Capitalize the first letter of both words in a two word string

How to Capitalize the First Letter of Both Words in a Two-Word String

Are you struggling with capitalizing the first letter of both words in a two-word string? 🤔 It can be a bit tricky, but fear not! In this guide, we'll address this common issue and provide easy solutions to help you achieve the desired result. So let's dive right in! 💪

The Scenario

Imagine you have a two-word string, and you want to capitalize the first letter of both words. Let's use the following example string:

name <- c("zip code", "state", "final count")

You might naturally turn to the capitalize function from the Hmisc package, as it appears to be a viable solution. However, the function only capitalizes the first word, leaving you unsure about how to capitalize the second word:

library(Hmisc)
capitalize(name)
# [1] "Zip code"    "State"       "Final count"

As you can see, the capitalize function isn't providing the desired outcome. But worry not, we've got you covered! 💪

The Solution

To capitalize the first letter of both words in a two-word string (or even a three-word string), you can create a custom function that utilizes a combination of string manipulation functions available in R. Here's an example of how you can accomplish this:

capitalizeBothWords <- function(string) {
  words <- strsplit(string, " ")[[1]]
  capitalizedWords <- paste0(toupper(substring(words, 1, 1)), substring(words, 2))
  
  return(paste(capitalizedWords, collapse = " "))
}

capitalizeBothWords(name)
# [1] "Zip Code"    "State"       "Final Count"

Boom! 💥 Now you have the desired result:

c("Zip Code", "State", "Final Count")

Handling Three-Word Strings

You might be wondering, can we apply the same approach to three-word strings? Absolutely! Let's take another example:

name2 <- c("I like pizza")

By using the same capitalizeBothWords function, you'll get the following outcome:

capitalizeBothWords(name2)
# [1] "I Like Pizza"

That's it! 🎉 You've successfully capitalized the first letter of both words in a three-word string.

Your Turn!

Now that you know how to capitalize the first letter of both words in a two-word string, it's time to put your newfound knowledge into practice! Try it out with your own strings, and see the magic happen. Don't hesitate to experiment and explore other possibilities as well. 💡

If you encounter any issues, have questions, or want to share your own creative solutions, feel free to leave a comment below. Let's collaborate and enhance our R skills together! 🤝