How to Play a State Capitals Quiz
The classic state capitals quiz has 50 questions, one for each state. The quizmaster names a state and everyone names its capital. A few formats change how hard that is:
- Fill in the blank. “What is the capital of Nevada?” Players type or write the capital with no options to choose from. Shuffle the order of the states every time, and track the number correct, the time and the points.
- Name all 50 without second-guessing. Put a timer on the whole list and see how many capitals each player gets before it runs out.
- Multiple choice. Give three or four options. The best wrong options are the state’s biggest or best-known cities, like Chicago for Illinois or Anchorage for Alaska. Four options suit kids in grades 3 to 5.
- Name the state by the capital. Flip it: read out “Pierre” and players name South Dakota.
- Picture round. Show the outline of a state on a map or a photo of its welcome sign, give four options, and share a fun fact after each answer. Give the final score as a percentage.
- Capital or not? Read out 25 U.S. cities; for each one players decide whether it is a state capital. It sounds like a 50/50 guess, yet most people get no more than 12 of 25 right.
- Puzzles. Anagrams and “which capital shares its name with…” clues, like the rounds further down.
Scoring ideas
- For a 50-question quiz, start at 100 and take 2 points off for every wrong answer.
- With a group, run the quiz as a live poll where everyone votes from their own phone, then compare scores at the end.
For a quiz night over a video call, see our quiz games for Zoom.
Capitals Quiz: Pick the Capital
Round 1 covers 27 states. The wrong options are often the state’s biggest or best-known cities. Tap a question to check.
What is the capital of Alabama? Mobile, Birmingham, Huntsville or Montgomery?
RevealMontgomery. It was the first city with an electric streetcar system, known as “The Lightning Route.”
What is the capital of Alaska? Sitka, Fairbanks, Anchorage or Juneau?
RevealJuneau. Anchorage is the largest city, but not the capital. Juneau is the largest capital by area: the entire state of Delaware could fit inside it.
What is the capital of California? San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego or Sacramento?
RevealSacramento. It is only the sixth most populous city in the state.
What is the capital of Connecticut? Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford or Waterbury?
RevealHartford. In 1902 President Theodore Roosevelt took the first presidential automobile ride in history on Hartford’s streets.
What is the capital of Delaware? Dover, Newark, New Castle or Wilmington?
RevealDover. Dover was an important stop on the Underground Railroad.
What is the capital of Florida? Tallahassee, St. Augustine or Orlando?
RevealTallahassee. St. Augustine, often called the oldest city in the U.S., was briefly the capital.
What is the capital of Idaho? Moscow, Pocatello, Boise or Boise City?
RevealBoise. Boise is home to the largest Basque American community in the country, about 15,000 people.
What is the capital of Illinois? Rockford, Chicago, Springfield or Peoria?
RevealSpringfield. 34 states have a city named Springfield, but only the one in Illinois is the capital.
What is the capital of Kansas? Topeka, Wichita, Kansas City or Lawrence?
RevealTopeka.
What is the capital of Kentucky? Frankfort, Lexington, Louisville or Bowling Green?
RevealFrankfort. It was the only Union state capital captured and occupied by the Confederacy during the Civil War.
What is the capital of Louisiana? Alexandria, Baton Rouge, New Orleans or Shreveport?
RevealBaton Rouge. The name is French for “red stick,” after a painted pole that marked tribal hunting boundaries.
What is the capital of Maine? Portland, Bangor, Lewiston or Augusta?
RevealAugusta.
What is the capital of Massachusetts? Worcester, Cambridge, Salem or Boston?
RevealBoston. Boston Harbor got the country’s first lighthouse, and Boston built America’s first subway.
What is the capital of Michigan? Ann Arbor, Lansing, Detroit or Grand Rapids?
RevealLansing.
What is the capital of Minnesota? St. Paul, Minneapolis, Rochester or Duluth?
RevealSt. Paul.
What is the capital of Missouri? Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis or Jefferson City?
RevealJefferson City.
What is the capital of Montana? Helena, Bozeman, Whitefish or Billings?
RevealHelena. By the end of the 19th century, Helena had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world.
What is the capital of Nevada? Las Vegas, Henderson, Carson City or Reno?
RevealCarson City.
What is the capital of New Mexico? Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Roswell or Santa Fe?
RevealSanta Fe.
What is the capital of New York? New York City, Buffalo, Albany or Rochester?
RevealAlbany. The capital is often not the city people guess first.
What is the capital of North Dakota? Grand Forks, Bismarck, Fargo or Minot?
RevealBismarck.
What is the capital of Ohio? Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton or Columbus?
RevealColumbus.
What is the capital of Oregon? Eugene, Portland, Salem or Bend?
RevealSalem.
What is the capital of Pennsylvania? Harrisburg, Pittsburgh or Philadelphia?
RevealHarrisburg.
What is the capital of South Carolina? Greenville, Columbia, Charleston or Myrtle Beach?
