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When looking at a sequence, if you stumble upon what looks like a second inversion I chord and it resolves to the root position dominant chord by moving 6-5 and 4-3 (like a suspension) then you have a cadential 6/4. Also the instability of the chord is a give away too.

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The cadential 6/4 adds tension as the end of the phrase approaches. It also expands the dominant area of a phrase and provides an instability that resolves to the dominant.

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To first understand the cadential 6/4 chord you must first be reminded that the I chord in any key can only function as the tonic when it is in root position or first inversion. That being said, the cadential 6/4 looks like a second inversion I chord but it would be wrong to label it as such because: it does not act as a tonic chord; it expands the dominant area, and it does not sound like a tonic chord. By labeling it as a V chord in 2nd inversion we can see the dominant area continuing in the phrase to the eventual tonic resolution.

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A drawback of labeling it this way is that it's confusing. I personally find it confusing because we are taught that a V 6/4 is a five chord in second inversion but in this context it isn’t. If we label it V 6/4 we are describing the function but if we label it as I 6/4 we are describing the form.

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In this example from ultimatemusictheory.com we can see that the G in the bass which means that its the dominant. We can also see the stack of notes on the treble staff where the C goes down by step to B and the E goes down by step to D. This is a continuation of the dominant area and creates tension that eventually resolves to the tonic in root position. Also in this example is my preferred way to write the cadential 6/4 starting with the third group of half notes and ending with the fourth group. This is in my opinion the easiest way because it is clear in its meaning; it is not a tonic chord but rather on its way to the dominant.

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In the "Star Spangled Banner" a cadential 6/4 can be heard in the very last phrase during the lyrics "home of the."

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The National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner - "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band

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In the "Star Spangled Banner" the red box that I have labeled shows a cadenital 6/4. You can see that the dominant is in the bass throughout the measure. In blue I labeled the 6 going to the 5 and in purple I labeled the 4 going to the 3.

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Here is the proper way to label a cadential 6/4 when analyzing a piece of music. When writing it this way it is clearly understood that the dominant area is continued, as writing it as a I 6/4 could be confusing because it does not sound like a tonic chord.