Art of Memory
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How to Get Better at Trivia

To get better at trivia, learn facts in a way that makes them stick, instead of reading them once and hoping. Turn each fact into a quick picture, test yourself before you look at the answer, and go back to the facts you missed. Try it now with one of the decks below.

The short version

  1. Learn the lists that come up most, like capitals, flags, presidents and element symbols.
  2. Make a picture for each fact that ties the question to its answer.
  3. Use a memory palace for anything in order.
  4. Turn dates and numbers into words with the Major System.
  5. Answer before you look, and start each session with what you know least.

Read the full guide 路 Trivia night 路 Jeopardy 路 Trivial Pursuit

  • 6 decks
  • 72 cards
  • Free, no account needed
  • Answers checked against published sources

Practice with trivia flashcards

World Capitals

10 cards left in this session

World Capitals 路 New card

What is the capital of Australia?

Say your answer out loud, then turn the card over.

How well you know each card

Know a card and it moves right. Miss it and it goes back to box 1. Each session starts from the left.

  1. Box 1

    New or missed

    12

    12 not seen yet 路 10 in this session

  2. Box 2

    Shaky

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    Empty

  3. Box 3

    Getting there

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  4. Box 4

    Known

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  5. Box 5

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Space turns the card over. Keys 1 to 4 grade it.Saved in this browser.

Read the whole deck

Want to read a deck through before you start, or check an answer? Here is every card, with its memory hook.

