The sentences are built from common civics and everyday words, grouped into themes:
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.
The reading vocabulary list
USCIS publishes the complete list of words that can appear in the reading test. You will be asked to read one sentence aloud, and you get up to three sentences to succeed. The words are: People: Abraham Lincoln, George Washington. Civics: American flag, Bill of Rights, capital, citizen, city, Congress, country, Father of Our Country, government, President, right, Senators, state/states, White House. Places: America, United States, U.S. Holidays: Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving. Question words: How, What, When, Where, Who, Why. Verbs: can, come, do/does, elects, have/has, is/are/was/be, lives/lived, meet, name, pay, vote, want. Other: a, for, here, in, of, on, the, to, we, colors, dollar bill, first, largest, many, most, north, one, people, second, south.
Sample reading sentences
- Who was the first President?
- What is the capital of the United States?
- Where is the White House?
- When is Independence Day?
- Why do people come to America?
- How many Senators do we have?
- Who elects Congress?
The writing vocabulary list
The officer reads one sentence aloud and you write it; you get up to three tries. The words are: People: Adams, Lincoln, Washington. Civics: American Indians, capital, citizens, Civil War, Congress, Father of Our Country, flag, free, freedom of speech, President, right, Senators, state/states, White House. Places: Alaska, California, Canada, Delaware, Mexico, New York City, United States, Washington, Washington, D.C. Months: February, May, June, July, September, October, November. Holidays: Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving. Verbs: can, come, elect, have/has, is/was/be, lives/lived, meets, pay, vote, want. Other: 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.
Sample writing sentences
- Washington was the first President.
- Congress meets in Washington, D.C.
- The flag is red, white, and blue.
- Citizens can vote.
- Independence Day is in July.
- Mexico is south of the United States.
- People pay taxes.
How the officer scores it
For reading, you must read the sentence in a way that shows you understand its meaning; minor pronunciation errors and skipping a short word like “the” are acceptable, but omitting a content word or substituting a different word is not. For writing, the sentence must have the same meaning as the dictated one; minor spelling, capitalization, and punctuation errors are accepted, and you may use either print or cursive. Abbreviations are not accepted for content words. The test is designed to confirm basic literacy, not perfect English.
Practice method
Write each writing-list word three times, then have someone dictate the sample sentences while you write. Read each reading sentence aloud once a day. Because the lists overlap heavily with the civics answers (Washington, Congress, Senators, the flag, Independence Day), you are learning both parts of the test at the same time. Our reading practice and writing practice tools use these exact word lists.
Last reviewed and expanded by the USCitizenTestPractice Editorial Team in September 2026, based on the USCIS Policy Manual, the official 2025 civics test materials, and current USCIS fee and form instructions. This is an independent study resource, not legal advice.
