Recognising a flag does not always mean you can write the entire country name without rereading it. Six continental sets offer 195 names, making room to practise both short labels and longer names with important qualifying words.

Which names and sets will you practise?

The scope is 193 UN member states plus the two non-member observers, Vatican City and Palestine: 195 countries in total. The six sets contain 48 in Asia, 44 in Europe, 54 in Africa, 23 in North America, 12 in South America and 14 in Oceania. Every country appears in one continental set. Additional territories, the UK’s constituent areas and the Antarctic reference symbol are excluded. Check the list under each round for its exact scope.

The collection contains 195 names in 6 sets. The examples below are actual entries from each set rather than the complete lists. Open a set link to inspect its full sequence and choose a manageable amount of vocabulary for your first session.

Read the differences before typing

Dominica and the Dominican Republic are distinct entries. Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo must also be distinguished, as must Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea, or Niger and Nigeria. Read beyond a shared first word and check the end of the full name rather than entering a broad regional label.

Start with the shorter South America or Oceania set to learn the input rhythm. Later, compare the two Congo names and keep the distinguishing words intact instead of entering only their shared geographical term.

From the first input to a completed round

The current name stays visible beside the picture, so you can read rather than identify an unlabelled object. Look at the complete spelling of Nepal and check your keyboard before typing. The first input starts the timer; a matching display name or registered alternative advances automatically without Enter.

Edit unfinished text directly in the field. Pressing Enter with an incorrect nonempty answer adds one error and clears that attempt. The result does not count every deleted or replaced letter as a separate error. When a new name appears, read its picture and words instead of repeating the previous answer.

Displayed names and registered alternatives

The complete name displayed in the current language is the most reliable answer. After each arrow below is an example actually accepted for that particular entry. Alternatives vary by name and language: a shortened form working for one prompt does not create a shortening rule for the rest of the set.

Matching normalizes case, spaces and supported punctuation. Latin accents may be omitted, and German ß can be entered as ss. Meaningful words and numbers still need to match. To practise another language, change the page language first and use that page's labels or registered answers instead of assuming an arbitrary translation will work.

  • South Korea → Republic of Korea
  • Timor-Leste → East Timor
  • Myanmar → Burma

Choose a small goal for your second round

Your next goal can be more specific than speed. Choose a name that made you pause, such as Namibia, read it in full, and retry the same set in the same language. Note whether you used full names or alternatives and whether you changed devices so that the comparison has useful context.

After a completed round, review time, keystrokes per minute, errors and the best record. Best times are stored in this browser separately by topic, set and language. Results are not combined across devices through an account; keep your own dated note of words you reread if you want a longer study record.

Understand what the illustrations cover

Practice 193 UN member states and 2 observers in six sets. Continents follow a project classification based on UN M49, without implying political recognition. Afghanistan uses the source’s international tricolour variant.

Use these boundaries to treat the illustrations as aids for reading terminology. A correctly typed name records a vocabulary task, not practical competence in identifying or handling the real subject. When you return to a book or class, check that source's definitions and scope to connect the words with their original context.

Continue with another topic or language

The two topics below offer related vocabulary for another reading session. Keep the familiar input routine while changing the subject. Lists differ in length and word size, so compare completion times between attempts with the same conditions rather than across unrelated games.

This guide and its game are available in Korean, English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish and German. Change the language menu to read the instructions and names in that language. The game links below retain your current language choice.