Capital
U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) glossary · English
Definition
The city where a government works (Washington, D.C. for the nation).
Capital in plain English
A capital is the city a government calls home base, where its main offices and leaders actually do their work. For the whole United States, that city is Washington, D.C., where the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court are located. Each state also has its own capital for running that state's government. It helps to remember 'capital' with an 'a' is a place (a city), while 'capitol' with an 'o' is the specific building where lawmakers meet.
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