Does a word followed by colon need to be capitalized?

No, a word followed by a colon does not need to be capitalized unless it is a proper noun.

Here's how it works:

* Proper nouns: These are names of specific people, places, or things. They are always capitalized.

* Example: Shakespeare: Hamlet

* Common nouns: These are general names of people, places, or things. They are not capitalized after a colon unless they are the first word in a sentence.

* Example: The play is called: Hamlet

Important Note: The capitalization rules change if the colon introduces a list. In this case, the first item in the list is capitalized.

* Example: Here are the main characters in Hamlet: Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius, and Polonius.