Name the State Capitals is a fast, free geography game: name or locate all 50 US state capitals on an interactive map, against the clock. Type a capital and a gold star lands on the real city while its state fills in, or flip to Locate mode and click the state a named capital belongs to.

Come back every day for the Daily Challenge, the same 50 capitals for everyone worldwide, build a daily streak, and copy a spoiler-free emoji score card to share. There is no sign-up and nothing to install, and your streak and stats stay on your own device.

It is the capitals companion to our Name the States game, and it settles the classics people always trip on: the capital of California is Sacramento (not Los Angeles), New York is Albany (not New York City), and Illinois is Springfield (not Chicago).

Name the State Capitals Game

How to play

Pick a mode at the top: Daily, Type, or Locate.
In Type mode, type each state capital. A correct answer drops a gold star on the real capital city and fills its state on the map.
In Locate mode, a capital is named and you click the state it belongs to. A wrong click briefly reveals the correct state.
Beat the clock and try to get all 50. Use the region filters (Northeast, Midwest, South, West) to practice a smaller set.
Tap Share result to copy your emoji score card and challenge your friends.

Game modes

Daily Challenge: name all 50 capitals against the clock. Everyone gets the same challenge each day, plus a revealed Spotlight Capital at the end. One attempt per day; it resets at midnight UTC.
Type: free-type every capital at your own pace, with region filters and a timer. Great for learning and for beating your best time.
Locate: a capital is named and you click its state, so you learn which capital goes with which state, not just the names.

The geography behind it

The United States has 50 states and therefore 50 state capitals, from Montgomery, Alabama to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Washington, D.C. is the national capital but not a state, so it is not part of the 50. Many state capitals are deliberately not the largest city: lawmakers often chose a central or smaller town to keep government close to the whole state. That is why Sacramento, Albany, Springfield, Tallahassee, and Carson City are capitals while bigger, more famous cities in the same states are not.

The map is drawn from the public-domain us-atlas dataset (U.S. Census Bureau TIGER geometry), with Alaska and Hawaii shown as insets. Every capital marker is placed at the city’s real coordinates and validated to sit inside its own state, so the gold star always lands where the capital actually is.

Frequently asked questions

Is it the same puzzle for everyone today?

Yes. The Daily Challenge is seeded from the current date in UTC, so every player worldwide gets the same challenge and the same Spotlight Capital each day. It resets at midnight UTC, which is what makes shared score cards comparable.

How many US state capitals are there?

There are 50, one for each state. This game covers all 50, in every mode. Washington, D.C. and the U.S. territories are not states, so they are not included.

Why isn’t the capital the biggest city in the state?

Often the capital was chosen for its central location or to avoid concentrating power in the largest city. Classic examples: California’s capital is Sacramento (not Los Angeles), New York’s is Albany (not New York City), Illinois’ is Springfield (not Chicago), and Florida’s is Tallahassee (not Miami).

Do I need an account?

No. There is no sign-up and no login. Your daily streak, best times, and completion stats are saved only in your browser, and nothing is tracked.

Can I play on my phone?

Yes. The game is mobile-first with large tap targets, so typing capitals and tapping states works well on a phone or tablet.

What data does the game use?

Map geometry comes from us-atlas / U.S. Census Bureau TIGER (public domain). The state names, postal abbreviations, capitals, and capital coordinates are standard public-record facts, bundled into the game so it runs entirely in your browser with no external calls.