.webp&w=96&q=75&dpl=dpl_73L3Mv2ZwTXtia4WhHrn3xCwaUWy){kind=icon}
Exactly 50 pairs
Washington, DC is excluded because it is not a state.
Play the US State Capitals Quiz
Type the capital for each state—or reverse the challenge—and practise all 50 at once or one Census region at a time.
Question direction
Round length
10 states in this round
Earn 100 XP per answer, plus up to 100 combo XP.
Covers the 50 US states only. Washington, DC and US territories are intentionally excluded.
Fifty states.
Fifty capitals.
From Augusta to Honolulu, every state has one seat of government. Short rounds build recognition; the full set proves you know the country coast to coast.
All 50 states
No territories and no Washington, DC
Both directions
State to capital or capital to state
Focused practice
All states or one Census region
Join thousands of travellers
TripMemo is a visual travel journal for your routes,photos and daily memories.Every trip becomes a story worth returning to.
How the quiz
works.
Choose a direction, region and round length. Type each answer, see the complete pair immediately, and finish with a review list containing only the capitals you missed.
- 01Choose a recall direction
- 02Focus on a region
- 03Type each answer
- 04Review the missed pairs
Learn the places
behind the names.
The memorable pairs are rarely the obvious ones: Albany rather than New York City, Sacramento rather than Los Angeles, and Tallahassee rather than Miami. Treat each capital as a real destination, not an isolated answer.
Practise the state map
A country made
for curious trips.
Knowing the map changes how a journey feels. Capitals become anchors between coastlines, mountain states, river cities and the routes that connect them.
Your answers and score stay in this browser. No account is required to play.
US state capitals study guide
Learn all 50 pairs without guessing.
The short answer: Every US state has one official capital. This quiz keeps state-capital recall separate from state-location and national-capital games, then lets you narrow practice to the Northeast, Midwest, South or West.
Two-way recall
Practise state to capital, then reverse the relationship.
Forgiving input
Capitalisation and punctuation do not cost a correct answer.
Common mix-upsThe capital traps worth learning firstFour high-confusion state–capital pairs
The hardest answers are often states whose best-known city is not the seat of government. Learn those mismatches as deliberate pairs.
New YorkAlbanyThe largest city is not the capital.
CaliforniaSacramentoLos Angeles and San Francisco are the familiar distractors.
FloridaTallahasseeMiami, Orlando and Tampa attract more attention.
PennsylvaniaHarrisburgPhiladelphia and Pittsburgh are both larger.
Study strategyHow to remember every capitalA four-step practice routine
- 01 Start with one Census region so the geographic context stays stable.
- 02 Say the complete pair aloud: “Oregon — Salem,” not just “Salem.”
- 03 Reverse the direction after a clean round.
- 04 Replay missed pairs before starting another full set.
Intentional scope
This page does not ask you to locate states on a map and does not test national capitals. Those are separate TripMemo games with separate search intent.
Complete referenceAll 50 US state capitalsFour expandable Census regions
Open a region whenever you need the complete study list.
Practise state locationsNortheast9 pairs · tap to reveal
ConnecticutHartford
MaineAugusta
MassachusettsBoston
New HampshireConcord
New JerseyTrenton
New YorkAlbany
PennsylvaniaHarrisburg
Rhode IslandProvidence
VermontMontpelier
Midwest12 pairs · tap to reveal
IllinoisSpringfield
IndianaIndianapolis
IowaDes Moines
KansasTopeka
MichiganLansing
MinnesotaSaint Paul
MissouriJefferson City
NebraskaLincoln
North DakotaBismarck
OhioColumbus
South DakotaPierre
WisconsinMadison
South16 pairs · tap to reveal
AlabamaMontgomery
ArkansasLittle Rock
DelawareDover
FloridaTallahassee
GeorgiaAtlanta
KentuckyFrankfort
LouisianaBaton Rouge
MarylandAnnapolis
MississippiJackson
North CarolinaRaleigh
OklahomaOklahoma City
South CarolinaColumbia
TennesseeNashville
TexasAustin
VirginiaRichmond
West VirginiaCharleston
West13 pairs · tap to reveal
AlaskaJuneau
ArizonaPhoenix
CaliforniaSacramento
ColoradoDenver
HawaiiHonolulu
IdahoBoise
MontanaHelena
NevadaCarson City
New MexicoSanta Fe
OregonSalem
UtahSalt Lake City
WashingtonOlympia
WyomingCheyenne
USA.gov state governments Official state-government directoryUS Census regions Official four-region grouping
Created and reviewed by the TripMemo team. Capital names are drawn from TripMemo’s maintained US states dataset. Last reviewed 18 July 2026.
State capitals questions.
The quiz scope, answers and learning modes explained.
What is the US State Capitals Quiz?
It is a free recall game covering the capitals of all 50 US states. You can answer from the state name or reverse the challenge and identify the state from its capital.
Does the quiz include Washington, DC?
No. Washington, DC is the capital of the United States, not one of the 50 state capitals. The quiz covers exactly one official capital for each state.
Can I practise one region at a time?
Yes. Choose the Northeast, Midwest, South or West using the four-region US Census Bureau grouping, or select all states for a nationwide round.
Can I play all 50 state capitals?
Yes. Choose the full set to answer every state-capital pair in one session, or use a shorter 10- or 25-question round.
Is the US State Capitals Quiz multiple choice?
No. This is a typed-answer quiz designed to test recall rather than recognition. You can type the capital for a state or reverse the direction and type the state for a capital.
Can teachers and students use this state capitals quiz?
Yes. The quiz is free, works without an account and supports short regional practice or a complete 50-question assessment. Teachers can project it for group recall, while students can practise independently on a phone, tablet or computer.
Does spelling count?
The quiz ignores capitalisation, punctuation and extra spaces. It also accepts St Paul for Saint Paul, but the answer reveal always displays the standard capital name.
What is the capital of New York?
Albany is the capital of New York State. New York City is the state’s largest city, which is why this pair catches many players.
What is the capital of California?
Sacramento is the capital of California. Los Angeles and San Francisco are larger and more internationally familiar, but neither is the state capital.
What is the smallest US state capital?
Montpelier, Vermont is the least populous state capital. Population changes over time, but the capital designation does not depend on city size.
Is this the same as the US States Map Game?
No. This page tests the relationship between each state and its capital. The US States Map Game separately tests where states are located.
Is this the same as the Capital City Quiz?
No. The Capital City Quiz covers sovereign countries and their national capitals. This quiz is limited to the 50 US states and their state capitals.