World Capitals: all 12 cards
World Capitals flashcards
Front Back Memory hook
What is the capital of Australia? Canberra Chosen as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne. A kangaroo opens a can of berries: Can-berra.
What is the capital of Canada? Ottawa On the Ottawa River, in Ontario. An otter (Ottawa) paddles a canoe up a wide river.
What is the capital of Brazil? Bras铆lia A planned city that took over from Rio de Janeiro in 1960. Brazil with a little extra on the end: Bras-铆lia.
What is the capital of Turkey? Ankara Not Istanbul, the largest city. A turkey drops an anchor: Ankara.
What is the capital of New Zealand? Wellington At the southwestern tip of the North Island. A sheep in Wellington boots on a windy hill.
What is the capital of Morocco? Rabat Not Casablanca, the largest city. A rabbit (Rabat) hops through a busy market.
What is the capital of Nigeria? Abuja It took over from Lagos in 1991. Picture a bubbling jar (A-bu-ja) carried inland from Lagos.
What is the capital of Pakistan? Islamabad A planned city. Karachi was the first capital. Island, ma, bad: your ma stranded on a bad island in the hills.
What is the capital of Kenya? Nairobi Kenya's largest city as well as its capital. A lion wearing a robe: Nai-robe-i.
What is the capital of Peru? Lima On the Pacific coast. A llama eating a plate of lima beans.
What is the capital of South Korea? Seoul Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea. Seoul sounds like soul: the soul of South Korea.
What is the capital of Vietnam? Hanoi In the north. Ho Chi Minh City, in the south, is the largest city. Ha! No, I said Hanoi, not Ho Chi Minh City.
Famous Places: all 12 cards
Famous Places flashcards
Front Back Memory hook
Which country is Machu Picchu in? Peru An Inca citadel high in the Andes. Peer through (Peru) the clouds at the ruins on the mountain top.
Which city is the Taj Mahal in? Agra In northern India. Shah Jahan built it as a tomb for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Agra sounds like a grub: a giant grub crawls up the white marble dome.
Which city is the Great Pyramid in? Giza On the edge of Cairo, in Egypt. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. Giza sounds like geezer: an old geezer sits on the very top of the pyramid.
Which country is Chichen Itza in? Mexico A Maya city on the Yucat谩n Peninsula. A chicken (Chichen) does a Mexican wave on the pyramid steps.
Which city is St. Basil's Cathedral in? Moscow On Red Square, beside the Kremlin. A moose and a cow (Mos-cow) munch basil leaves off the onion domes.
Which country is Kilimanjaro in? Tanzania The highest mountain in Africa, near the border with Kenya. Climbers lie in the snow on the summit to get a tan: Tan-zania.
Which country is Petra in? Jordan A city carved into rose-red cliffs by the Nabataeans. The river Jordan pours down Petra's rose-red cliff and out through its carved doorway.
Which city is the Hagia Sophia in? Istanbul Built as a church in the 6th century, when the city was called Constantinople. A hag on a sofa (Hagia Sophia) rides a tan bull: Is-tan-bul.
Which country is Angkor Wat in? Cambodia A temple near Siem Reap. It is on Cambodia's flag. A ship drops its anchor (Angkor) onto a camera body: Cam-bodia.
Which island are the giant Moai statues on? Easter Island The island belongs to Chile, far out in the Pacific. The stone giants are out hunting for Easter eggs.
Which city does Table Mountain look down on? Cape Town In South Africa. The cloud that spills over its flat top is called the tablecloth. A superhero's cape (Cape Town) is spread over the flat mountain like a tablecloth.
Which German state is Neuschwanstein Castle in? Bavaria Built for King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 1800s. A new swan (Neu-schwan) drinks from a beer stein (-stein) at Oktoberfest, in Bavaria.
Element Symbols: all 12 cards
Element Symbols flashcards
Front Back Memory hook
Which element has the symbol Fe? Iron Atomic number 26 From the Latin ferrum. Picture a ferry (Fe) built of iron.
Which element has the symbol Au? Gold Atomic number 79 From the Latin aurum. A gold ring with a glowing aura (Au).
Which element has the symbol Ag? Silver Atomic number 47 From the Latin argentum, the word that also gave Argentina its name.
Which element has the symbol Pb? Lead Atomic number 82 From the Latin plumbum. Old plumbers worked with lead pipes.
Which element has the symbol Na? Sodium Atomic number 11 From its old name natrium. Table salt is NaCl: 'Na, no more salt!'
Which element has the symbol K? Potassium Atomic number 19 From its old name kalium. A kangaroo (K) peeling a banana.
Which element has the symbol Hg? Mercury Atomic number 80 From hydrargyrum, 'water silver'. Picture a hot glass (Hg) of liquid silver.
Which element has the symbol Sn? Tin Atomic number 50 From the Latin stannum. A snowman (Sn) made of tin cans.
Which element has the symbol Cu? Copper Atomic number 29 From the Latin cuprum, after Cyprus, an ancient source of copper. 'See you (Cu), copper!'
Which element has the symbol W? Tungsten Atomic number 74 From wolfram, its German name. A wolf (W) with tungsten fangs.
Which element has the symbol Sb? Antimony Atomic number 51 From the Latin stibium. A stubby (Sb) ant (antimony).
