Element names quiz: what does each symbol stand for?
Practice reading chemical symbols and naming the element behind each one. You use this skill every time you read a formula such as NaCl or Fe₂O₃, so it pays off in every chemistry class.
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How it works
Each round has 10 questions: you see a symbol and pick the matching element name from four options. Every answer gets instant feedback, and your best score is saved in your browser. Choose the first 20, the first 36 or all 118 elements before you start.
Play it three ways: a classic round of 10 questions, a 60-second speed round (25 right answers earns a star), or survival, where you keep going until you miss three.
Tips
- Most symbols are the first one or two letters of the English name, such as O for oxygen and Ca for calcium, so start with those.
- Memorize the symbols that do not match the English name: Na sodium, K potassium, Fe iron, Cu copper, Ag silver, Sn tin, Sb antimony, Au gold, Hg mercury, Pb lead and W tungsten.
- Only 14 elements have one-letter symbols: H, B, C, N, O, F, P, S, K, V, Y, I, W and U. Learn them as a set.
- Check your spelling as you learn: fluorine (not flourine), and in American English aluminum, cesium and sulfur.