Source: https://developers.google.com/style/colons\n\n# Colons



      Stay organized with collections



      Save and categorize content based on your preferences.\n\n- Home\n- Products\n- Style\n\n\n## Page Summary\n\n- Colons are used after introductory phrases that can stand alone as complete sentences to introduce closely-related information like lists.\n- The first word after a colon is generally lowercase, with exceptions outlined in the capitalization guidelines.\n- Lists introduced by colons should have introductory phrases that form grammatically complete sentences, unlike constructions that simply end with "are:".\n- For further guidance on punctuation in introductory material, refer to the sections on list and code-sample introductions.\n- To understand the distinctions between colons and dashes, consult the dedicated section on dashes.\n\nColons are used after introductory phrases that can stand alone as complete sentences to introduce closely-related information like lists.\n\nThe first word after a colon is generally lowercase, with exceptions outlined in the capitalization guidelines.\n\nLists introduced by colons should have introductory phrases that form grammatically complete sentences, unlike constructions that simply end with "are:".\n\nFor further guidance on punctuation in introductory material, refer to the sections on list and code-sample introductions.\n\nTo understand the distinctions between colons and dashes, consult the dedicated section on dashes.\n\nA colon indicates that closely-related information follows.\n\nFor information about using colons with run-in headings, see
  Description lists that use
    run-in headings.\n\n\n## Introductory phrase preceding colon\n\nWhen a colon introduces a list, the text that precedes the colon must be able
to stand alone as a complete sentence.\n\nRecommended: The fields are defined as
follows:\n\nNot recommended: The fields are:\n\n\n## Colons within sentences\n\nIn general, the first word in the text that follows a colon should be in
lowercase. For exceptions, see
Capitalization and colons.\n\nRecommended: Tone: concise,
conversational, friendly, respectful\n\nRecommended: When you add or update
content to an existing project, remember to take these steps: review the style
guide, use checklists, enlist a fellow writer or an editor to copyedit your
work, and request a developmental edit if you feel that it's warranted.\n\n\n## See also\n\nFor more information about how to punctuate introductory material, see the
sections on list introductions and code-sample introductions.\n\nFor information about when it's better to use colons than dashes, see Dashes.\n