Writing Vocabulary for the Citizenship Test
All 75 words on the official USCIS list for the writing portion of the naturalization test. You must write one sentence correctly, out of up to three tries.
Still current. This list carries a 2014 revision stamp, which looks stale next to a test that changed in October 2025. It is not: that change applied to the civics questions only, and the notice implementing it says it does not change the English parts of the test.
The full list
Grouped exactly as USCIS groups it. Entries joined by a slash ("state/states") are one entry on the official list, not several: any of those forms can appear.
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 (function words)
- and
- during
- for
- here
- in
- of
- on
- the
- to
- we
Other (content words)
- blue
- dollar bill
- fifty/50
- first
- largest
- most
- north
- one
- one hundred/100
- people
- red
- second
- south
- taxes
- white
How to use this list
The officer will dictate a sentence and you write it down. The sentences are built from the words above and cover the same ground as the civics questions: "Citizens can vote.", "Washington is the Father of Our Country."
Practise by having someone read sentences to you rather than by copying them. And note what is in the list: months, colours, numbers written as words, and place names like Delaware and Alaska. Those are the entries people miss, because they study the civics terms and assume the rest is easy.
The other list
The reading portion has its own list of 64 words. They overlap on the civics and history terms but they are not the same list, so learning one does not cover the other.
Frequently asked questions
How many words are on the writing vocabulary list?
75, grouped into 8 categories by USCIS. Every sentence on the writing portion of the test is built from these words.
Is this writing list still current after the 2025 test change?
Yes. The 2025 change applied to the civics test only. The notice implementing it states that it does not change the English language parts of the naturalization test, so this list is unchanged and still official.
How many sentences do I have to write?
You must write one sentence correctly, out of up to three tries.
Source: the official USCIS writing vocabulary list. Reproduced without changes. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.