RevealColumbia.
What is the capital of Texas? Houston, Dallas, Austin or San Antonio?
RevealAustin.
What is the capital of Washington? Spokane, Olympia, Tacoma or Seattle?
RevealOlympia.
State Capitals Quiz: Name the State by Its Capital
Round 2 flips the question for the other 23 states. Together with Round 1, that covers all 50.
Trenton is the capital of which state?
RevealNew Jersey.
Phoenix is the capital of which state?
RevealArizona. Phoenix is both the capital and the largest city, and Arizona is the only state with a Z in its name.
Honolulu is the capital of which state?
RevealHawaii. The capital sits on the island of Oahu and is the state’s largest city. Hawaii was the last state added to the U.S.
Oklahoma City is the capital of which state?
RevealOklahoma. It is both the capital and the largest city, and Oklahoma is the only state whose capital is its own name plus “City.”
Raleigh is the capital of which state?
RevealNorth Carolina.
Lincoln is the capital of which state?
RevealNebraska.
Atlanta is the capital of which state?
RevealGeorgia. Atlanta is also the state’s largest city and has the biggest metro population of any state capital, about 5.9 million.
Montpelier is the capital of which state?
RevealVermont.
Charleston is the capital of which state?
RevealWest Virginia. Not to be confused with Charleston, South Carolina.
Pierre is the capital of which state?
RevealSouth Dakota.
Jackson is the capital of which state?
RevealMississippi.
Annapolis is the capital of which state?
RevealMaryland.
Cheyenne is the capital of which state?
RevealWyoming. It is also the most populous city in Wyoming.
Nashville is the capital of which state?
RevealTennessee.
Providence is the capital of which state?
RevealRhode Island.
Richmond is the capital of which state?
RevealVirginia.
Concord is the capital of which state?
RevealNew Hampshire.
Salt Lake City is the capital of which state?
RevealUtah.
Des Moines is the capital of which state?
RevealIowa.
Little Rock is the capital of which state?
RevealArkansas.
Madison is the capital of which state?
RevealWisconsin.
Denver is the capital of which state?
RevealColorado.
Indianapolis is the capital of which state?
RevealIndiana.
Type “state capitals” in the AI Quiz mode of our Quiz game and it writes the questions. Players join by link or QR code, answer on their own phones, and RoomPlay keeps the score.
State Capitals Trivia Questions and Answers
Once you know the capitals, these questions are harder. They are about the cities themselves, not the capitol buildings.
Farthest, biggest and oldest
Which state capital is the farthest north?
RevealJuneau, Alaska.
Which state capital is the farthest south, and also the farthest west?
RevealHonolulu, Hawaii.
Which state capital is the farthest east?
RevealAugusta, Maine.
What is the most populated state capital?
RevealPhoenix, Arizona, with about 1.6 million residents.
What is the least populated state capital?
RevealMontpelier, Vermont, with about 8,000 residents. It is also the only state capital without a McDonald’s.
Which capital is the largest by land area, at more than 2,700 square miles?
RevealJuneau, Alaska, at about 2,716 square miles.
Which capital is the smallest by land area?
RevealAnnapolis, Maryland, at under 7 square miles.
Which state capital has the highest elevation? Hint: it is not the “Mile High City.”
RevealSanta Fe, New Mexico, at 7,199 feet. Cheyenne, Wyoming, is second, and Denver, the “Mile High City” at 5,280 feet (exactly one mile), is only third.
Which state capital has the lowest elevation?
RevealHonolulu, Hawaii.
Which capital has been serving continuously the longest?
RevealBoston, Massachusetts, a capital since 1630. Santa Fe became a capital earlier and is the oldest capital city, but the Pueblo Revolt briefly interrupted its run, so either answer is fair.
How many state capitals are also their state’s largest city?
RevealOnly 17 of the 50.
Names and letters
What is the only state capital that has no letters in common with its state?
RevealPierre, South Dakota.
Which four state capitals begin with the same letter as their state?
RevealDover, Delaware; Honolulu, Hawaii; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Denver and Dover share the same first and last letters. Name three more pairs of capitals that do.
RevealAtlanta and Augusta, Baton Rouge and Boise, Pierre and Providence.
Which two state capitals rhyme even though they have no vowels in common?
RevealAustin and Boston.
Which two state capitals begin with the name of a month?
RevealAugusta and Juneau.
What is the only state capital with a three-word name?
RevealSalt Lake City, Utah.
Which state capital comes first in alphabetical order?
RevealAlbany, New York.
Which state capital comes last in alphabetical order?
RevealTrenton, New Jersey.
Which four state capitals are named after U.S. presidents?
RevealJackson, Mississippi (Andrew Jackson); Lincoln, Nebraska; Jefferson City, Missouri; and Madison, Wisconsin.
Which capital did Roger Williams name, believing God had chosen the site?
RevealProvidence, Rhode Island.
