Earth vs. The Earth – Correct Version Revealed (+Capitalization Rules)

Knowing when to use “earth,” “Earth,” or “the earth” is very important in English. There are three unique variations, each one used slightly differently, but you must know how to write them. This article will explore the differences for you and help you understand the rules.

Earth Or The Earth: Which Is Correct?

“Earth” is correct when you’re using the proper noun to talk about the planet of Earth. “The earth” is correct when you’re talking about the planet, but you don’t want to capitalize it because you’re describing something about it.

There is one other instance where we use “earth” as well. This instance is used when we don’t capitalize it. In this case, “earth” is related to mud and soil, which allows plants to grow on top of it.

So, the three main terms are:

• Earth: Proper noun for the planet
• The earth: Used to describe the planet or the land upon it
• earth: Used to talk about soil or mud on the land

What Does “Earth” Mean?

We’ve briefly gone through the capitalization rules, but now it’s time to look closer at the meanings. There are two main meanings for “earth,” one of which is the proper noun, the other is the common noun.

Proper Noun

“Earth” is capitalized when it is a proper noun. In this case, we’re talking about the Planet Earth, which is one of a kind, and therefore we use a name to talk about it.

The definition of “Earth,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “the planet third in order of distance from the sun, between Venus and Mars; the world on which we live.”

It’s as simple as that. Whenever we’re referring specifically to the planet that we live on, we capitalize it in this way.

Common Noun

“Earth” and “the earth” are the common noun variations, which are used when we don’t capitalize the word. You should use “the earth” when describing the land on the planet, and you should use “earth” when talking about soil or mud that grows plants.

The definition of “the earth,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “the land surface of the world rather than the sky or sea.”

The definition of “earth,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “the usually brown, heavy and loose substance of which a large part of the surface of the ground is made, and in which plants can grow.”

Both of these meanings are common nouns. The main difference between a proper noun and a common noun is the capitalization rules. We capitalize only for proper nouns (like Tom or Dave) and don’t capitalize for common nouns.

Is “Earth” Or “The Earth” Used The Most?

We can look at which of the words are used the most by native speakers. That might help us to understand which of them we should focus most of our time on learning.

According to this graph, “earth” is much more popular than “the earth.” They’ve both followed the same general trend, but “earth” (or “Earth”) has always been more popular than it.

That’s because people prefer to use the proper noun “Earth” or the common noun “earth” to talk about the land. Generally, we don’t like to add “the” to the front of it because it takes away from the uniqueness of the name of Earth.

For example, we wouldn’t say:

• The tom
• The dave
• The jenny

All of the above are proper nouns and names of people. We wouldn’t include “the” before them and take away the capitalization, yet we seem to think that the following is accepted:

• Earth
• The earth

That’s the main reason why few people use “the earth” over “earth.

Should I Capitalize “Earth”?

You should capitalize “Earth” when you’re using it as a proper noun. That means when you’re talking about it as the planet that we live on. If you include “the” before it or if you’re talking about the soil that grows plants, you should use “earth” in lower case.

You may also like: Are “Sister” And “Brother” Capitalized? Full Explanation

Examples Of How To Use “Earth” In A Sentence

We can go over some examples of using both words. This will help you understand better when to use which form. Again, we’ll split “Earth” and “earth” into the proper noun and common noun sections.

Proper Noun

1. We live on Earth.
2. Welcome to Earth, your home for your whole life.
3. Earth is the third planet in the solar system.
4. Earth is great, but I’d love to find out more about Mars.
5. This is Earth; get used to it.

As a proper noun, we’re referring to the planet that we live on. It’s common when we simply want to talk about our planet (specifically where it’s found in the solar system).

Common Noun

1. The upturned earth was a bit messy.
2. Finding quality earth proved difficult at the farmer’s market.
3. Is this earth for sale?
4. Where can I go to find good earth?
5. Farms are filled with lots of top-quality earth.

As a common noun, we keep “earth” uncapitalized. It refers to the brown soil that is used in farms to plant.

Examples Of How To Use “The Earth” In A Sentence

The times when we use “the earth” are much rarer. It’s good to know when it might come up, but you have to remember not to capitalize the phrase when you do so (since “the” takes away the capitalization).

1. There are plenty of people around the earth that would disagree with you.
2. The land of the earth is difficult to explore.
3. There’s not much left of the earth to discover.
4. The earth is falling to pieces because of us.
5. Is there anything fun left to do on the earth?

Quiz: Have You Mastered The “Earth” Or “The Earth” Grammar?

Finally, let’s see what you’ve learned throughout this article. We’ve put together a quick quiz to test your knowledge.

1. We are all inhabitants of (A. Earth / B. the earth).
2. Earth / B. the earth) is dying because of us!
3. There are plenty of people around (A. Earth / B. the earth).
4. We need to find more (A. earth / B. the earth) for our land.
5. Is there any good (A. earth / B. the earth) left around here?

Quiz Answers

1. B
2. A
3. B
4. A
5. A