English Reading & Writing Practice
Practice the two English tasks from the citizenship interview: read a sentence out loud, and write a sentence the officer says.
The three parts of the English test
Reading test
You read one of up to three sentences out loud. Read one correctly and you pass. Small pronunciation mistakes are fine if the meaning is clear.
Writing test
The officer reads a sentence and you write it. Write one of up to three correctly to pass. Minor spelling errors are allowed if the meaning stays the same.
Speaking
There is no separate speaking test. The officer judges your spoken English during the whole interview.
Reading practice
Read the sentence out loud. Then press Listen to compare with a native speaker.
Who was the first President?
Writing practice
Press Play and type exactly what you hear. You can play it again.
Official vocabulary to know
The reading and writing sentences on the test use words from the USCIS vocabulary lists. These are the most important ones.
Reading words
- Abraham Lincoln
- American flag
- Bill of Rights
- capital
- citizen
- city
- Congress
- country
- Father of Our Country
- George Washington
- government
- President
- right
- Senators
- state/states
- White House
- America
- United States
- U.S.
- Presidents' Day
- Memorial Day
- Flag Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day
- Thanksgiving
- how
- what
- when
- where
- who
- why
- can
- come
- do/does
- elects
- have/has
- is/are/was/be
- lives/lived
- meet
- name
- pay
- vote
- want
- a
- for
- here
- in
- of
- on
- the
- to
- we
- colors
- dollar bill
- first
- largest
- many
- most
- north
- one
- people
- second
- south
Writing words
- Adams
- Lincoln
- Washington
- American Indians
- capital
- citizens
- Civil War
- Congress
- Father of Our Country
- flag
- free
- freedom of speech
- President
- right
- Senators
- state/states
- White House
- Alaska
- California
- Canada
- Delaware
- Mexico
- New York City
- United States
- Washington, D.C.
- February
- May
- June
- July
- September
- October
- November
- Presidents' Day
- Memorial Day
- Flag Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day
- Thanksgiving
- can
- come
- elect
- have/has
- is/was/be
- lives/lived
- meets
- pay
- vote
- want
- and
- during
- for
- here
- in
- of
- on
- the
- to
- we
- blue
- dollar bill
- fifty/50
- first
- largest
- most
- north
- one
- one hundred/100
- people
- red
- second
- south
- taxes
- white
Source: USCIS Reading and Writing Vocabulary for the Naturalization Test. Download the official lists at uscis.gov/citizenship.
Common questions
What does the citizenship English test include?
Three parts. Speaking is judged during the whole interview as you answer the officer. For reading, you read one of up to three sentences out loud correctly. For writing, you write one of up to three sentences correctly as the officer reads it.
Will I see the same sentences on the real test?
Not exactly. USCIS does not publish the test sentences, but they are built from the official reading and writing vocabulary lists. Our sentences use the same words, so if you can read and write these, you are ready for the real ones.
Do small spelling mistakes fail the writing test?
Usually not. Small spelling, capitalization or punctuation mistakes are generally accepted as long as the sentence keeps its meaning. Leaving out an important word, or writing something the officer cannot read or understand, can fail it.
Who does not have to take the English test?
Applicants who, when they file, are 50 or older with 20 years as a permanent resident (50/20) or 55 or older with 15 years (55/15). Applicants with a qualifying medical disability can ask for an exception with Form N-648. The civics test still applies unless N-648 also covers it.
What happens if I fail the English test?
You get one more try. USCIS schedules a second interview, usually 60 to 90 days later, and you only retake the part you did not pass. There is no extra fee.