How to Memorize State Capitals Quickly

With 50 states in the United States, memorizing all 50 state capitals can be challenging. However, there are a number of strategies that can be used to aid this memorization. Whether the goal of your memorization is to pass a test or quiz or simply to expand your knowledge of the United States, the following tips will help you quickly memorize the state capitals.

Use a map of the states and their capitals with no other cities marked on the map. Visualizing the geographic locations of the capitals within both the United States and the specific individual states will help you make a mental connection between the states and their capitals.

Make flashcards with the outline and name of the state on one side and the state capital on the other. This will not only help you associate the capital with the name of the state but also with the shape of the state, to complement your memorization work with the map.

Practice with your flash cards until you can gradually exclude from your deck the cards for the states you have memorized. As you continue going through the exercise, you will find that there are fewer and fewer states for which you need to be reminded of the capital. Once you have gotten to the point where you can consistently remember all of the capitals, periodically run through your entire deck to keep the capitals fresh in your mind.