Capitals quiz
50 States and Capitals Quiz
Free 50 states and capitals quiz. Match each U.S. state to its capital — watch traps like Albany vs NYC and Olympia vs Seattle.
Score 0/0
What is the capital of the highlighted state?
Washington
How to play
Ten rounds: see a state (and map highlight) and pick its capital from four choices. Distractors intentionally include famous non-capitals so you practice the classic traps, not only easy matches.
Why people confuse state capitals
The most common mistake is guessing a state’s largest or most famous city. Capitals are political seats, not always economic centers — so media exposure and tourism pull answers toward the wrong place name.
Five classic traps worth drilling cold: New York → Albany (not NYC), Illinois → Springfield (not Chicago), California → Sacramento (not Los Angeles or San Francisco), Washington → Olympia (not Seattle), Nevada → Carson City (not Las Vegas). Add Florida → Tallahassee (not Miami/Orlando) and Oregon → Salem (not Portland) once those five feel automatic.
How to memorize all 50 capitals
Group by Census region so your brain stores packs, not 50 isolated flashcards: Northeast (Albany, Boston, Concord, Augusta, Montpelier, Hartford, Providence, Trenton, Harrisburg), Midwest (Lansing, Madison, Springfield, Indianapolis, Columbus, Saint Paul, Des Moines, Jefferson City, Topeka, Lincoln, Bismarck, Pierre), South and West packs similarly.
Use a 4-day cycle: Day 1 learn 15 new capitals with map pointing; Day 2 review those and add 15; Day 3 add the rest and only quiz weak pairs; Day 4 run mixed quizzes and the reference table below. Say “state → capital” out loud while looking at the outline — auditory + spatial beats silent scrolling.
Famous cities that are not capitals
US5 surfaces the same traps in daily bonus rounds so a capitals miss becomes a short, focused retry instead of a forgotten error. The trap cards and full 50-state table below are the study sheet; the quiz is the drill.
Capitals as a gateway to state pages
Knowing Olympia or Albany is useful; knowing neighbors, postal codes, and what those states cost to live in is why Places exists. Finish the quiz, then open a state hub for Quick Facts plus salary and cost context.
List of all 50 U.S. states and capitals
Educational reference for the capitals quiz. Open a state hub for cost, salary, and demographics — not only the capital name.
| State | Abbreviation | Capital | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | AL | Montgomery | South |
| Alaska | AK | Juneau | West |
| Arizona | AZ | Phoenix | West |
| Arkansas | AR | Little Rock | South |
| California | CA | Sacramento | West |
| Colorado | CO | Denver | West |
| Connecticut | CT | Hartford | Northeast |
| Delaware | DE | Dover | South |
| Florida | FL | Tallahassee | South |
| Georgia | GA | Atlanta | South |
| Hawaii | HI | Honolulu | West |
| Idaho | ID | Boise | West |
| Illinois | IL | Springfield | Midwest |
| Indiana | IN | Indianapolis | Midwest |
| Iowa | IA | Des Moines | Midwest |
| Kansas | KS | Topeka | Midwest |
| Kentucky | KY | Frankfort | South |
| Louisiana | LA | Baton Rouge | South |
| Maine | ME | Augusta | Northeast |
| Maryland | MD | Annapolis | South |
| Massachusetts | MA | Boston | Northeast |
| Michigan | MI | Lansing | Midwest |
| Minnesota | MN | Saint Paul | Midwest |
| Mississippi | MS | Jackson | South |
| Missouri | MO | Jefferson City | Midwest |
| Montana | MT | Helena | West |
| Nebraska | NE | Lincoln | Midwest |
| Nevada | NV | Carson City | West |
| New Hampshire | NH | Concord | Northeast |
| New Jersey | NJ | Trenton | Northeast |
| New Mexico | NM | Santa Fe | West |
| New York | NY | Albany | Northeast |
| North Carolina | NC | Raleigh | South |
| North Dakota | ND | Bismarck | Midwest |
| Ohio | OH | Columbus | Midwest |
| Oklahoma | OK | Oklahoma City | South |
| Oregon | OR | Salem | West |
| Pennsylvania | PA | Harrisburg | Northeast |
| Rhode Island | RI | Providence | Northeast |
| South Carolina | SC | Columbia | South |
| South Dakota | SD | Pierre | Midwest |
| Tennessee | TN | Nashville | South |
| Texas | TX | Austin | South |
| Utah | UT | Salt Lake City | West |
| Vermont | VT | Montpelier | Northeast |
| Virginia | VA | Richmond | South |
| Washington | WA | Olympia | West |
| West Virginia | WV | Charleston | South |
| Wisconsin | WI | Madison | Midwest |
| Wyoming | WY | Cheyenne | West |
Common capital traps
Famous cities that are not the state capital — the mistakes this quiz trains against.
New York: Albany (not New York City)
New York City is the famous city, but Albany is the capital.
Illinois: Springfield (not Chicago)
Chicago is larger, but Springfield is the capital.
California: Sacramento (not Los Angeles)
Los Angeles and San Francisco get the attention, but Sacramento is the capital.
Washington: Olympia (not Seattle)
Seattle is the usual guess. Olympia is the answer.
Nevada: Carson City (not Las Vegas)
Las Vegas is the trap. Carson City is the capital.
Florida: Tallahassee (not Miami)
Miami and Orlando are bigger search magnets, but Tallahassee is the capital.
Oregon: Salem (not Portland)
Portland is the common miss. Salem is the capital.
Louisiana: Baton Rouge (not New Orleans)
New Orleans is famous, but Baton Rouge is the capital.
Explore on US5
Games teach recognition. These Places and reference pages add cost, salary, and map context.
Related games
- Guess the State Tap the correct state on a clean U.S. map.
- State Speed Run Name all 50 states against the clock — instant alias match.
- State Flag Quiz Identify states from simplified flag illustrations.
- State Abbreviations Quiz Two-letter postal codes for all 50 states.
- Neighboring States Quiz Find the state inside a neighbor highlight ring.
- Daily State Guess Six progressive clues + bonus rounds after you finish.