent point aj. I have fixed the title. Thanks.
Is uppercasing and lowercasing a letter in a word called spelling?
Lorelle, I confess that thanks to all this info I recently changed my category name from WordPress to WordPress. It feels so right now. :-)
Not just angry WordPressers, but maybe some lawyers. Nah, kidding.
The biggest hurt for those who spell WordPress and Plugins wrong is that it only hurts them, especially those who spell Plugins as plug-ins. The latter connects your computer to electricity. The former is for WordPress blogs.If someone is searching for Plugins, what are the odds that your post on plug-ins will be found?
When you understand the importance of these, it’s amazing how fast you can overcome the habit. :D
Thanks for spreading the word(s).