Name all the elements

How this quiz works

Type element names into the box and each one drops into its category. The counter tracks how many of the 118 you have, and every category keeps its own tally so you can see which block you have not touched.

Symbols are shown under each name but are not accepted answers. A one-letter symbol would fire on the first keystroke of almost every word — “c” would take Carbon before you finished typing Calcium — so this asks for the names.

The transition metals are the biggest block on the board at 38 and the one everybody stalls in; the lanthanides and actinides are 30 more that most people cannot even start. Sweep a category at a time rather than working up the atomic numbers.

When the clock runs out, or when you give up, every element you missed is revealed in its category.

Questions people ask

How many elements are there on the periodic table?

118, from hydrogen to oganesson. Everything past uranium at number 92 is synthetic — made in a reactor or an accelerator rather than found in nature — and the four newest, nihonium, moscovium, tennessine and oganesson, were only named in 2016.

Can I change the timer?

Yes. Pick 3, 5, 10 or 15 minutes before you start, or choose Count up — that mode has no limit and the clock stops the moment you get the last one, so it doubles as a speedrun timer. Your choice is remembered for next time.

Do I have to press Enter?

No. Every answer is taken the moment you finish spelling it and the box clears itself, so you can type straight through a run without touching Enter. Names that begin another name are handled too: type “niger” and Niger counts immediately, then carry on with “ia” — or just type “nigeria” in one go — and Nigeria counts as well.

Does spelling have to be exact?

Capitals, spaces, hyphens, punctuation and accents are all ignored, so “aluminum” matches Aluminium, “sulphur” matches Sulfur and “cesium” matches Caesium. There is no Enter to press — an answer counts the instant you finish spelling it.

Can I type the symbols instead?

No, and that is deliberate. Single-letter symbols like H, C, N and O are the first keystroke of dozens of element names, so accepting them would hand you answers you were not trying to give. The symbol and atomic number are shown under each name once you find it.

Do I need an account?

No. Nothing to sign up for, nothing to install, no ads in the way of the board. Your best score is kept in your own browser and never leaves your device.

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