Airport Code Quiz

How the airport code quiz works

Each round names a city. Type the three-letter IATA code for its main airport, such as LHR for London or SIN for Singapore. After a wrong guess the tiles show how close you were: green means the right letter in the right place, yellow means the letter is in the code but somewhere else, and grey means it is not in the code at all. The quiz uses a set of 184 airports from around the world.

Difficulty levels

Easy uses codes that start with the same letter as the city, gives you four tries and shows the first letter. Medium uses any airport and gives you three tries. Hard uses only codes that do not start with the city's own first letter, hides the country, and gives you two tries.

Why airport codes look strange

• Chicago O'Hare is ORD because the site was once Orchard Field.
• Toronto is YYZ because Canadian airport codes began with Y.
• Many US airports in the early days inherited a two-letter weather station code with an X added, which is why Los Angeles is LAX.
• Some codes come from the old name of the airport, not the city.

Tips

Use the colour feedback. A good opening guess has common letters, and then you narrow down the rest. If the city name is not helping, think about the country: codes in the same country often share patterns.

Frequently asked questions

What is an IATA airport code?

It is a three-letter code assigned by the International Air Transport Association to identify an airport, for example JFK or CDG.

How many airports are in the quiz?

The quiz uses 184 airports from around the world.

How do the coloured tiles work?

Green is the right letter in the right place. Yellow is a letter in the code but in a different position. Grey is not in the code.

What is the difference between IATA and ICAO codes?

IATA codes have three letters and appear on tickets and baggage tags. ICAO codes have four letters and are used by pilots and air traffic control. This quiz uses IATA codes.

Do I have to be an aviation fan?

No. Easy mode gives you a hint with the first letter, so you can learn as you play.

Is it free?

Yes, it is free and does not need an account.

More ways to play

Like aviation trivia? Try the plane silhouette quiz next.

This quiz is the Code Quiz game from GeoKnow. Read the Code Quiz guide for strategy, or open the Code Quiz game page. Related quizzes: Plane silhouette quiz, Guess the country, Capital cities quiz. Browse all geography games or today's daily geography games.