Make free states and capitals worksheets for all 50 states and capitals or one region at a time, with a printable state capitals list to study from. Print a write-the-capital quiz, a matching worksheet, a multiple choice quiz, state abbreviations, a two-page study chart or fold-over flash cards. Every quiz comes with an answer key and a fresh order each time you press Shuffle.
States and capitals quiz game online
Pick all 50 states or one region, then choose the right capital from four answers, or switch to “Name the state” and work backwards. Missed states are listed at the end so you know what to practice next.
Ready-to-print states and capitals worksheets (PDF)
Seven ready sets of states and capitals worksheets, each with an answer key. With Customize you can change the region, the quiz type or the number of questions.
Learn the states by region
Fifty capitals at once is a lot. Most students learn faster one region at a time, using the four U.S. Census Bureau regions, and our states and capitals worksheets can be filtered by each one:
| Region | States | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont (9) | Quiz · Cards |
| Midwest | Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin (12) | Quiz · Cards |
| South | Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia (16) | Quiz · Cards |
| West | Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming (13) | Quiz · Cards |
State capitals list: all 50 capitals
Here are all 50 capitals, sorted by state in alphabetical order. Use the state capitals list as a quick reference, or print the two-page study chart above, which also adds postal abbreviations and regions.
| State | Capital | State | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Montgomery | Montana | Helena |
| Alaska | Juneau | Nebraska | Lincoln |
| Arizona | Phoenix | Nevada | Carson City |
| Arkansas | Little Rock | New Hampshire | Concord |
| California | Sacramento | New Jersey | Trenton |
| Colorado | Denver | New Mexico | Santa Fe |
| Connecticut | Hartford | New York | Albany |
| Delaware | Dover | North Carolina | Raleigh |
| Florida | Tallahassee | North Dakota | Bismarck |
| Georgia | Atlanta | Ohio | Columbus |
| Hawaii | Honolulu | Oklahoma | Oklahoma City |
| Idaho | Boise | Oregon | Salem |
| Illinois | Springfield | Pennsylvania | Harrisburg |
| Indiana | Indianapolis | Rhode Island | Providence |
| Iowa | Des Moines | South Carolina | Columbia |
| Kansas | Topeka | South Dakota | Pierre |
| Kentucky | Frankfort | Tennessee | Nashville |
| Louisiana | Baton Rouge | Texas | Austin |
| Maine | Augusta | Utah | Salt Lake City |
| Maryland | Annapolis | Vermont | Montpelier |
| Massachusetts | Boston | Virginia | Richmond |
| Michigan | Lansing | Washington | Olympia |
| Minnesota | Saint Paul | West Virginia | Charleston |
| Mississippi | Jackson | Wisconsin | Madison |
| Missouri | Jefferson City | Wyoming | Cheyenne |
Only two capitals contain their state’s name: Indianapolis (Indiana) and Oklahoma City (Oklahoma). For the history of each capital, see the list of capitals in the United States on Wikipedia.
Memory tricks for the 50 capitals
- Make a picture: Juneau, Alaska: imagine asking “Do you know Alaska?” (“Juneau” sounds like “do you know”). Silly pictures stick.
- Find the link: Jefferson City in Missouri, Lincoln in Nebraska and Madison in Wisconsin are all named after presidents.
- Group by sound: Augusta (Maine) and Atlanta (Georgia) both start with A, and so do Annapolis, Albany and Austin. Sort the capitals by first letter and quiz one letter at a time.
- Say it, write it, check it: say the state and capital aloud, write the pair on the matching worksheet, then check with the answer key. Saying and writing together beats reading alone.
- Little and often: five minutes of flash cards every day works better than an hour once a week.
Tricky capitals to watch for
Many people guess the biggest city, but the capital is often a smaller one. These catch students out most often:
- New York: Albany, not New York City.
- California: Sacramento, not Los Angeles.
- Illinois: Springfield, not Chicago.
- Florida: Tallahassee, not Miami.
- Pennsylvania: Harrisburg, not Philadelphia.
- Washington: Olympia, not Seattle.
- Nevada: Carson City, not Las Vegas.
- Two Charlestons and two Columbias: Charleston is the capital of West Virginia, and Columbia is the capital of South Carolina.
A 5-week plan with states and capitals worksheets
- Week 1: Northeast (9 states). Start with the study chart and flash cards.
- Week 2: Midwest (12 states), plus a quick Northeast review quiz.
- Week 3: West (13 states).
- Week 4: South (16 states), split into two halves.
- Week 5: mixed quizzes for all 50, matching and abbreviations, then the game until the streak is long.
Practice it as a game
Free online games for the same skill: balloon pop, memory match, races and more. No sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
6 quick answers
Are these states and capitals worksheets free?
Yes. Print every worksheet, study chart, flash card page and answer key as often as you like, for free and without an account.
What grade learns the states and capitals?
Many schools introduce the states in 3rd or 4th grade and learn the capitals in 4th or 5th grade, often region by region.
What are the four regions of the United States?
The U.S. Census Bureau groups the states into the Northeast, Midwest, South and West. Our states and capitals worksheets use these four regions so you can focus on one group at a time.
How do the fold-over flash cards work?
Each card shows a state on the top half and its capital upside down on the bottom half. Cut out the card, fold it on the dotted line and glue the halves together, so the capital is on the back.
Is Washington, D.C. included?
Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States but it is not a state, so it is not one of the 50 states on these worksheets.
What are state abbreviations?
They are the two-letter postal codes used on mail, such as CA for California and TX for Texas. The abbreviations worksheet practices all of them, with an answer key.
More worksheets
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Ready to test yourself? Play the US state capitals game: balloon pop, memory match, a race and a 60-second true-or-false sprint.