Remembering the 50 US states
In this document, I will explain my system for memorizing the 50 US states. This system relies on mnemonics created using the geographic locations and features of the states. Not only does it make it easy to recall the names, but also to locate them on the map with little effort.
As you will notice, some mnemonics are kinda out there but the stupider the mnemonic, the better it sticks.
US map
I recommend you open this map in a new window and read this article side by side to see how this all makes sense.
The mnemonic
WO IM WyNe. CANTO NUCK MIMAL WIIMOP New KTMAG MaiDeN CReaM NaiVe
| Mnemonic | States | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| WO IM WyNe | Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska | I was a human. Suddenly I'm WyNe (wine). Weird! |
| CANTO NUCK | California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma / Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas | I just memorize it but you could remember it as a name like Cant O'Nuck. |
| MIMAL | Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana | Vertical wall of 5 states in central US that collectively look like a human. I imagine it as a chef whose name is MIMAL. Chef MIMAL. |
| WIIMOP New | Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York | This group of states surround the Great Lakes. So it's wet. You'll need a NEW kind of mop for it called a WIIMOP. |
| KTMAG | Kentucky, Tennesse, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia | Name of a magazine. |
| MaiDeN CReaM NaiVe | Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey / Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachussetts / New Hampshire, Vermont | The smaller states at the top left in counterclockwise direction. Ignore the vowels and just use the consonant letters. |
The mnemonic covers 40 states. The remaining 10 are just too easy to need a mnemonic for:
| States | Description |
|---|---|
| The Dakotas | North Dakota, South Dakota |
| The Carolinas | North Carolina, South Carolina |
| The Virginias | Virgina, West Virginia |
| Maine | Topmost state of the US east coast. |
| Florida | Pretty distinct protrusion toward the gulf of Mexico. |
| Alaska and Hawaii | The only 2 non-contigious US states. Alaska is big and borders Canada. Hawaii is a bunch of little islands. |
Individual features of states
Here are some geographic features of some states to help them locate on the map:
| State | Features |
|---|---|
| Idaho | Looks like an i |
| Montana | Mountain (located on top) |
| Oklahoma | Looks like a meat cleaver with handle made of Oak |
| Minnesota | Mini mouse on chef MIMAL's head (the rat from Ratatouille) |
| Iowa | Location of the eyes (/aɪ/) of chef MIMAL |
| Missouri | Aren't you missing Chef MIMAL's heart? |
| Arkansas | Chef MIMAL's arse is located here |
| Louisiana | Legs of Chef MIMAL |
| Illinois | Coughing (ill) person because of the germs from chef MIMAL's nose. |
| Indiana | Illinois is poking INto Indiana |
| Michigan | Only state split into two large segments |
| New York | Looks like a Y |
| Tennesse | Denominator of the fraction (Kentucky over 10esse) |
| Delaware | Be aware. It's so small it might fall off into the ocean! |
| Connecticut | Connects Rhode Island and New York |
| Rhode Island | Islands are usually tiny |
| Massachussetts | Looks like a massive fishing hook |
| New Hampshire | Looks like an h |
| Vermont | Looks like a V |
| Maine | Main part of US east coast |
| Florida | Florida man's penis |
| Alaska | Looks like the lowercase a |
An alternative
If you just care about the names of states without their locations, there is an alternative mnemonic:
8MN 4WIA 3CO 2SKTV DR HP GULF
There are 8 states starting with the letters M and N; 4 with W, I, and A; 3 with C and O; and 2 with S, K, T, and V. There are 8 states that do not share their initial letter with any other states: D, R, H, P, G, U, L, and F.
Some tricks:
- M: 4 start with Mi, 3 start with Ma, and 1 starts with Mo.
- N: 4 start with New, 2 with North and the other two start with Ne.
- Both Ss start with South.
Credits
I consulted various resources online and took parts of them to come up with this system: