Here is a fun brain puzzle: Can you find the one letter in the alphabet that does not appear in any of the 50 United States names? I will give you a minute.
Got an idea? If you are like me, you guessed J, and you would be close. However, the letter J appears in only one state name: New Jersey.
Another guess would be the letter X.
But this isn’t right because:
Texas.
And New Mexico.
Another guess would be Z. Can you think of any state that includes the letter Z?
Arizona.
So that’s not right either.
So if it’s not J, X or Z, then what is it?
Trying to find an answer to this alphabetic fun fact might remind you of the “Fifty Nifty United States” song. Do you know it?
Here’s a video to refresh your memory:
Does this help you get closer to the answer?
Are you still thinking?
Ready for the answer? Are you sure?
Ok, here it is:
The letter that does not appear in any state names is Q!
I have to say I’m not surprised, as Q is a relatively rare letter of the alphabet. After all, it is one of the most valuable Scrabble letters because of its rarity. In the famous word-making board game, the letter Q is worth a whopping 10 points.
However, Q is not the only rare letter in United States’ names. The letter Z only appears in the name of Arizona, while X in just two (Texas and New Mexico). P is also relatively rare among the 50, as it appears in just three state names — Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and New Hampshire.
Credits: Thinking Humanity.
