US State Abbreviations Quiz
A free map quiz for learning the two-letter postal abbreviations for all 50 states. The quiz shows a code – TX, ME, MI – and students tap the state it belongs to, or in hard mode they type every abbreviation they know while the map fills in.
It’s handy for upper elementary through high school, especially when students start addressing envelopes, reading weather maps or filling in forms. As each state is answered, its code appears on the map.
How to use it in class
- Pick a mode. Classic shows an abbreviation and students tap its state. Hard asks them to type every abbreviation they can remember. Explore has no score – tap any state to see its abbreviation.
- Put it on the board. Tap the fullscreen button so the map fills the screen. The small Northeast states have tap boxes out in the ocean, and Hawaii has a dashed frame, so they are easy to hit.
- Play Classic. Students get three tries for each abbreviation. A wrong tap shows which state was tapped and its abbreviation, so every mistake teaches another pair. Colors show how it went: green first try, yellow second, orange third, red missed.
- Try Hard mode. Each state fills in the moment its abbreviation is spelled correctly – no Enter needed, and “St.” or “Saint” both work. After a minute, spelling help appears once the first four letters are right.
- Review and share. At the end, “Review map” lets students tap any state to check its abbreviation, and “Challenge a friend” makes a link with the score for someone else to beat.
Classroom ideas
The tricky M’s and A’s
Start with the codes people mix up most: MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS and MT, then AK, AL, AR and AZ. Explore them on the board before playing.
States, then codes
Students who don’t know the map yet can warm up with the US States quiz, then come back to abbreviations once the shapes are familiar.
Address an envelope
After a round, have students address a real or pretend envelope to someone in another state, using the correct two-letter code.
All 50 abbreviations
| State | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Alabama | AL |
| Alaska | AK |
| Arizona | AZ |
| Arkansas | AR |
| California | CA |
| Colorado | CO |
| Connecticut | CT |
| Delaware | DE |
| Florida | FL |
| Georgia | GA |
| Hawaii | HI |
| Idaho | ID |
| Illinois | IL |
| Indiana | IN |
| Iowa | IA |
| Kansas | KS |
| Kentucky | KY |
| Louisiana | LA |
| Maine | ME |
| Maryland | MD |
| Massachusetts | MA |
| Michigan | MI |
| Minnesota | MN |
| Mississippi | MS |
| Missouri | MO |
| Montana | MT |
| Nebraska | NE |
| Nevada | NV |
| New Hampshire | NH |
| New Jersey | NJ |
| New Mexico | NM |
| New York | NY |
| North Carolina | NC |
| North Dakota | ND |
| Ohio | OH |
| Oklahoma | OK |
| Oregon | OR |
| Pennsylvania | PA |
| Rhode Island | RI |
| South Carolina | SC |
| South Dakota | SD |
| Tennessee | TN |
| Texas | TX |
| Utah | UT |
| Vermont | VT |
| Virginia | VA |
| Washington | WA |
| West Virginia | WV |
| Wisconsin | WI |
| Wyoming | WY |
Frequently asked questions
How many state abbreviations are there?
There are 50, one for each state. Washington, D.C. (DC) and US territories also have codes, but they aren’t part of this quiz.
Which state abbreviations are easiest to mix up?
The states starting with M (MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT) and A (AK, AL, AR, AZ) cause the most mistakes – for example, Alaska is AK and Arizona is AZ.
Do capital letters matter when typing?
No. Typing “tx” or “TX” both count.
Who set these abbreviations?
They are the two-letter codes used by the United States Postal Service.