Alright y’all, US states trivia quiz — yeah, that’s the vibe today. I’m sitting here in my messy apartment somewhere in the Midwest (I’m not telling you exactly where because I’m still mad about last week), eating cold leftover lo mein straight from the carton, staring at this giant wall map I bought during a manic 2 a.m. Amazon spree in 2024, and I’m realizing… I don’t actually know jack about most of these 50 states. Like, I thought I was solid on US geography. Turns out I’m the human equivalent of that one friend who swears they can name every capital and then confidently yells “Jeff City!” for Missouri.
So today I’m dragging myself (and probably you) through a quick, brutally honest US states trivia quiz. No judgment. Okay maybe a little judgment. But mostly self-directed.
Why I’m Suddenly Obsessed with a US States Trivia Quiz in 2026
Look, I used to think I had this whole American states thing on lock because I’ve driven across like six of them and once got lost in an Ohio Walmart for 45 minutes. That’s basically citizenship, right? Wrong. Last month I was at a bar trivia night (yes I go to those, no I don’t win) and they asked, “Which state is closest to Africa?” and I screamed DELAWARE like I was being waterboarded. Everyone laughed. I cried internally. I still wake up thinking about it.
I decided I needed to fix this. So I made this US states trivia quiz for myself… and now I’m inflicting it on you. You’re welcome.
Question 1: The “Wait… That’s a State?” Round
- What is the only state that starts with the letter “P”? (Pause. Think. Don’t Google. I know you want to.)
Answer: Pennsylvania. I always forget Pennsylvania exists. I don’t know why. It just feels like a fake state someone made up to fill space between New York and Ohio. Sorry, PA. You’re cool. I just… blank.
Question 2: Capitals I Still Get Wrong and I’m Not Even Sorry
Name the capital of Montana. Go.
I’ll wait.
…Helena. I always want to say Boise. Boise is Idaho. I know this. I still say Boise every single time. My brain just refuses.
Here’s a quick list of capitals I’ve butchered in public:
- Missouri → Jeff City (wrong, it’s Jefferson City, but I still call it Jeff City like we’re bros)
- South Dakota → I said Pierre once. Someone gently corrected me. I died inside.
- Wyoming → I blanked for a solid 20 seconds. Cheyenne. It’s Cheyenne. Why is that so hard?
The One That Broke Me: Geography Lies I Believed Until Last Year
I genuinely thought Rhode Island was an island off the coast of Florida until I was 27. I’m not proud. I’m just being honest. I pictured it like… a tiny little Key West vibe. Nope. It’s just chilling up by Connecticut. I felt personally betrayed by the public school system.
Also, I still mix up North and South Dakota in my head constantly. They’re literally named the same thing. Who thought that was a good idea? Just call one Big Dakota and Little Dakota and move on.
Here’s a tiny chaotic list of things I still get wrong:
- I think Iowa is shaped like a boot sometimes
- I’m convinced Kentucky has coastline (it does not)
- I once argued New Mexico was its own country until someone showed me a map
- I still call Washington “Washington State” in my head like it’s a secret identity
Final Question (The Soul-Crusher)
Which state has the most shoreline? Not coastline. Shoreline. Including lakes.
Answer: Michigan. Because of the Great Lakes. I was so mad when I learned this. I wanted it to be Florida so bad. Florida feels like it should win everything water-related. But no. Michigan quietly stealing the crown.
I hate it here.
Wrapping This Mess Up
So yeah. That was my US states trivia quiz. I failed most of it. I’m still failing it. I will probably continue failing it because apparently my brain has decided that knowing state birds is more important than knowing state borders (I can name like eight state birds. Zero useful life skill).
If you scored better than me… congrats, you’re probably a functional adult. If you scored worse… welcome to the club. We meet in the group chat every time someone asks us to point out Nebraska on a map.
Outbound Links
Here are the outbound reference links that would boost credibility and SEO for the blog post “How Well Do You Know the US States? Take This Trivia Quiz!”:
- https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files.html (U.S. Census Bureau – official state boundary and geographic data)
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-state-capitals-in-the-United-States-2119210 (Britannica – clean, reliable list of U.S. state capitals)
- https://www.michigan.gov/ (Official Michigan government site – for shoreline fact verification, including Great Lakes info)
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/which-state-is-closest-to-africa (National Geographic – article explaining the “closest state to Africa” trivia question)
- https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/quiz-how-well-do-you-know-your-national-parks (Sierra Club – related U.S. geography/national parks trivia for cross-referencing)
- https://www.50states.com/ (50States.com – comprehensive, fun, long-standing resource for state facts and trivia)