Which element has the symbol Mn? Manganese Atomic number 25 Read the third letter: Ma-n-ganese is Mn, Ma-g-nesium is Mg.
Books and Authors: all 12 cards
Books and Authors flashcards
Front Back Memory hook
Who wrote Pride and Prejudice ? Jane Austen 1813 A proud peacock struts down a street in Austin: Austen.
Who wrote Moby-Dick ? Herman Melville 1851 A white whale swallows a mellow village: Mel-ville.
Who wrote War and Peace ? Leo Tolstoy Published in full in 1869 A lion (Leo) tosses toys (Tols-toy) across a battlefield.
Who wrote One Hundred Years of Solitude ? Gabriel Garc铆a M谩rquez 1967 A lonely man marks (M谩rquez) a hundred years on his wall.
Who wrote Don Quixote ? Miguel de Cervantes In two parts, 1605 and 1615 A knight charges at windmills while his servant (Cervantes) watches.
Who wrote Dracula ? Bram Stoker 1897 A vampire stoking (Stoker) a furnace.
Who wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four ? George Orwell 1949 Big Brother watches you row (Or) a boat into a well (well).
Who wrote The Great Gatsby ? F. Scott Fitzgerald 1925 Party guests squeeze to fit (Fitz) through Gatsby's door.
Who wrote Things Fall Apart ? Chinua Achebe 1958 A tall stack of china (Chinua) falls apart.
Who wrote Crime and Punishment ? Fyodor Dostoevsky 1866 A thief dusts off (Dosto) his skis (-evsky) before he runs.
Who wrote Jane Eyre ? Charlotte Bront毛 1847 Jane floats in the air (Eyre) above a charlotte cake.
Who wrote Les Mis茅rables ? Victor Hugo 1862 A huge (Hugo) barricade with a victor (Victor) on top.
Inventors and Inventions: all 12 cards
Inventors and Inventions flashcards
Front Back Memory hook
Who invented dynamite, patented in 1867? Alfred Nobel A stick of dynamite with a Nobel Prize medal hanging from its fuse.
Who invented the safety elevator, shown in New York in 1854? Elisha Otis He stood on the raised platform as the rope was cut, and his brake held it. 'Oh, 'tis safe!' he shouts as the rope is cut: O-tis.
Who invented the World Wide Web, first proposed in 1989? Tim Berners-Lee A spider's web stretched over the burners (Berners) of a stove.
Who invented the electric battery, announced in 1800? Alessandro Volta The volt is named after him. A battery pole-vaults (Volta) over a fence.
Who invented the computer mouse, shown in public in 1968? Douglas Engelbart An angel (Engel) holds a computer mouse by its tail.
Who invented the stethoscope, in 1816? Ren茅 Laennec A doctor listens to your neck (Laen-nec) through a stethoscope.
Who invented the pendulum clock, in 1656? Christiaan Huygens A huge (Huy-) pendulum swings in a clock tower.
Who invented the piano, around 1700? Bartolomeo Cristofori In Florence, Italy. Christopher (Cristofori) plays a grand piano.
Who invented the vacuum flask, in 1892? James Dewar Morning dew (Dew-ar) drips into a flask of hot tea.
Who invented Kevlar, in 1965? Stephanie Kwolek A quick (Kwo-) leak (-lek) stopped by a Kevlar patch.
Who invented Velcro, after burrs stuck to his dog on a hunting trip? George de Mestral Burrs cling to a ship's mast (Mestral) like Velcro.
Who invented Tetris, in 1984? Alexey Pajitnov Falling blocks pile up on your pajamas (Pajit-nov).
Historical Events and Years: all 12 cards
Historical Events and Years flashcards
Front Back Memory hook
In what year was the Battle of Hastings? 1066 In England. William of Normandy defeated Harold II. Toes (10) and judge (66): a judge counts his toes on the battlefield.
In what year was Magna Carta sealed? 1215 Sealed by King John of England. Tin (12) and towel (15): the king dries the wax seal with a tin towel.
In what year did Constantinople fall? 1453 Taken by the Ottoman army of Mehmed II. Tire (14) and lime (53): a giant tire rolls through the city gates and squashes a lime.
In what year did Columbus reach the Americas? 1492 On his first voyage across the Atlantic. Tire (14) and bone (92): Columbus steps ashore rolling a tire, a bone in his teeth.
In what year did Luther write his Ninety-five Theses? 1517 In Wittenberg, Germany. Towel (15) and tack (17): picture Luther tacking his theses to a door, a towel over his arm.
In what year was the Great Fire of London? 1666 It burned for several days in September. Dish (16) and judge (66): a judge carries a dish of hot coals through the burning streets.
In what year was the US Declaration of Independence adopted? 1776 Adopted on July 4. Tack (17) and cage (76): the Declaration is tacked to a bird cage.
In what year was the Battle of Waterloo? 1815 In present-day Belgium. Napoleon's final defeat. Dove (18) and towel (15): a dove waves a white towel over the field.
In what year did the Wright brothers make their first powered flight? 1903 Near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Tap (19) and sumo (03): a sumo wrestler rides on the wing, holding a tap.
In what year did the Titanic sink? 1912 On its first voyage, after it hit an iceberg. Tap (19) and tin (12): a tap fills a tin ship until it sinks.
In what year was the first Moon landing? 1969 Apollo 11. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon. Tap (19) and ship (69): a ship lands on the Moon and an astronaut turns on a tap.
In what year did the Berlin Wall fall? 1989 The border opened on November 9. Tap (19) and VIP (89): a VIP turns a tap and the wall washes away.

