How To Use A Colon: Your Punctuation Guide

Grammar is important, and there are a lot of rules to master. Learning how to use a colon will help you take charge of your writing. Like all other grammatical symbols, there are strict rules as to when and where to use a colon.

In some instances, a colon may not be the only right choice, but it could be a preferred option. Here, we will break down everything you need to know about when to use the colon symbol.

What are the Grammatical Uses of a Colon?

There are three primary grammatical uses of the colon symbol.

We will get started with the grammatical purposes, and follow it up with non-grammatical uses:

Introduce a List

Before you introduce a list of items, you should place a colon. For example, “The bakery’s menu is filled with delicious goods: scones, sourdough bread, and croissants.” However, you should not use a colon when the list is part of the sentence, like in this example: “The museum has displays of contemporary art, sculptures, and life-size installations.”

Combine Two Independent Clauses

You can use a colon when you are combining two sentences, and the second sentence explains the first. In some instances, you can use a semicolon (;) and colon (:) interchangeably. In this case, you don’t capitalize the first word of the second sentence (unless it’s a word that would otherwise be capitalized, such as a proper noun). Here’s an example: “Both of their dogs are rescues: Juju is a pitbull and Fluffy is a poodle.”

Emphasis

To emphasize a word that ends a sentence, you can either use a colon (:) or em dash (—) . To exemplify, you may write, “Traveling through Italy was an unforgettable experience: the wine was to die for!”

Non-Grammatical Uses of Colons

Despite the traditional and grammatical uses of colons, you’ve definitely come across colons in other instances than those described above. Colons are also used for the following:

Time

When writing time, it follows the way a digital clock looks. Example: It’s 10:31 AM.

Ratio

You use a colon when expressing a ratio of two numbers. In this case, there is no space between either number and the colon. For example, “The teacher-to-student ratio at the University of the People is 14:1”

Biblical References

When quoting from or referencing a bible verse, you’ll separate the chapter from the verse with a colon. Example: “Corinthians 1:14”

Volumes

If you are citing a piece of work that has volumes, you’ll use a colon to separate the volume from the page number. Example: “In Search of Lost Time 5:14” where 5 refers to the volume and 14 refers to the page number

Correspondence

More commonly used in formal writing than informal writing, the colon is a way to separate a greeting from the body of the letter. For example, when writing a cover letter, you may write: “To Whom It May Concern:” and then continue with your letter.

The Bottom Line

A colon has three main grammatical uses and several other common non-grammatical purposes. When writing both informally or formally, it’s always best practice to use grammatical symbols properly. Knowing how to use a colon is just another way to boost the fluency of your writing.