Studying for the citizenship test in English as a Spanish speaker

Mexico is the number one country of birth for new American citizens, and the Dominican Republic and Cuba are both in the top six. Hundreds of thousands of people every year go through the citizenship interview with Spanish as their first language. If that is you, this guide is for you. It is written in English on purpose, because English is the language you will answer in; a Spanish version is also available.

View the data

Country of birth	people naturalized	Source
Mexico	107,700	USCIS FY 2024 naturalization statistics (via Miller Mayer)
India	49,700	USCIS FY 2024 naturalization statistics (via Miller Mayer)
Philippines	41,200	USCIS FY 2024 naturalization statistics (via Miller Mayer)
Dominican Rep.	39,900	USCIS FY 2024 naturalization statistics (via Miller Mayer)
Cuba	33,700	USCIS FY 2024 naturalization statistics (via Miller Mayer)
Vietnam	33,400	USCIS FY 2024 naturalization statistics (via Miller Mayer)

Sources: Miller Mayer: USCIS FY 2024 naturalization statistics · USCIS: Naturalization statistics

Who takes the test in English

Most applicants take both the English test and the civics test in English, with no interpreter. The exceptions are:

• 50/20: 50 or older and a green card holder for 20 years when you file.
• 55/15: 55 or older and a green card holder for 15 years when you file.
• 65/20: 65 or older and a green card holder for 20 years. You also get a shorter civics test. See the 65/20 rule guide.
• Medical exception: a disability or impairment that prevents learning, documented on Form N-648.

People with these exemptions can take the civics test in Spanish with an interpreter. Everyone else should plan to study in English from the start.

The method: understand in Spanish, answer in English

The fastest way to learn is to use both languages, each for what it does best:

1. Understand the idea in Spanish. Why does each state have two senators? What did the Emancipation Proclamation do? Read the explanation in the language where you think most clearly. Every ReadyPass question page has a Spanish version with the explanation in Spanish.
2. Memorise the answer in English. The answer you say at the interview is in English, so that is the version to repeat. On our Spanish pages, the official English answer is shown next to the translation.
3. Practise hearing the question in English. You must recognise the question when an officer says it. Listen to it, not just read it.

Do not translate in your head during the interview. If you learn “the Constitution” as a sound connected to an idea, you will not need to go through “la Constitución” first.

Cognates: words you already know

Many civics words come from Latin, just like Spanish. These “cognates” are your shortcut:

English	Spanish
Constitution	Constitución
democracy, republic	democracia, república
President, Vice President	presidente, vicepresidente
Congress, Senate, senator	Congreso, Senado, senador
Declaration of Independence	Declaración de Independencia
amendment	enmienda
liberty, justice	libertad, justicia
federal, state, nation	federal, estado, nación
colonies, revolution	colonias, revolución
Emancipation Proclamation	Proclamación de Emancipación

Spelling is close but not identical: Constitution has no accent and ends in “-tion”, not “-ción”. Independence ends in “-ence”, not “-encia”.

False friends and confusing titles

Some words look the same but mean something different, and some titles translate in a way that causes wrong answers:

• Speaker of the House is “presidente de la Cámara” in Spanish. Never answer Q30 with the President’s name just because the Spanish title says “presidente”. The Speaker is a member of Congress.
• Chief Justice is “presidente de la Corte Suprema”. Again, not the President of the country.
• Bill in government means a proposed law (proyecto de ley), not a billete or a factura.
• Branch of government means poder or rama, not a tree branch.
• Cabinet means the President’s advisers (gabinete), not furniture.
• Representative in Q29 is your member of the House of Representatives, not any representative or agent.
• Elect (choose by voting) sounds similar to erect; say the “l” clearly.

Numbers and dates

Numbers are the most common small mistake for Spanish speakers. These are the numbers on the 2025 test:

Number	Say it	Question
13	thir-TEEN	13 stripes, 13 colonies
27	twenty-seven	amendments
50	FIF-ty	50 stars, 50 states
100	one hundred	senators
435	four hundred thirty-five	voting members of the House
9	nine	seats on the Supreme Court
1776	seventeen seventy-six	Declaration of Independence
1787	seventeen eighty-seven	Constitution written

Two rules: stress tells the difference between “thirTEEN” and “THIRty”, “fifTEEN” and “FIFty”. And years are said in pairs: 1776 is “seventeen seventy-six”, not “one thousand seven hundred seventy-six”.

Dates are also different. English puts the month first: “July 4, 1776” is “July fourth, seventeen seventy-six”. Month names are capitalised in English (July, not julio or july).

Pronunciation traps

You do not need a perfect accent. Officers are used to accents. But a few sounds can change a word:

• S + consonant at the start: say “state”, “Speaker”, “stripes”, not “e-state” or “e-Speaker”. Practise slowly: s-s-state.
• The “th” sound: “thirteen”, “the”, “three”. Put your tongue lightly between your teeth.
• Final consonants: English words often end in consonants that Spanish drops: “elected”, “rights”, “first”. Finish the word.
• V and B: in English they sound different: “vote” vs “boat”. For “vote”, touch your top teeth to your bottom lip.
• Short vs long vowels: “live” (vivir) vs “leave” (salir). The question “Where do you live?” is common in the interview.

Spelling for the writing test

On the writing test, small spelling mistakes are allowed if the meaning is clear, but a few words trip up Spanish speakers often. Practise writing these until they are automatic:

government (not “goverment”), citizens (not “sitizens”), Congress (double “s”), Independence, Washington, D.C., freedom of speech, February, Thanksgiving, Presidents’ Day.

Remember that in English, months, holidays, days of the week, nationalities and the word I always start with a capital letter. See every word on the official list in our English reading and writing test guide.

A 20-minute daily routine

1. 5 minutes: understand. Read five new questions with their explanations, in Spanish if that helps.
2. 5 minutes: say. Read each English answer aloud three times. Record yourself on your phone and listen.
3. 5 minutes: listen and answer. Have someone read the questions to you in English, or use audio, and answer without looking.
4. 5 minutes: write. Write two sentences from the vocabulary list from dictation.

Every few days, take a full practice test in English. And be careful of so-called “notarios”: in the United States a notary public is not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice. For help with your application, use a licensed attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative at a recognised nonprofit.