Trade tips with other trivia players

A free account lets you post in the forum, where members share how they study for trivia nights, quiz shows and Jeopardy. It also gets you the free ebook Learn the Art of Memory, which teaches the techniques behind these flashcards.

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How to get better at trivia, step by step

Good trivia players are not born knowing more. They learn facts on purpose, and they use a few memory techniques that make a fact easy to pull back up under pressure. These five steps work for pub quizzes, Jeopardy! and board games alike.

  1. Learn the lists that come up again and again

    A lot of trivia comes from a small number of lists: world capitals, flags, US presidents, chemical elements, books and their authors, inventors, and the years of big historical events. Learn those first. Our list of fun things to memorize has more ideas.

  2. Make a picture for each fact

    A plain fact fades fast. A vivid picture that joins the question to its answer is much easier to pull back up. For the capital of Australia, picture a kangaroo opening a can of berries: Can-berra. To join several facts, chain the pictures with mnemonic links or a short story. What is a mnemonic? explains why this works.

  3. Use a memory palace for anything in order

    When the order matters, as with the presidents or the elements by number, leave one picture at each stop along a route through a place you know well, such as your home. To recall the list, walk the route in your mind. Start with how to build a memory palace, then practice the presidents in order in the US Presidents Memory Game.

  4. Turn dates and numbers into words

    Years and numbers are the hardest facts to keep. The Major System turns each digit into a sound, so a number becomes a word you can picture. That is how the historical events deck gets its hooks.

  5. Test yourself before you look

    Say the answer out loud, or write it down, before you check it. Pulling a fact out of memory does far more than rereading it. Be honest about the ones you hesitated on, and start each session with the cards you know least, as the trainer above does.

How to study for trivia night

A pub or bar quiz usually mixes a few set rounds, such as geography, history, science, music, film and TV, and sport, with a general knowledge round. A few habits help a team more than cramming the night before:

  • Split the subjects. Each person takes one or two rounds and learns the core lists for them.
  • Keep a list of the questions you missed, and turn each one into a flashcard with a memory hook.
  • Learn the lists behind picture and music rounds too, such as flags and composers.
  • Write down your first thought before the team talks it over, so a good first answer is not lost.

How to train for Jeopardy

Jeopardy! asks for speed as well as knowledge, since you have only a few seconds to recall an answer and phrase it as a question. Work through the same lists, then practice recalling them quickly:

  • Study the subjects that come up often, such as world capitals, US presidents, books and authors, and science.
  • Drill a deck until the answers come without a pause, then mix decks so you can switch subjects quickly.
  • Use a memory palace for long ordered lists, such as the presidents or the elements.

In the forum thread Training for Jeopardy!, members list the subjects to study and plan a study group.

How to win at Trivial Pursuit

The classic game has six categories: Geography, Entertainment, History, Art and Literature, Science and Nature, and Sports and Leisure. To win, you collect a wedge from every category, then answer one last question in the center, in a category the other players choose. So your weakest category is where study pays off most. Pick it, learn its core lists, and give the facts you keep missing a picture.

A forum member describes their method in How I鈥檓 Memorizing Trivial Pursuit.

