About the US States Game
The US States Game is a free typing speedrun: name all 50 US states from memory as fast as you can. Type a state, press Enter, and if you're right it lights up green on the interactive map. No multiple choice, no hints, no word bank. Just you, a blank map of America, and a clock counting up.
Naming a handful of states is easy. Naming all 50 is the real test, because most people breeze through about 35 and then stall while the empty part of the map stares back at them. Nearly everyone blanks on a state they would instantly recognize written down, and which one you forget says a lot about which part of the country you think about least.
Finish all 50 and you can submit your time to the leaderboard, where only the ten fastest runs make the board. Give up early and the map shows exactly which states you missed, so every round doubles as a study session. If you want to prepare first, read All 50 US States and Capitals or US States by Region in our Learn section. And once you can clear all 50 with a time you're proud of, take on the harder sibling, the state capitals quiz, or try sketching state outlines in Draw the US States.
How to Play
Press Start Game. The timer starts counting up immediately and the input box appears.
Type any state name and press Enter. Order doesn't matter, and capitalization is ignored.
Correct states turn green instantly. A wrong guess shows an alert and adds one to your wrong count.
Name all 50 states to stop the clock and submit your time to the leaderboard. You can also give up to see which states you missed.
Tips for Naming All 50 States
- Sweep by region. Walk the map in your head: New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the South, the Midwest, the Mountain West, the Pacific coast. A systematic sweep beats random recall every time.
- Count out the sets. Eight states start with M, four start with New, and there are two Carolinas, two Dakotas and two Virginias. If you've typed seven M states, you know one is still hiding.
- Bank the short ones early. Ohio, Utah, Iowa, Texas and Idaho cost almost no typing time. Clear them fast and save your focus for the tricky ones.
- Read the empty patches. The green fill shows which regions are done. When you stall, zoom your attention to whatever is still grey. That's your reminder list.
- Spell it out in full. The game wants complete names, so "North Dakota" works and "N Dakota" doesn't. Typos are the most common way to lose seconds.
US States Game FAQ
Is there a time limit?▼
No. The timer counts up instead of down, so the goal is to name all 50 states as fast as you can. Your final time is what goes on the leaderboard.
Does spelling matter?▼
Yes. A guess counts only when it matches the state name exactly, though capitalization is ignored. Type full names: "North Dakota" works, "N Dakota" and "ND" do not.
Is Washington, D.C. one of the 50?▼
No. The game asks for the 50 states only. Washington, D.C. is a federal district and Puerto Rico is a territory, so neither is on the list.
How does the leaderboard work?▼
Name all 50 states to finish a run, then submit your time under any name. The ten fastest runs are shown on this page. You can only submit again from the same browser once you beat your personal best.
Which states do people forget most?▼
Almost nobody forgets their own region. The classic victims are the small Northeastern states and the big rectangular ones in the middle, which is exactly why a region-by-region sweep works so well.
Is the game free?▼
Yes. Free, unlimited replays, playable in the browser, no sign-up or download needed.
