Capital pairs

Three ways to ask

Country → capital is the classic form. Capital → country is harder than it sounds, because many capitals are less famous than their countries. Both ways alternates the two within one round, which is the best training if you want the pairs to stick in either direction. Choose the type with the buttons above the quiz or in the setup.

Capitals are written the way the language of the page writes them, so the Finnish page asks for Kööpenhamina and the Hungarian page for Koppenhága.

Countries the capitals quiz leaves out

Six countries sit this mode out and never show up as options here. Monaco, Singapore and Vatican City are city-states, so country and capital coincide; Nauru names no official capital; for Israel and Yemen the capital is disputed. All six appear in the other modes as usual.

Levels and points

Easy asks about well-known countries and offers capitals from other parts of the world. Medium keeps the options on the same continent. Hard takes the capitals of the nearest neighbours as wrong options, so Bratislava, Vienna and Budapest can end up side by side. A hint deletes two wrong cities and halves what the question pays.

Pencil notes

• Some capitals carry their country’s name: Mexico City, Guatemala City, Panama City, Kuwait City, Luxembourg, Djibouti. Collect them first; they are free points.
• Plenty of capitals are smaller than their country’s biggest city: Canberra, Ottawa, Ankara and Brasília are the classic traps. Keep them on a short list of exceptions.
• Practise Capital → country on its own for a few rounds. Once a city points back to its country, the other direction follows easily.
• Read the guide to remembering capitals for more ways to make the pairs stay.