US States Game: Find the 50 States Against the Clock
Updated · By Edulist · 4 sources
50 states · Click the map
60 seconds. Every 5 in a row multiplies your points.
US Census Bureau cartographic boundaries via us-atlas (public domain)
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How to use it
- Press Start challenge
A state name appears and the 60-second clock starts. Click that state on the map as fast as you can.
- Keep the streak alive
One try per state. After five right in a row, every answer is worth more. A wrong click resets the streak.
- Play the abbreviations round
Change Ask about to Postal codes. The game shows a code like MS or MO and you click the state it belongs to.
- Beat your best
Your best score for each game type is saved on this device. Share it or pass the device to the next player.
Printables to go with it
How to play the US states game
The game opens in Challenge. Press Start and a state name appears above the map: "Click Ohio." Click it and the next name appears right away. You have 60 seconds and one try per state, so speed and accuracy both count.
Points add up like this: each right answer is worth 10 points, and after every five right answers in a row, each answer is worth 10 more. A wrong click resets your streak to zero. If you find all 50 states before the clock runs out, every second left adds a bonus point.
Your best score is saved in this browser, separately for each game type, so you can always try to beat yourself. Nothing is uploaded and there's no account.
Game modes
Change the settings above the map to play a different game:
| Game | Settings | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Speed states | Challenge, Click the map, States | Click each named state in 60 seconds |
| Abbreviations | Challenge, Click the map, Postal codes | Click the state for each code, like NV or NE |
| Name that state | Challenge, Type the name, States | Type the name of the highlighted state |
| Quick pick | Challenge, Multiple choice | Pick the highlighted state from four names |
| Map puzzle | Practice, Drag labels | Drag all 50 names onto the map, no clock |
For a complete, untimed round of all 50 states with a percentage score, switch to Quiz. For states and capitals instead, try the states and capitals game.
The state abbreviations round
Every state has a two-letter postal abbreviation set by the US Postal Service. You see them on envelopes, license plates and weather maps, and they're a common part of the 50 states unit in school. Change Ask about to Postal codes and the game becomes an abbreviations game: it shows a code and you click the state.
Most codes are the first two letters of the state (CA, CO, DE, FL), but many aren't. These are the ones that trip people up:
| Code | State | Why it's tricky |
|---|---|---|
| AK | Alaska | Not AL (Alabama) or AS |
| AZ | Arizona | Not AR (Arkansas) |
| IA | Iowa | Not IO |
| KS | Kansas | Not KA |
| ME | Maine | Not MA (Massachusetts) |
| MI | Michigan | Not MC or MG |
| MO | Missouri | Not MI or MS |
| MS | Mississippi | Not MI |
| MT | Montana | Not MO |
| NE | Nebraska | Not NB |
| NV | Nevada | Not NE |
| TN | Tennessee | Not TE |
| TX | Texas | Not TE |
| VT | Vermont | Not VE |
The eight M states are the hardest group: MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS and MT. Practice them as a set in Learn mode, where every state's card shows its code.
Tips for a higher score
- Look before you leap. Read the whole name. Iowa and Ohio, Nebraska and Nevada, and the two Dakotas cost more streaks than any other pairs.
- Know the regions. If you know Kentucky is in the Southeast and just south of Ohio, your eye goes straight there. The regional maps for the Midwest and Northeast are good drills.
- Use the boxes for small states. The tiny northeastern states have boxes off the coast. Clicking a box is faster than aiming at Rhode Island.
- Don't zoom in Challenge. Zooming costs time. Learn where the boxes are instead.
- Practice your misses. After a game, switch to Practice and press Retry missed. Those states are the ones lowering your score.
States that look alike
In a fast game, most lost streaks come from a handful of look-alike pairs. Learn to tell these apart and your score jumps:
| Pair | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Vermont and New Hampshire | Vermont is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom; New Hampshire is the reverse. Vermont is on the left (west). |
| North and South Dakota | North Dakota touches Canada; South Dakota sits on top of Nebraska. |
| Iowa and Ohio | Iowa is between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers in the Midwest; Ohio is farther east, on Lake Erie. |
| Nebraska and Nevada | Nebraska is on the Great Plains with a notch for Colorado; Nevada is in the West, next to California. |
| Mississippi and Alabama | Mississippi is on the left (west), along the Mississippi River; Alabama has the Gulf coast near Mobile. |
| Colorado and Wyoming | Both are rectangles. Wyoming is on top; Colorado touches New Mexico. |
| Arkansas and Missouri | Missouri is the big state on top; Arkansas is below it, above Louisiana. |
Say the clue out loud the first few times you mix a pair up. After a week, you won't need it.
Why a timed game helps
A game asks for the same thing as a quiz, but the clock and the streak make it feel different. Children play more rounds, and each round is more practice recalling where the states are. Over time, finding a state becomes automatic, which frees up their attention for the next step: capitals, regions and history.
Speed also shows mastery. A child who can find Wyoming in under a second really knows where it is, while one who needs ten seconds is still searching. Watching the score climb from one week to the next is a simple, motivating way to see progress.
Family and classroom versions
- Pass the device. Each player gets one 60-second round on the same settings. Write the scores on a sheet and keep a weekly champion.
- Teams on a projector. Two teams take turns at the board; each team's player clicks while the team calls out directions ("left, up, there!").
- Handicaps. Let younger players use multiple choice while older ones click or type.
- License plate hunt. On road trips, spot a license plate, then name the state's abbreviation and point to it on a printed labeled US map.
Make it part of a bigger lesson
Once your child can find every state, they're ready to learn what makes each one different: landforms, history and the people who live there. Programs like Little Passports and National Geographic Kids build on that map knowledge, and many families pay for programs like these with a state scholarship or education savings account. See what your state offers.
Sources
Questions
How long does the US states game take?
One Challenge round is exactly 60 seconds, or less if you find all 50 states first. Practice and Quiz rounds have no time limit and cover all 50 states.
What's the hardest part of the states game?
Finding small states quickly. Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts are tiny at this size. Click the boxes beside the Atlantic coast instead of the states themselves; they count the same.
Why do the abbreviations MI, MO, MS and ME confuse people?
Eight states start with M, so their postal codes look alike. MI is Michigan, MN is Minnesota, MS is Mississippi, MO is Missouri, MT is Montana, and ME is Maine. Massachusetts is MA and Maryland is MD.
Is there an easier version for little kids?
Yes. Switch to Practice and change Quiz type to multiple choice. The game highlights a state and shows four names, with no clock.