Why spaced repetition works for trivia

In 1885 the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus published a book of experiments on his own memory. He learned lists of nonsense syllables, then tested how much he kept after different delays. Forgetting was fastest soon after learning and then slowed down. That shape is now called the forgetting curve.

He also found that relearning got quicker each time, and that practice spread out held up better than the same practice crammed into one sitting. Spaced repetition builds on that. Go back over a fact as it starts to fade, and each time you remember it, it can wait longer before the next review.

In 1972 the Austrian-born science writer Sebastian Leitner turned the idea into a box of paper flashcards, in his book So lernt man lernen. Cards you know move up a box. Higher boxes are reviewed less often. A card you miss goes back to the start. The trainer above uses five boxes in the same way, with no calendar. Each session starts with the cards in the lowest boxes and mixes in a few from the top, so the cards you know well come up only now and then.

Trivia suits it well. Capitals, element symbols and authors are separate facts that don't form a story, and spaced reviews keep each one fresh. For lists with an order, such as the presidents, a memory palace adds the order on top.

Sketch of a forgetting curve. Without review, recall drops fast. With reviews, each drop is slower than the one before. Review Review Review Time Learned Recall No review
A sketch of the idea, not measured data. The dashed line is forgetting with no review. The solid line is a fact reviewed three times.

Want more to learn? Browse our list of fun things to memorize, or test your memory against other people in Memory League.

Play each deck's topic as a game

Flashcards drill the facts. These free games test the same facts in a different way, which is a good check once a deck sits in the high boxes.

Famous Places deck

Famous Places matching

Turn over cards and pair each landmark with the place where it stands.

How forum members get better at trivia

Members of the Art of Memory forum have described their trivia routines in several threads. A few ideas come up again and again:

  • Flashcards for scattered facts, with the ones you miss coming back sooner.
  • A memory hook on every card: a quick picture that ties the question to its answer.
  • A memory palace for lists with an order, such as the presidents, the periodic table or the Olympics.
  • The Major System plus a short story for dates and numbers.
  • One memory palace per subject, so lists don't get mixed up.
  • A log of the images you made, so you can go back over them.
  • For one-off questions, a scene built from a key word in the question, with no memory palace at all.

Read the threads

Have a routine of your own? Share it on the forum.

Questions about getting better at trivia

How do people get good at trivia?

They learn facts on purpose instead of hoping to pick them up. Most good players study the lists that come up often, make a quick picture for facts that won't stick, and test themselves before they check the answer.

What should I memorize for trivia?

Start with the lists behind many questions: world capitals, flags, US presidents, chemical elements, books and authors, inventors and inventions, and the years of major historical events. Our list of fun things to memorize has more ideas.

How do you study for trivia night?

Split the rounds among your team, learn the core lists for your rounds, and turn every question you miss into a flashcard with a memory hook.

How do people train for Jeopardy?

The same way, with more speed. Jeopardy! gives you only a few seconds once you are called on, so drill each deck until the answers come without a pause, then mix decks so you can switch subjects quickly.

What are Leitner boxes?

A paper flashcard system from the 1972 book by the Austrian-born science writer Sebastian Leitner, So lernt man lernen. Cards start in the first box. A card you know moves up a box, and higher boxes are reviewed less often. A card you miss goes back to box 1. The trainer on this page uses five boxes, from box 1 for new or missed cards to box 5 for the ones you know well.

Where do the questions come from?

From the same lists as the site's matching games and the Periodic Panic game, and each answer was checked against a published source, such as Wikipedia, Britannica or UNESCO. If a card looks wrong, use Report a problem on its answer side and tell us what is off: the answer, the question or the memory hook.

Are the flashcards free? Do I need an account?

All six decks are free and work without an account. Your progress is saved in this browser, on this device.

How long is a session?

Ten cards, so a few minutes. Open a deck whenever you like. Each session starts with the cards you know least and mixes in a few you know well, so both stay fresh.