Water and borders
Which six state capitals lie on salt water?
RevealAnnapolis, Boston, Providence, Olympia, Juneau and Honolulu. Salt Lake City is the trick answer: on a map it does not border the Great Salt Lake.
Which three state capitals border another state or country?
RevealTrenton (Pennsylvania), Carson City (California) and Juneau (British Columbia, Canada).
Capitals in history
How many state capitals were already the capital of their territory, colony or republic before statehood?
Reveal22.
How many states have changed their capital city at least once since statehood?
Reveal25, exactly half.
Which state was the most recent to move its capital?
RevealOklahoma, which moved its capital from Guthrie to Oklahoma City in 1910.
Before Washington, D.C., which two cities served as the capital of the United States?
RevealNew York City (1785–1790) and Philadelphia (1790–1800). Neither one is the capital of its own state: those are Albany and Harrisburg. The first presidential residence, the Franklin House, stood in lower Manhattan.
Early settlers called which future state capital “Pumpkinville”?
RevealPhoenix, Arizona.
The first enduring state capital is not on the East Coast. Which city is it, and when was it founded?
RevealSanta Fe, New Mexico, founded in 1610 as “La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís” (“The Royal City of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi”).
State Capitals Trivia Puzzles: Clues and Anagrams
Which capital shares its name with…
Each set of clues points to the same name, and that name is a state capital.
Which state capital shares its name with a singer who died in a 1997 plane crash, an omelet filled with ham and green peppers, and an actor from “Gilligan’s Island”?
RevealDenver (John Denver, the Denver omelet, Bob Denver).
Which state capital shares its name with a spy who claims to be an “International Man of Mystery” and a former wrestler who knocked the competition out “Stone Cold”?
RevealAustin (Austin Powers, Stone Cold Steve Austin).
Which state capital shares its name with a 1995 movie about a man who retakes all of his childhood schooling to claim his inheritance, and a university in Harrisonburg, Virginia?
RevealMadison (“Billy Madison,” James Madison University).
Which state capital shares its name with an infamous set of witch trials and a North Carolina-based brand of cigarettes?
RevealSalem (the Salem witch trials, Salem cigarettes).
Which state capital shares its name with a tunnel under the Hudson River, an American luxury car brand and a popular wooden children’s toy?
RevealLincoln (the Lincoln Tunnel, Lincoln cars, Lincoln Logs).
Which state capital shares its name with the Elizabethan who sponsored the first English colony in America, the Lost Colony of Roanoke, and a bicycle company based in Nottingham, England?
RevealRaleigh (Sir Walter Raleigh, Raleigh bicycles).
State capital anagrams
Unscramble the two words in each question to get a state capital.
Oily map?
RevealOlympia, Washington.
Any lab?
RevealAlbany, New York.
Is nomad?
RevealMadison, Wisconsin.
Oak pet?
RevealTopeka, Kansas.
Hip oxen?
RevealPhoenix, Arizona.
As elm?
RevealSalem, Oregon.
Smart canoe?
RevealSacramento, California.
Cloth snare?
RevealCharleston, West Virginia.
Ill shaven?
RevealNashville, Tennessee.
Hard fort?
RevealHartford, Connecticut.
The Geography pack of our Quiz game mixes country capitals with flag questions, four options each. Players answer from their own phones.
How to Memorize the State Capitals
Kids usually learn the states and capitals in 4th grade, sometimes in 3rd or 5th, but it is never too late. Four methods work well, and you can mix them:
- Flashcards. Make double-sided cards: the state name and its capital on one side, the shape of the state on the other. Young kids who are still learning to read can use them with a parent.
- Songs. For kids who pick up anything set to music, songs can be the fastest method. There are states-and-capitals raps and songs, including one from “Animaniacs.”
- Concentration. Study a map with every capital filled in, then test yourself on a blank one.
- Visualization. Make up a mental picture that links each state with its capital. Invent the pictures yourself.
It also helps to learn the states by region, so neighbors stay together on the map: New England, Middle Atlantic, Southeastern, South Central, North Central, Rocky Mountain and Pacific. Then test yourself with the rounds above.
In GeoGuessr you guess the location from a photo and mark it on a map from your phone. The Americas pack keeps every round in North and South America, the USA included.
State Capitals Quiz FAQ
What is the difference between a capital and a capitol?
A capital is the city that serves as the seat of government. A capitol is the government building. “Capitol” takes a capital C only when it names a specific building.
How many questions are in a state capitals quiz?
A full quiz has 50, one for each state. Shorter versions use 10, 20, 25 or 30 questions.
How are state capitals chosen?
State legislatures choose them, weighing economic and cultural history, geography, infrastructure, population, public opinion and politics. When those change, a state can move its capital.
What grade learns the state capitals?
Usually 4th grade, though some schools teach them in 3rd or 5th.
More quiz ideas are on our Quiz game page, and map rounds on the GeoGuessr page.