Wormillion gives you ten rounds of thirty seconds each, and the prompt is always the same shape: name a place. The catch is that a familiar answer is fine, but a less familiar one makes your worm dig deeper. The official field guide is the best tool for this, because it turns the whole game into something you can study.
What the Field Guide Actually Contains
The field guide is a catalog of 32,845 places split into nine category guides. Each one connects real places with their countries, accepted names, and game scores — so you are not just memorizing words, you are learning how the game sees them.
| Category | Places | Example entries |
|---|---|---|
| Rivers | 8,108 | Nile, Seine, Neretva |
| Mountains | 6,462 | Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Fuji |
| Cities | 9,830 | Kyoto, Porto, Oaxaca de Juárez |
| Islands | 4,024 | Borneo, Corsica, Socotra |
| Countries | 207 | Japan, Namibia, Suriname |
| Capitals | 265 | Lisbon, Tbilisi, Thimphu |
| Lakes | 3,169 | Lake Baikal, Titicaca, Lake Bled |
| Deserts | 143 | Gobi Desert, Atacama Desert, Namib |
| Seas & oceans | 637 | Bay of Biscay, Gulf of Bothnia, Andaman Sea |
That table is also a map of where you are weakest.
The Counts Reveal Category-Specific Weak Spots
Smaller categories offer the easiest wins. Deserts have only 143 entries, countries have 207, and capitals have 265. These lists are finite enough to master completely. If you know a few overlooked names in each, you will rarely be stuck when one of those rounds appears.
The larger categories are where most players get stuck. Rivers, mountains, and cities have thousands of entries, so you cannot memorize everything. The weak spot is usually the name that comes to mind first: the Nile, Everest, Tokyo. Those are familiar, and they earn points, but they do not dig deep.
The field guide helps you replace those obvious names with real alternatives. A river like the Deseado River in Argentina or the Chalaronne in France is a far better answer in a river round. The guide is full of exactly those entries.
How to Study a Category Quickly
Do not just read the guide start to finish. Study it with recall in mind.
- Choose one category to focus on, starting with your weakest.
- Scan the entries and pay attention to the country listed next to each place.
- Pick three to five unfamiliar places from the same country or region.
- Cover the answer column and try to recall the place from the country name alone.
- Turn those entries into a small anchor list you can mentally flip through during a round.
For example, if you practice “Deseado River — Argentina” and “Chalaronne — France,” you will have two river answers ready before the prompt even finishes loading.
Applying the Guides During a 30-Second Round
Your routine should be fast and automatic.
- Read the prompt carefully. Sometimes it adds a twist: “a river in France” is not the same as “a river.”
- Let the first obvious answer that comes to mind be a signal, not your final choice.
- Mentally open the category guide you studied.
- Work through your anchor list until you find a place that fits every condition in the prompt.
- Type the accepted name from the guide, then watch the depth of your dig.
Every round is feedback. If your worm stays shallow, you probably reached for a familiar name. If it dives deeper, your field-guide memory is working.
Memorization Shortcuts That Stick
Use the guide’s own structure to build shortcuts.
- Anchor every unfamiliar name to a country. “Lake Titicaca” is easier to remember when you also know which countries it touches.
- Build one-per-country lists for big categories like rivers and mountains.
- For cities, skip capitals and focus on regional places like Kyoto, Porto, or Oaxaca de Juárez.
- Review the smallest categories — deserts, countries, capitals — before a daily dig. A two-minute pass can be enough.
FAQ
How many places are in the field guide? 32,845 places across nine categories, from 143 deserts to 9,830 cities.
Which category should I study first? Start with the smallest categories. Deserts, countries, and capitals are finite enough to fully learn, and the payoff is quick.
Are the names in the field guide the accepted game answers? The guide states that it connects real places with accepted names and game scores, so the names listed there are the forms worth practicing.
Can I use the field guide during a round? The guide is best used before you play. During a 30-second round, you will be relying on what you already studied.
