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Practice sentence for the USCIS writing test: 'Washington is the capital of the United States.' Which word below is most commonly misspelled?

Correct answer

Capital / Capitol — applicants frequently confuse 'capital' (the city that is the seat of government) with 'Capitol' (the building where Congress meets); Washington, D.C. is the capital city

  1. A The
  2. B States
  3. C Capital / Capitol — applicants frequently confuse 'capital' (the city that is the seat of government) with 'Capitol' (the building where Congress meets); Washington, D.C. is the capital city
  4. D United

Why this is the answer

CAPITAL vs CAPITOL: CAPITAL (with an A) = the city that is the seat of government: 'Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States'; CAPITOL (with an O) = the specific building where the US Congress meets: 'Congress meets at the Capitol building.' Memory trick: The CAPITOL building has a DOME — both have an O. The USCIS writing test may dictate either — know both spellings. Common writing test sentences: 'Washington is the capital of the United States'; 'Congress meets in the Capitol'; 'The President lives in Washington.'
Source: USCIS Citizenship Writing Test — Capital vs Capitol

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This question is from our US Citizenship Test Practice practice test. Take the full practice test to test your knowledge across all General and other topics.

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