Walk the map
Most players name places near their own home or places that appear constantly in the news. A better habit is to pick a direction on the map and walk it: start at a place you know, then name its neighbour, then that neighbour’s neighbour. Two or three steps away from the obvious places lie plenty of real countries, cities and rivers that few players think of first.
Use the structure of the world
- Continents. If a prompt asks for a country, pick a continent you know less about and run through it. Small island nations, landlocked countries and countries with recent name changes are classic uncommon answers.
- Capitals. The famous capitals are the obvious pile. The capitals of mid-sized countries are real, spelled consistently and often unknown to players who learned their capitals in school years ago.
- Rivers and lakes. Name the river that flows through a city you know, or that forms a border. Rivers are often named after a region, so thinking regionally helps.
- Landmarks. Beyond the famous towers and monuments there are bridges, castles, cathedrals and natural features in every country. The one you visited on a school trip may be a very good answer.
An example in practice
Suppose the prompt is “Name a capital city”. The crowd says London, Paris, Tokyo. Walk the map from a place you do know: from Paris to Brussels to Luxembourg, then on to Bern and Vienna. Or from Tokyo to Seoul to Pyongyang to Ulaanbaatar. In two or three steps you are naming capitals that most players would never think of first, and each one is real and spelled the way you type it.
Check the wording
Read whether the prompt asks for a country, a city, a landmark or a natural feature. Writing a country when the prompt wants a city is the most common way to lose a prompt.
Spelling and alternative names
Many places have several names: an English name, a local name, an older name. Thin Air accepts common alternatives where we know them, but not every variant. If the standard English name comes to mind first, use it. If the local spelling has accents, typing without them is fine, because accents are ignored when answers are matched.
What to avoid
Do not guess a place name you are not sure exists. A rejected answer scores nothing and costs you time. A real place that is only mildly unusual is better than a spectacular guess.
For tips on the clock see how to score higher, and for what is behind the scores see rarity without a crowd.