This state capitals quiz is full of the tricky ones, where the capital isn't the biggest or most famous city in the state. You'll get questions on Albany, Tallahassee and Carson City, plus the capital you can't drive to and the one perched highest above sea level. It's a quick, fun way to sharpen your US geography and settle some arguments.
State capitals are some of the most memorized and most forgotten facts from school. Part of the challenge is that capitals were chosen for all sorts of reasons: a central location, a compromise between competing towns, access to a river, or simply where lawmakers happened to meet when the state was formed. Several capitals moved more than once before settling down, so history is often the key to understanding why a city got the job.
Some capitals honor famous Americans. Four are named after presidents: Jefferson City, Missouri; Lincoln, Nebraska; Madison, Wisconsin; and Jackson, Mississippi, which was named for Andrew Jackson after his victory at the Battle of New Orleans. It's also worth remembering the spelling trick that trips up even good writers. A capital is the city, and a capitol is the building where the legislature meets.
To memorize capitals, try pairing each state and city with a silly mental image or a rhyme, then review them in small regional groups rather than all 50 at once. Saying them out loud helps, and so does linking a capital to something you already know about it, such as a historic event or a local landmark. A few rounds of practice usually make the tricky ones stick.