There are a lot of interchangeable terms and synonyms in the English language that might be confusing to someone who isn’t fluent in it. For example, you may refer to your local 7-Eleven as a “convenience store,” but you can also call it a “corner store.” You may also say someone has a “white-collar job,” although you can also describe them as having an “office job.”

However, there are occasions when certain words are considered equivalent and while they convey the meaning intended, they are not properly grammatical. Consider, for example, the difference between a cap and a hat. People often interchange them, but while a cap is a kind of hat, a hat is not always a cap.

It might appear complex. Here’s the long version.

What Is a Hat, and What Does It Mean?

The umbrella term for various types of headwear is a hat. It’s used for sun protection and rain, religious reasons, safety, or as an ornament.

Hats have always been a sign of your financial status and social standing: during the Middle Ages, wealthy Christian women wore draped veils and wimples as a sign of modesty because it was thought that displaying your hair in public indicated immodesty; on the other hand, poor peasant women donned wide hats over skullcaps since it was more practical for them to do so while working in the field.

To this day, while there are still certain capes that are worn metaphorically (for example, a toga for graduation or a kippah for Jewish religion), the majority of hats are primarily fashioned choices rather than symbols of one’s social position.

The form of the crown and brim is what distinguishes hats. The phrase “hat” can refer to a variety of headgear designs, unlike caps. A bowler hat, a fedora, and an ascot cap may appear different, but they are all hats by definition. Caps have a particular form and distinct components that distinguish them from other kinds of headwear.

Parts of a Hat

A hat usually comprises two components: a crown and a brim, although there are exceptions (such as the kippah, which has a tiny crown). The crown is the portion of the hat that wraps around your head, while the brim is the extra material that encircles it and serves as either a decorative or sunshade.

Hats are made of a variety of materials, generally sturdier than baseball caps. However, not all headwear is produced in this manner; the chullo is knitted for example. Hats come in a range of sizes, although certain types of hats include adjusters to fit larger or smaller heads. A milliner, also known as a hat maker, can make hats that are custom-made to fit someone’s head perfectly, but most hats are mass-produced and available in standard sizes.

What Is a Cap?

A cap is a type of headwear characterized by an unshaped crown (i.e., it merely follows the shape of the head) and, in place of a brim, a visor or bill at the front. This is the conventional style of a cap, but other forms of hats that fall under the category of caps feature an unshaped crown and no brim.

Cap vs. Hat

Let’s look at some of the similarities and distinctions between a hat and a cap after we’ve defined what a hat and a cap are. A hat can refer to any headgear with a crown and brim of any size or shape, whereas a cap is an unshaped crown were.

A cap is softer than most hats because of the brim and other parts. A lot of caps are utilized as sunshades, but they may also be used as symbols or ritual objects. Caps do not have brims, and their visors can only shield one’s face from the sun. Other than that, caps are mostly a fashion accessory, albeit, under the definition of caps, some ceremonial headgear might qualify.

When to Use Cap vs. Hat

When it comes to misusing words that can’t be interchanged, most individuals would become perplexed and then attempt to clarify and correct you so that they could understand. However, numerous terms such as “cap” and “hat,” while technically accurate, are frequently misused in such a way that they’re accepted to have the same meaning. Because the definition of a cap does not match with a porkpie, calling a baseball cap a hat is technically correct but wrongly referring to a porkpie hat as a cap is incorrect. Although it’s often misunderstood, few people would call you out on this error since it’s so frequently employed. However, if you wish to be grammatically correct, you must know when to employ either of the phrases.

A hat is a headgear that covers the whole scalp and is firmly secured, although the term is usually used to describe several distinct types of designs. Consider this illustration as an example.

Both are acceptable in this sentence. In particular, the baseball player’s headgear is a cap, though it is also a hat. Now look at how you can’t technically call it a cap because it’s a hat in this next section.

However, a hat does not necessarily cover the full range of headgear types. Even though it belongs to the same category of headgear as a turban, it is neither a hat nor a cap. It’s different from other hats in that it’s made only with a strip of fabric wrapped around the head. The same goes for wigs, veils, helmets, and masks. These are not interchangeable with hats or caps.

Although some individuals may overlook you calling a hat a cap, if you try to say this bride is wearing a hat or cap, you might get strange looks from people since the words hat and veil are not interchangeable.

To summarize, you may call a cap either a cap or a hat; but when the word that refers to many headpieces that don’t fit the bill, you can’t call anything a cap. Some people will understand your meaning if you mix these two words up, but avoid referring to other headgear and adornments as “hat” alone because it wouldn’t cover all types of head decorations.

If you’re looking for a company to produce your hats or caps in bulk, why not check out FlexFit Headwear.

Tom Gardner