The English portion of the naturalization test includes a short reading task and a short writing task. The good news: USCIS uses a limited, published vocabulary, so you can prepare exactly what you need.
How the reading test works
The officer shows you sentences and you must read one of up to three sentences correctly out loud. You don’t need perfect pronunciation — just enough to show you understand.
How the writing test works
The officer reads a sentence aloud and you write one of up to three sentences correctly. Spelling and grammar don’t have to be perfect as long as the meaning is clear.
Vocabulary to practice
The sentences are built from common civics and everyday words, grouped into themes:
- People: Lincoln, Washington, Adams, citizens, people, senators
- Civics: American flag, Bill of Rights, Congress, country, President, right, freedom, vote
- Places: America, United States, capital, state, Washington D.C.
- Holidays & months: Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving
- Verbs & everyday words: can, come, elect, have, live, meet, pay, vote, want, here, today, we
How to practice
Have someone read sentences to you so you can write them, and practice reading civics sentences aloud. A few minutes a day is enough to be ready.
Practice now: Take the free US citizenship practice test or read every question in the most common civics questions.
This is an independent free study resource and is not affiliated with USCIS or the U.S. government, and is not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements at uscis.gov.
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