Classic Man In a Pub Fact from last night:, as given to me be a guy from Wales who was called Iuan or perhaps Euan or maybe Eion, but who definitely from Wales.

“There are NOT 50 US states, there are only 46 because 4 of them are ‘commonwealths rather than states”.

For fact-check I’ve looked at : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_(U.S._state)

Conclusion:

Aye – I suppose so, but I think it’s fair to say that although they self-designate as “commonwealths”, it’s reasonable to say they are ALSO States.

This information certainly won’t affect any questions in the database about counting states or asking for states where the answer is one of the four ‘commonwealths’.

For the record – these non-states are

• Massachussets
• Pennsylvania
• Virginia
• Kentucky