Citizenship Test Vocabulary PDF: Both Lists for 2026

USCIS splits the English vocabulary across two files. One for reading, one for writing. Neither marks which words appear on both, so anyone studying from them ends up learning the same forty words twice.

This page puts both lists on one page, with the overlap marked. Print it, or use your browser to save it as a PDF.

There is no single official citizenship test vocabulary PDF. USCIS publishes two plain text files and a set of picture flash cards. The reading list holds 64 entries, the writing list holds 75, and 40 words sit on both. Everything below is copied from those two files, revision 07/14.

What’s New in 2026 for the Vocabulary Files

Neither file has been reissued, and that is worth stating because so much study material claims otherwise.

The 2025 civics test replaced the 100-question bank with 128 questions, for anyone filing Form N-400 on or after 20 October 2025. That change covers the civics questions only.

The English vocabulary was untouched. Both files still carry the revision stamp 07/14, meaning July 2014. Anything advertising a new 2025 or 2026 vocabulary list is relabelling twelve-year-old material.

So a printout you make today stays correct. This is the one part of citizenship study that does not need rechecking each year.

Where the Official Files Are

Straight from the source, free, no signup anywhere.

USCIS publishes the reading vocabulary and the writing vocabulary as plain text files. They are small, they open in any browser, and they are the authoritative version.

The agency also publishes picture flash cards through its study materials page. Those are images, so you cannot search them or copy from them.

What USCIS does not publish is one document holding both lists with the overlap marked. That is what follows.

The Reading Vocabulary, 64 Entries

Words marked as also on the other list appear in the writing vocabulary too, so they carry double weight.

People

• Abraham Lincoln
• George Washington

Civics

• American flag
• Bill of Rights
• capital (also on the other list)
• citizen
• city
• Congress (also on the other list)
• country
• Father of Our Country (also on the other list)
• government
• President (also on the other list)
• right (also on the other list)
• Senators (also on the other list)
• state/states (also on the other list)
• White House (also on the other list)

Places

• America
• United States (also on the other list)
• U.S.

Holidays

• Presidents’ Day (also on the other list)
• Memorial Day (also on the other list)
• Flag Day (also on the other list)
• Independence Day (also on the other list)
• Labor Day (also on the other list)
• Columbus Day (also on the other list)
• Thanksgiving (also on the other list)

Question words

• How
• What
• When
• Where
• Who
• Why

Verbs

• can (also on the other list)
• come (also on the other list)
• do/does
• elects
• have/has (also on the other list)
• is/are/was/be
• lives/lived (also on the other list)
• meet
• name
• pay (also on the other list)
• vote (also on the other list)
• want (also on the other list)

Other (function)

• a
• for (also on the other list)
• here (also on the other list)
• in (also on the other list)
• of (also on the other list)
• on (also on the other list)
• the (also on the other list)
• to (also on the other list)
• we (also on the other list)

Other (content)

• colors
• dollar bill (also on the other list)
• first (also on the other list)
• largest (also on the other list)
• many
• most (also on the other list)
• north (also on the other list)
• one (also on the other list)
• people (also on the other list)
• second (also on the other list)
• south (also on the other list)

The Writing Vocabulary, 75 Entries

Same marking. These are the words you may be asked to spell by hand.

People

• Adams
• Lincoln
• Washington

Civics

• American Indians
• capital (also on the other list)
• citizens
• Civil War
• Congress (also on the other list)
• Father of Our Country (also on the other list)
• flag
• free
• freedom of speech
• President (also on the other list)
• right (also on the other list)
• Senators (also on the other list)
• state/states (also on the other list)
• White House (also on the other list)

Places

• Alaska
• California
• Canada
• Delaware
• Mexico
• New York City
• United States (also on the other list)
• Washington
• Washington, D.C.

Months

• February
• May
• June
• July
• September
• October
• November

Holidays

• Presidents’ Day (also on the other list)
• Memorial Day (also on the other list)
• Flag Day (also on the other list)
• Independence Day (also on the other list)
• Labor Day (also on the other list)
• Columbus Day (also on the other list)
• Thanksgiving (also on the other list)

Verbs

• can (also on the other list)
• come (also on the other list)
• elect
• have/has (also on the other list)
• is/was/be
• lives/lived (also on the other list)
• meets
• pay (also on the other list)
• vote (also on the other list)
• want (also on the other list)

Other (function)

• and
• during
• for (also on the other list)
• here (also on the other list)
• in (also on the other list)
• of (also on the other list)
• on (also on the other list)
• the (also on the other list)
• to (also on the other list)
• we (also on the other list)

Other (content)

• blue
• dollar bill (also on the other list)
• fifty, 50
• first (also on the other list)
• largest (also on the other list)
• most (also on the other list)
• north (also on the other list)
• one (also on the other list)
• one hundred, 100
• people (also on the other list)
• red
• second (also on the other list)
• south (also on the other list)
• taxes
• white

How to Make Your Own Citizenship Test Vocabulary PDF

You do not need to wait for anything to get a copy.

In Chrome, Edge or Safari, press Command and P on a Mac, or Control and P on Windows. In the print dialogue choose Save as PDF as the destination rather than a printer. That produces a file you can keep on your phone.

On an iPhone, use the share button and choose Print, then pinch outward on the preview to turn it into a PDF you can save.

The result holds both lists with the overlap marked, which is what most people are actually looking for when they search for a citizenship test vocabulary PDF.

What the Overlap Tells You

Forty words appear on both lists. Fifty-eight appear on only one.

That split changes how to study. The forty shared words are worth the most time, because each one can turn up in a sentence you read and a sentence you write. Learn those first.

Then work on the writing-only words, because spelling by hand is harder than reading aloud. Thirty-four words are on the writing list alone, including all seven months and most of the place names.

The reading-only words come last. Twenty-four words, and six of them are the question words How, What, When, Where, Who and Why, which you already know. Our comparison of the two lists works through the split in detail.

FAQ

Is there an official citizenship test vocabulary PDF?

Not as a single document. USCIS publishes two separate plain text files, one for reading and one for writing, plus picture flash cards as PDFs. There is no official file combining both word lists into one.

Has the vocabulary changed for the 2025 test?

No. The 2025 change applies to the civics questions, moving that test from a bank of 100 to 128. Both vocabulary files still carry their 07/14 revision date and were not rewritten.

How many words do I need to learn in total?

Ninety-eight unique entries across the two lists, because 40 of them appear on both. Some entries are two words, such as White House, and some give several forms, such as state and states.

Can I bring a printed vocabulary list to the interview?

No. The tests are closed book. A printout is for studying beforehand, and you should expect to hand over nothing but your documents when the interview starts.

Verdict on the Citizenship Test Vocabulary PDF

There is no official combined file, which is why searching for a citizenship test vocabulary PDF turns up so many unofficial ones of unknown quality.

The two government text files are the authoritative source, and they take a minute to open. This page puts them together with the overlap marked, and your browser will turn it into a PDF in two keystrokes.

Learn the 40 shared words first, then the 34 writing-only words, then the rest. Ninety-eight entries, one page, and a list that has not changed since 2014.